Tongchuan 3-Year Fermented Soybeans (Handcrafted Chinese Black Beans, Douchi)

  Note that we have switched brands of fermented soybeans as we have become able to source the Sichuan heritage brand Tongchuan—which also happens to be gluten-free, additive-free and preservative-free! Fermented soybeans are called “black beans” in the U.S. and douchi in China, but we just like to call them umami bombs, since they pack so much flavor in such a little bean. An even older Chinese condiment than soy sauce, douchi are a fixture of Cantonese cuisine but also beloved in other parts of China, including Sichuan, where they are made in a different style and result in a different texture and taste—though they are interchangeable in Chinese recipes. In Sichuan, yellow soybeans are steamed; inoculated with qu (koji) and left to grow some snowy mold; then mixed with salt in a large earthenware jar, sealed and left to ferment. After fermentation, the soybeans end up deep black in color (hence their English name), plump and moist in texture, and intensely salty-savory in flavor. Th