Posted by request. Oriental Black Bean Sauce is a popular ingredient in many Asian dishes. The black beans in this sauce are actually soy beans which have been allowed to mature and ferment, creating a complex mix of flavours. They are easily obtained from Chinese supermarkets. Black bean sauce teams well with stir-fried beef or chicken, and any combination of vegetables such as bok choy, asparagus, baby corn, carrot, celery, mushrooms, snow peas, small sprigs of cauliflower and/or broccoli, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and so on. Be warned, it does have a rather high salt content, so there is little need to add salt either to the sauce or the finished dish. Unless stored in the freezer, this sauce should be refrigerated and used within a few days of making. Preparation time includes soaking the beans for 30 minutes.