Hunan Hot Pepper & Black Bean Sauce

This Hunan hot pepper and black bean sauce is a homemade chili condiment that gets steamed in a jar for 45 minutes, mellowing the raw heat of crushed red pepper into something deep, smoky, and complex. Fermented black beans add a salty, funky backbone while plenty of garlic and a splash of dry sherry round out the flavor.

The steaming method is what makes this different from a quick chili oil. Gentle heat over simmering water lets the ingredients slowly infuse into the oil without frying or burning, producing a sauce with layered heat rather than a one-note blast.

Make a batch and stash it in the fridge where it keeps indefinitely. Serve at room temperature as a condiment alongside stir-fries, noodles, dumplings, or anything that needs a fiery kick.

Pro Tips

• Seal the jar tightly with foil before steaming to keep condensation from dripping into the sauce and diluting it.
• Use a good quality crushed red pepper with visible seeds. Cheap flakes lack depth and heat fades fast.
• Rinse and drain the fermented black beans before adding. They’re intensely salty straight from the package.
• The sauce tastes better after a day or two in the fridge as the flavors continue to meld.

Variations

• Add Sichuan peppercorns for a numbing-hot (mala) version.
• Stir in a teaspoon of sugar if you prefer a slightly sweet chili sauce.
• Use peanut oil or sesame oil as the base instead of vegetable oil for a nuttier flavor.