The stir fry pork recipe I was planning for my dinner tonite requires chilli bean sauce, but I’m struggling to get hold of a jar.

Not got any asian food shops round these parts, tried Waitrose as I thought being a bit posh they might have some proper ingredients but no.

Any suggestions where I might find some? Or what I can use instead?

Ta!

what proportion of the recipe uses this sauce? If it is just a little, used to add heat, try popping in some fresh red chilies – sliced if you want it hot, whole (but pierced) if you want it cooler (then remove before serving). That will make it nicely spicy.

If it is the majority of the ingredients, I can’t help. For example, chicken with oyster sauce requires lots of oyster sauce so it couldn’t work without it/substitute.

tabasco is your friend. few drops of that’ll spice it up a bit.

Chilli Bean paste or sauce (toban jan) contains fermented beans, and has a deep, salty flavour. It’s not just there to add heat. try adding Sambal Olek (Thai chili sauce) which has a similar heat and flavour. Add a dash of soy sauce if the dish is lacking in depth/flavour.

chile paste = Asian chile paste = chili paste = chilli paste Notes: This is a blend of hot chile peppers, garlic, oil, and salt that’s commonly used in Asian cuisine. Includes: Chinese chile (or chili) paste = Szechuan chile (or chili) paste = Sichuan chile (or chili) paste = chile paste with garlic, Korean chile paste, and Vietnamese chile paste = tuong ot toi Vietnam = prik kaeng, which is hotter than the Chinese chile paste. See also separate entries for these other chile pastes: nam prik pao, chile bean paste, sambal oelek, and sambal bajak. Substitutes: hot sauce OR harissa OR crushed red pepper flakes (to taste; start with 1/4 as much) OR dried red chili peppers

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