fermented black soybeans

Wash the soybeans and soak them in water for a day.

Cook the soybeans until they are done, keeping the ratio of water to beans at 2:1. I like my beans cooked a bit softer.

Squeeze out the water from the cooked beans, add a little salt, and store it in the refrigerator (you can also skip adding salt).

Put the beans into a stainless steel pot with a lid and ferment them in a warm place for about a week. The beans are ready when there is a slippery mucus between them.

Mince the ginger.

Pour the boiled bean water into the fermented soybeans, then mix the minced ginger, salt, and chopped chili into the beans. This completes the water soybeans. The amount of salt depends on the quantity of beans; since the chopped chili already contains salt, the exact amount of salt is not specified here—just add enough until it tastes slightly salty.

Stir well, and the fermented black beans are ready.

Put the water-soaked fermented black beans into a glass container for storage. They can be eaten after half a day. Fermented black beans kept at room temperature should not be stored for too long, as they will turn sour. You can put them in a fresh-keeping box and store them in the refrigerator, which can preserve them for a long time.