If using dried mushrooms, rinse them briefly, then put them in a bowl and add about 200ml (¾ cup and 1tbsp) of warm water. Leave the mushrooms to soak until fully hydrated (about two hours), then ...

It starts with the "shaaaa" sound of ginger and garlic hitting hot oil. The next ingredient brings an earthy aroma, but it looks like something you don't want to mention in a food story. Why use ...

The spicy bean paste Shirley Chung recommended, doubanjiang, is a fermented ingredient made from broad beans and soybeans, mixed with salt, rice, and spices.

Tianjin-style leans on sweet bean sauce for a milder, more balanced flavor, while some versions use broad bean paste to add heat and complexity. Then there’s the Korean-Chinese adaptation, ...

Stamina Ramen: Ganso. 25 Bond St., nr. Livingston St., Downtown Brooklyn; 718-403-0900. Ryuji Irie packs his soup with fermented broad-bean paste, chiles, tiny shrimp, and the fragrant garlic ...

"In this vegan version of mapo tofu, instead of ground pork, finely chopped eggplant and mushrooms cook down to a meaty consistency that absorbs a richly savory blend of broad bean paste and ...

The beans are found, too, in doubanjiang (chilli bean paste), a paste made with fermented soy and broad beans and chilli, which is used in Sichuanese cooking, including mapo tofu.