There are many savory Chinese sauces and pastes made from fermented soybeans. Instantly adding flavor to stir-fries, stews and other dishes, you can find them stacked side-by-side in any Chinese grocery store. Just look for the aisle with a dizzying array of soy sauces, vinegars, rice wines, hot sauces, and bean pastes.
In this article, we’ll talk about ground bean sauce, a key ingredient in meat marinades, some stir-fries, and Cantonese stews.
But what is the difference between ground bean sauce and just…”bean sauce?” Why do the jars look so similar?? What about sweet bean sauce and bean paste? Aren’t Chee Hou Sauce and Hoisin Sauce also made with fermented soybeans? We’ll clear up the confusion below!
Got a question about another ingredient?
Check out our full glossary of Chinese sauces, wines, vinegars, and oils, which includes photos and descriptions of each.
What Is Ground Bean Sauce?
Ground bean sauce is made with fermented yellow soybeans. Not to be confused with regular bean paste AKA sweet soybean paste (豆瓣酱), which is made with little more than soybeans, wheat, and salt, it usually has additional seasonings, including sesame oil, sugar, and spices.
In terms of flavor, it is mild and salty, with the umami-laden punch of fermented soybeans.
Here’s a look at the ingredients labeling:
You may also confuse it with sweet bean sauce, AKA “sweet flour sauce.” This ingredient is darker in color and generally not made with majority soybeans at all, but from fermented wheat flour. The result is a condiment with a sweetness level that’s on par with hoisin sauce, and can be used in dishes like Peking Duck and Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles.
Also, don’t confuse it with Hoisin Sauce or Chee Hou Sauce, which ARE made with soybeans and can look similar!
Each has a slightly different flavor profile. Hoisin sauce is a lot sweeter than ground bean sauce, with about 10g of sugar per tablespoon (ground bean sauce contains about 2g per tbsp). It also contains sesame paste, garlic, and a little bit of chili.
Chee Hou Sauce can include other more complex ingredients, like salted plums, salted lemons, and fermented bean curd.
That said, these various pastes and sauces do have shared qualities, with differences that can be hard to describe without tasting them side by side.
How To Use It
The Koon Chun brand of ground bean sauce has been around for some time and in Cantonese, our family called it “meen see jeung.” We used it in Chinese BBQ spare rib sauces like our recipe for Takeout Style Chinese Spare Ribs.
Or our juicy Chinese Boneless Spare Ribs:
We also use it in stewed dishes, like our pork rib stew with taro:
Buying & Storing
The most recognizable brand that we gravitate towards is Koon Chun, which we’ve been using for years. It’s very clearly labeled in English, which makes finding it easy! Find it at Chinese grocery stores or online.
Lee Kum Kee is the other brand we usually see at our Chinese grocery.
Note that you may also find Koon Chun’s “Bean Sauce.” The jars look remarkably similar, as are the names:
Both sauces contain soybean paste, water, sugar, salt, and sesame oil. The only difference we can see is that ground bean sauce has additional spices, while bean sauce does not (see the ingredients list comparison below. Ground bean sauce is on the left and bean sauce is on the right).
Our verdict? You can use them interchangeably, but if you have to choose between the two at the grocery store, pick up the ground bean sauce. You want those extra spices!
Store in the refrigerator, and always use a clean utensil when spooning some out for a recipe. It will keep for up to a year this way.
Substitutions
If you can’t find ground bean sauce, you can substitute a similar fermented soybean sauce like hoisin sauce, chee hou sauce, or regular bean paste.
We know, we just talked about how it’s important to not confuse all of these sauces. But if you need a substitution, they’re reasonable stand-ins for each other!
However, keep in mind that you may need to reduce the sugar in your recipe elsewhere, as hoisin sauce is a lot sweeter than ground bean sauce.
Our Favorite Recipes That Use This Ingredient
- Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles (Zha Jiang Mian)
- Braised Pork Rib & Taro Stew
- Takeout Style Chinese Spare Ribs
- Crispy Duck Wrap
- Boneless Spare Ribs
If you have further questions about this ingredient, let us know in the comments––we try to answer every single one.
Hi Arlene: I use it to make baby back pork rib stew. You can substitute tofu for the ribs. I tried it.
Recipe:
1 soup spoon of bean sauce.
1 soup spoon of grounded bean sauce.
1 tablespoon of corn starch.
2 cups of water.
1 container of extra firm tofu.
1 sweet onion.
1 bunch of carrot.
3-4 red potatoes
7-8 bay leaves.
Cut your sweet onion, carrots and potatoes and tofu.
Season your pot with extra virgin olive oil.
Sautéed your onion.
Add you ground bean sauce and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil. Make sure the sauce is thicken.
Add carrots. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add potatoes. Cook for 6 minutes.
Add you tofu and lowered heat to simmer.
Simmer for 5 minutes and keep stirring.
Ready to serve.
Thanks for sharing, Dave!
Hi – Just bought this sauce at 99 Ranch. Are there any recipes for chicken, tofu or fish that use it? I don’t eat red meat. Thank you.
Hmm we don’t have any vegetarian, fish or chicken recipes that use this, Arlene. It’s mostly used with meats in our house. However, you can stir-fry with it and make a chicken stir-fry.
Thank you so much for these hints and suggested uses! Growing up 2nd generation offspring of immigrants, we are illiterate in the Chinese language. I learned to cook some of our family favorites but am only familiar with the very limited sauces and flavorings used by my parents. These hints will motivate me to try my hand at new dishes!
Yay! Have fun cooking and experimenting, Laura!
I appreciate your efforts to share and teach a few of the basics
Thanks Jim!
It’s always an adventure to shop in an Asian grocery. The first time I did so, with my parents in NY’s Chinatown, there was no Google to allow us to find and share pictures of what we were looking for with shop staff. And certainly no Google translate to help with reading labels.
I’ve gotten better at it over the years. And technology has made it so much better. It felt similar when I recently entered an Indian grocery.
Thanks for your help!
You’re very welcome, Steven! Even though it can be intimidating to enter those unfamiliar spaces, it’s great to explore them. Sounds like you’ve done that!
How long can you keep these sauces in refrigerator? Opened or unopened? How can you tell if spoiled……smell test? Have some for YEARS because I did not know how to use.
Hi Peggy, you generally can keep them for a year or perhaps even longer, but it’s best to follow the best by date on the jar!
thank you for these overview articles. I like learning about these items so I can feel comfortable playing with them in other applications
You’re welcome, Martha!