Douchi (Chinese: 豆豉; pinyin: dòuchǐ), also called hamanatto or Chinese fermented black beans, is a flavoring most popular in the cuisine of China, and is used to make black bean sauce. Pinyin (拼音, pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration to roman script) for Standard Mandarin used in the... Flavouring (or flavoring) is a product which is added to food in order to change or augment its taste. ... China has one of the richest culinary heritages on Earth. ...

Douchi is made by fermenting and salting soybeans. The process turns the beans black, soft, and mostly dry. The flavor is pungent and bacterial, although it does not compare with natto or the smellier cheeses. In its strictest sense fermentation (scientifically called zymosis) is the energy-yielding anaerobic metabolic breakdown of a nutrient molecule, such as glucose, without net oxidation. ... Binomial name Glycine max Soybeans (US) or soya beans (UK) (Glycine max) are a high-protein legume (Family Fabaceae) grown as food for both humans and livestock. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus_Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Natto eaten on top of rice is always stirred before consumption Nattō (納豆) is a traditional Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans, popular especially at breakfast. ... Cheese is a solid food made from the curdled milk of various animals—most commonly cows but sometimes goats, sheep, reindeer, and water buffalo. ...

Use

Douchi is especially used to flavor fish or stir-fried leaf vegetables. Unlike some other fermented soybean-based foods such as natto, miso or tempeh, douchi is only a seasoning, not meant to be consumed in large quantities. Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus, the most abundant fish species in the world. ... Stir frying is a common Chinese cooking technique used because of its fast cooking speed. ... Leaf vegetables, also called greens or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. ... Natto eaten on top of rice is always stirred before consumption Nattō (納豆) is a traditional Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans, popular especially at breakfast. ... Miso (味噌) is a thick paste made by fermenting soybeans with kōji ((麹) (Aspergillus oryzae)) and sea salt. ... Tempeh is a fermented soy food that is most popular in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. ...

Small packets of douchi are available wherever Chinese foods are sold.