Red Braised Soybeans
These braised soybeans are covered in a savory, sweet, and flavorful sauce for a vegetarian twist on traditional Chinese red braised pork belly. This easy dish is best served over warm rice!
These red braised soybeans give a new twist to the traditional Chinese red braised pork belly dish (紅燒肉, hong shao rou). The fresh soy pairs really well with the sweet and savory red braising sauce. In comparison to the traditional pork belly, this quick and easy soybean recipe cuts down on cooking time and is healthier too! Also an interesting side note: this sweet and savory preparation of soybeans is similar to kongjang, Korean simmered soybeans.
If you enjoy this red braised dish, feel free to experiment with other proteins/vegetables! As mentioned in this video by Chinese Cooking Demystified, red braising isn’t restricted to just pork belly; it’s a technique that works great with a wide variety of ingredients such as tofu and potatoes as well! Keep in mind that some ingredients may need extra preparation so that they braise better. For example, tofu and potatoes should probably be fried before braising in the sauce.
Notes
- Fresh/Dry soybeans: I believe you can make this recipe using dry soybeans or fresh soybeans. If you use fresh soybeans, use around 400 grams (a little under 1 lb) and skip the soaking step.
- Cooking time: The amount of time that the soybeans simmer for is up to personal preference! The soybeans should be fully cooked in 15-20 minutes. However, you can continue simmering the soybeans for longer for a creamier, more tender texture. You may need to add some more stock part of the way through so that the soybeans have enough liquid to cook in.
- If you want to texture more ‘QQ’ (the Taiwanese equivalent of al-dente), then you only need to simmer the soybeans for around 15-20 minutes.
Red Braised Soybeans
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried soybeans ~400 grams soaked, *Note 1
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 inch ginger minced
- 1 1/2 cups stock chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp soy sauce add more to taste
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp five spice
- 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp water optional
Instructions
- Soak the dried soybeans in a large bowl of water for at least 6 hours or overnight. *Note 2
- Heat a pot/wok over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant, around 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add soybeans and five spice. Fry until the five spice becomes fragrant.
- Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20-40 minutes depending on how crunchy/tender you would like your soybeans to be. *Note 3
- Remove the cover. The water should have reduced. Increase the heat to reduce the sauce quicker. This will take a few minutes.
- You can optionally use the cornstarch slurry to reduce the sauce quicker. To do so: mix the cornstarch and water into a slurry. Then, immediately mix the slurry into the braise. If the sauce becomes too thick, mix in more stock. If it’s too thin, mix in more slurry.
- Serve warm over a bed of rice.
Notes
- Fresh/Dry soybeans: I believe you can make this recipe using dry soybeans or fresh soybeans. If you use fresh soybeans, use around 400 grams (a little under 1 lb) and skip the soaking step.
- Soaking: The water should cover the soybeans by about 1 inch because the soybeans will absorb a lot of water and expand to about 3 times in size
- Cooking time: The amount of time that the soybeans simmer for is up to personal preference! The soybeans should be fully cooked in 15-20 minutes. However, you can continue simmering the soybeans for longer for a creamier, more tender texture. You may need to add some more stock part of the way through so that the soybeans have enough liquid to cook in.
How to Make Red Braised Soybeans
Soak the dried soybeans in a large bowl of water for at least 6 hours or overnight. (The water should cover the soybeans by about 1 inch because the soybeans will absorb a lot of water and expand to about 3 times in size.)
Heat a pot/wok over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant, around 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add soybeans and five spice. Fry until the five spice becomes fragrant.
Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20-40 minutes, depending on how crunchy/tender you would like your soybeans to be.
Remove the cover. The water should have been reduced. Increase the heat to reduce the sauce quicker. This will take a few minutes.
You can optionally use the cornstarch slurry to reduce the sauce quicker. To do so: mix the cornstarch and water into a slurry. Then, immediately mix the slurry into the braise. If the sauce becomes too thick, mix in more stock. If it’s too thin, mix in more slurry.
Serve warm over a bed of rice.
