Fermented Black Bean Penne Pasta with Pea Pods

Due to recent feedback on the recipes I’ve been publishing here on the blog, I’ve decided come up with something simple, filling and flexible enough to use up any bits and bobs you may have in the garden. A lot of the recipes I develop try to showcase ingredients, but this one is something designed to fill the whole family (or make extra for lunch the following day). But firstly, a word on Douchi (fermented black beans).

Douchi

One of the many amazing fermented foods to come from China and Asia at large, Douchi is often overlooked here in the west. Easily available in the supermarket (largely thanks to the popular dish mapo tofu), these salted and fermented black soybeans are used sparingly as a seasoning due to their pungent, salty flavour. One of the oldest known fermented foods, Douchi has been found in a Chinese tomb dating from 165BC and has been a well known part of Asian cuisine since.

Outside of Asia, salted black beans are known as Tausi in Spanish and come dried or in garlic oil or chili oil. For the sake of this recipe, pick either the garlic or chili oil depending on your tolerance to heat.

Black Bean Penne Pasta Recipe
Serves 2

2 Cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 2-3tbs Fermented black beans

• 1 Carrot, diced

• 1 Tin black beans

• 1 Tin chopped tomatoes

• 1tsp Harissa / rose harissa

• 1tsp Cumin seeds

• 350g Penne pasta

• 1 Spring onion

• Optional: Either kale, pea pods, French beans, broad beans etc (2-3 handfuls)

Step 1.

Fry the garlic, carrot and cumin seeds in a splash of oil on a medium heat until the garlic begins to turn golden brown and crispy. Then add everything else except for the last three ingredients in the list above.

Note: we aren’t adding salt to season as the Douchi is plenty salty enough for this recipe.

Step 2.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water as per the instructions.

Step 3.

2 minutes before the pasta is cooked, add the garden ingredients and stir them in. After they’ve cooked for a minute, drain and add the pasta. Mix everything together and serve with thinly chopped spring onion and fresh coriander from the garden.