Sichuan Doubanjiang Soybeans with Peppers

This dish comes together fast and packs serious flavour into a bowl of humble beans. Doubanjiang, the fermented chili bean paste that sits at the heart of Sichuan cooking, brings salt, heat, and a deep savoury punch that no other ingredient quite replicates. Cooked soybeans soak that up beautifully, and the peppers add crunch and a little sweetness to balance things out. A finishing drizzle of chili oil and a scatter of Sichuan peppercorns give you that signature lip-tingling buzz. Good over steamed rice, or just eaten straight from the wok.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Cooked soybeans, drained and rinsed if from a can
  • 2 tbsp Doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste)
  • 3 tbsp Neutral oil
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1-inch piece Fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 1 large Red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into thin strips
  • 1 large Green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into thin strips
  • 2 Long red chili, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
  • 1 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, lightly toasted and coarsely ground
  • 1 tsp Sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp Chili oil
  • 3 Spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp Water

Instructions

  1. Toast 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok or skillet over medium heat for about 90 seconds, shaking the pan often, until they smell fragrant and faintly smoky. Tip them into a small bowl and let them cool for a couple of minutes, then grind them coarsely with a mortar and pestle or the flat of a heavy knife. Set aside.
  2. While the peppercorns cool, mince 4 cloves garlic and finely grate one 1-inch piece of fresh ginger (peeled first). Keep them together in a small pile.
  3. Deseed and slice 1 large red bell pepper and 1 large green bell pepper into thin strips, roughly 5 mm wide. Thinly slice 2 long red chilies. Set the peppers and chilies together in one pile.
  4. Drain and rinse 3 cups (520 g) cooked soybeans in a colander. Give them a shake to shed excess water.
  5. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 3 tbsp water. This is your sauce mix, and having it ready now means you won't scramble once the wok gets hot.
  6. Set the wok back over high heat. Add 3 tbsp neutral oil and let it get properly hot, about 30 seconds. When it shimmers and a drop of water flicked in spits immediately, you're ready.
  7. Add 2 tbsp doubanjiang and stir it into the oil constantly for about 60 seconds. The paste will darken a shade, sizzle vigorously, and the oil will turn a deep brick red. Keep stirring so it doesn't catch.
  8. Add the 4 cloves garlic, minced and 1-inch piece ginger, grated and stir for 30 seconds until they smell sharp and toasty but haven't coloured much.
  9. Tip in the sliced 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, and 2 long red chilies. Toss everything together over high heat for 2 minutes. The peppers should soften slightly but keep a little snap.
  10. Add the 3 cups (520 g) drained soybeans and toss well to coat them in the chili-red oil. Stir-fry for 2 minutes so the beans warm through and pick up some colour.
  11. Pour in the sauce mix of 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 3 tbsp water. Toss and stir everything together. Let it bubble and reduce for about 2 minutes until the sauce clings to the beans and peppers and very little liquid is left in the wok.
  12. Take the wok off the heat. Drizzle over 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp chili oil, then scatter the ground 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns across the top. Give everything one final toss.
  13. Transfer to a serving dish and scatter over 3 thinly sliced spring onions. Eat straight away, over steamed rice if you like.