Date: Fri, 14 May 93 18:27:22 PDT From: ""Michelle R. Dick"" This is a *fabulous* dish. It is a rich dish for special occasions (fermented black soybeans are high-salt and high-fat). The recipe here is adapted from one in _Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant_ (the best of the Moosewood cookbooks, IMHO). GREEN BEANS IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE Ingredients 1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed 4 garlic cloves 2 jalapenos or other hot chiles 2 T fermented black soybeans 3 T rice vinegar 2 T tamari (or soy sauce) 1.5 t potato starch (or cornstarch) 1 T brown sugar 2 T sake or other rice wine Cut the green beans into equal lengths of about 1.5 inches. Blanch the green beans for 3 minutes. Set aside. Mince the garlic. De-seed the jalapenos and finely dice. Mix together the garlic, jalapeno, and black beans. Set aside. Mix together the rice vinegar, tamari, starch, sugar, and sake. Set aside. Fill a glass with water and set handy next to the stove. Put a skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, dump the garlic mixture into the pan. Stir fry for one minute, adding water as the mixture begins to stick -- add just a little at time. Add the green beans and stir fry for 5 minutes, again adding water just as needed. Add the vinegar mixture, mixing until evenly coated and sauce thickens. Serve immediately. Serves 2 Comments: Blanching: bring a *large* pot of water to a rolling boil. Dump in the green beans, boil for 3 minutes, remove promptly and dump into ice water or run under cold water to stop the cooking. Fermented black soybeans are available in Asian markets. Usually labled "salted black beans". I find them in the preserved food section in plastic bags.