Fried Cod in Sweet Chili Black Bean Garlic Sauce

The Best Black Bean Garlic Sauce for Cod

This is a very popular recipe in many Asian Restaurants and I’ve seen recipes listed all over the web but, once again, the ingredients and preparation fall short and these food bloggers aren’t teaching it correctly. I guarantee that this is the Best Cod in Black Bean Garlic Sauce recipe you’ll ever try because I give you a fish marinade (no one else does), a light fried breading (most recipes skip) and a super easy and delicious sauce that comes in premade bottles, that you can purchase for cheap. You just have to know the proper amounts to mix. Otherwise you’d have to combine over a dozen different ingredients just to make the sauce from scratch. I recommend 3 bottled ingredients and a broth to thin and stretch out the sauce.

One Cod filet, weighing just under a pound, sliced into 2″ inch portions.
This Marinade can be used with Calamari, Shrimp, Fish, Chicken, Pork and/or Beef.
White onion, several sweet peppers and one Jalapeno pepper, chopped into 1″ inch pieces.
Potato Starch for a light coating on the fish, for frying, after it’s marinated.
Deep fried Cod fish portions that were marinated and dusted in potato starch.
These 3 sauces combined, in the right portions, make an amazing sweet chili and black bean garlic sauce.

Black Bean Garlic Sauce

If you don’t already know, Black Bean Garlic Sauce can be purchased, as is, in a jar, ready to go. The problem is, it leaves much to be desired because it’s just fermented black beans. It’s very potent, sour and other ingredients need to be added to balance out the flavor. In a restaurant setting, a wok cook would combine at least half a dozen ingredients to create the fusion. The 3 bottled sauces, pictured above is all I combine to create a sauce the properly balances this Cod in Black Bean Garlic Sauce recipe. The sauce is a bit thick for this dish, however, so I thin it out with Beef or Chicken Broth.

I also use these 3 bottles to make a sauce for my Salt and Pepper Calamari and one of my Sea Scallop recipes.

How to make Fried Cod in Sweet Chili Black Bean Garlic Sauce video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Fried Cod in Black Bean Garlic Sauce Ingredients:

1 Cod Filet, sliced into 1″ X 2″ inch pieces

Marinade
1 egg
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp White Pepper
3 tbsp Corn Starch

1/3 cup Potato Starch for Fish breading

5 Lunch Box Peppers, chopped 1″ inch pieces
1 Jalapeno, chopped into 1″ inch pieces
1/4 White Onion, chopped into 1″ inch pieces
2 Green Onions, chopped into 2″ inch pieces
2 tbsp Canola Oil, for stir frying

Sauce
1 tbsp Black Bean Garlic Sauce
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup Sweet Chili Sauce
1/2 cup Beef or Chicken Broth

Canola Oil for Frying

The amount of marinade in this recipe can marinate up to 3 lbs of cod so only use about 1/3 of it for filet this size. This dish easily feeds 2 to 3 people and is traditionally served with steamed rice. Follow the instructions in the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Fried Cod in Sweet Chili Black Bean Garlic Sauce.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

Salt and Pepper Shrimp Entrée.

The Best Cantonese Fried Shrimp

If you don’t already know, Salt and Pepper Shrimp is a Chinese fried shrimp recipe developed by the Cantonese in South China. Much like the united states, the food is different and diversified in the south and practically has an entirely separate culture mixed into their food.

Though I use peeled shrimp in this recipe, this dish is usually fried with the shell of the prongs still intact. The coated breading is also traditionally thin. Instead of a thick batter, on the outside of the shrimp, or even a light tempura, the marinated shrimp are tossed in potato starch, which give the shrimp a thin crisp texture.

The dish is finished with Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, a garnish of spicy chili peppers and fresh grated carrot. I like to use both Jalapeno and sweet lunch box peppers, however, to make the flavor more diverse on the pallet.

2 lbs of marinated green shrimp in a stainless steel bowl on the counter.
30 oz bag of Potato Starch on the counter top.
Chopped Jalapeno, red Lunch box peppers and grated carrot in a white bowl for a garnish.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp Ingredients:

2 lbs Raw Shrimp, peeled and deviened

Marinade
1 egg
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp White Pepper
3 tbsp Corn Starch

Garnish
1 Jalapeno Pepper, sliced
1 Sweet Pepper, red diced
1/4 cup Carrot, grated
1 Lemon wedge, squeezed

3 finger Kosher Salt and Pepper pinch to taste

3/4 cup Potato Starch, light breading on the shrimp
2 cups Canola Oil for frying, 375° for 2 minutes

Follow the directions in the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make Salt and Pepper Shrimp.

Braised Pork Belly with Noodles

1.6 lbs Raw Pork Belly cut portion.

The Best Ramen

If you’ve only been eating 15 cent grocery store bought Ramen packages, with foam noodles, and you’ve never had Ramen made fresh in a Restaurant or at home with egg noodles, you’ve been missing out. There’s nothing like a fresh bowl of gourmet cooked Ramen made right because it’s packed with carbs, proteins and all kinds of vitamins and nutrients; especially if it’s made with Bone Broth. Real Ramen recipes have this and they’re delicious.

Cubed cut pork belly portions braising in a large pot of ingredients.

Cooking Pork Belly

The most important thing about cooking pork is making sure it’s cooked all the way through. But, you don’t need to worry about that when you’re braising because the slow and low process goes above and beyond the safety measure temperatures and breaks down the enzymes in the meat to the point of absolute tenderness. In this recipe, I encourage you to poach the pork belly pieces for no less than 20 minutes. This will delicately cook the meat all of the way through before braising in my secret sauce.

Homemade Ramen Noodles with Braised Pork Belly, Baby Bok Choy, Spinach, Beef Broth and Scallions.

Making this Noodle Soup

It’s always a good idea to use the freshest ingredients when making this dish, however, some substitutions can be made and I’ve made a few. I do teach you how to make Beef Bone Broth from scratch and it’s great in this recipe if you want to spend 3 hours making it. If not, Knorr’s Bouillon is a fantastic alternative and I use their Beef, Chicken and Tomato recipes often(not affiliated, I just like it).

It’s also nice to have fresh noodles on hand and you can either Make them yourself, the way I show you “How to make Pasta“, purchase the oriental style Yaka Soba noodles, which I use in this recipe, or just use a plain cheap package of Ramen noodles. All will work just fine for this recipe.

Vegetables are always a fine addition to practically any soup and this dish is no exception. You can add what ever you like but my recomendations for this recipe 3 simple greens; fresh spinach, baby bok choy and scallions. Celery, carrot, cilantro, bean sprouts, red onion and corn are also other great alternatives and additions.

As far as proteins go, boiled or poached eggs are very common in Ramen bowls, chicken, instead of pork belly if you prefer or even beef brisket is great.

Braised Pork Belly with Noodles Ingredients:

1 lbs Frozen Yaki Soba Noodles (my favorite)
3 cups Beef Broth, to cook the noodles in and use as soup
2 to 3 lbs Pork Belly, cut into cubes

Vegetables
8 oz Spinach
10 Baby Bok Choy
2 Green Onions, chopped

Hong Shao Rou Braising Ingredients
2 Fresh Ginger, sliced (size of a quarter)
1/4 tsp Anise
1 tsp Pickling Spice, ingredients below
1 pinch Chili Flakes
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup White Wine
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
Top off pork belly with water in pot (2 to 3 cups)

Bring to a boil then simmer and cook, with a lid, for 1 1/2 hours.

Serve with 8 oz of cooked noodles, 5 to 6 cubes of Braised Pork Belly, 2 to 3 ladles of beef broth, 3 oz of Hong Shao Rou sauce, Garnish with Spinach, Baby Bok Choy and Green onion.

Pickling Spice Ingredients:
2 tbsp Mustard Seeds, whole
1 tbsp Allspice Berries, whole
2 tsp Coriander, seeds
1 tsp Red Pepper Chili Flakes
1 tsp Ginger, ground
2 Bay Leaves, crumbled
2 Cinnamon Sticks
6 Cloves, whole

Please watch the video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Noodle Soup with Braised Pork Belly.