Sui Dou Chi 水豆豉 (Brined Fermented Soy Beans)

If you don’t like natto, you could most likely skip this post, but if you do, then this wouldn’t be too out of your depth. This is something out of my childhood and my ancestral province of Sze Chuan. I used black soybeans but traditionally, yellow soybeans are used, fermented until they become pungent, wrinkly black beans used to add depth and flavor to dishes. Douchi (豆豉) is my father’s favorite seasoning–sauteed with pork or steamed with tofu, or even just on its own with a bowl of rice porridge, he adores it because it reminds him of his family.

It’s something I’ve been meaning to make and write down, because I didn’t want to lose it to time and history. You can either allow it to ferment on its own, or you can use natto culture. It is essentially natto with a few extra steps, so if you’re an avid ferment-er of that slippery, sticky delicacy, this would be easy.

My attempt at the dried version failed. I overfermented it and it began to smell of ammonia, but thankfully the brined version succeeded. A pressure cooker makes the cooking process of the beans quickly but you can do it on the stovetop too.

Edited to Add: Apparently the smell of ammonia can be dissipated once kept in the fridge for a few days which is likely why the sui dou chi came out fine.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried soybean
• 1 package natto or natto culture
• Enough water to soak the beans and cover it during cooking
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorn
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Soak the soybeans overnight. Boil it over the stove, covered, or cook in pressure cooker until beans are tender, but not fall apart. Do not drain. Allow to cool until lukewarm.
2. Add one package natto or natto culture to the cookedbeans and allow to ferment, covered, somewhere warm (100 degrees F) for 24 hours (I use the proof setting on my oven), until mucous strings have formed and it is pungent. If an ammonia smell develops, you have over-fermented it.
3. Sautee the kosher salt and black szechuan peppercorn in a pan until fragrant. Place in a blender and blend until it’s a fine powder. Mix with the fermented beans, ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic, and black pepper. Place in a jar and add enough preboiled cooled water to cover the beans. Close and place in the fridge. Allow to brine for at least an hour before using. It will continue to slowly ferment, becoming more pungent over time.