Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Black Bean Sauce

Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers black bean sauce's optimal flavour pairings.

Black bean sauce is defined by the unmistakable flavours of bean and potato, but beneath its umaminess lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as onion, glutamate, and asparagus, that give it remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for black bean sauce is understanding how these notes harmonise.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our analysis reveals, for example, how Sriracha's capsaicin tones ground black bean sauce, and how roast pork's lactic notes create a surprising synergy with its starchy aroma.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. maillard, vegetal, and acidic) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

The Art of Flavour Pairing

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

Our analysis shows that the flavour of bean is strongly associated with the flavour of lactic acid. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a lactic acid flavour, such as roast pork, when pairing with the beany notes of black bean sauce.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing black bean sauce with roast pork.

Harmonious Flavours Of Black Bean Sauce

Just as our analysis highlighted that bean and mouldy notes often complement each other, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in black bean sauce. For instance, the potatoey notes of black bean sauce are strongly associated with tannic and buttery flavours.

The notes associated with the various accents of black bean sauce can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of Sriracha offers many of the notes complementary to black bean sauce, including capsaicin and acetic notes. Because the flavour profile of Sriracha has many of the of the features that are complementary to black bean sauce, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of Sriracha across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with black bean sauce.

Recipes That Pair Black Bean Sauce With Sriracha

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aroma notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of black bean sauce, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of black bean sauce, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the aroma notes complementary to black bean sauce.

Harmonies Of Black Bean Sauce

Black bean sauce offers a range of distinct flavour notes, each with its own set of harmonising partners. Bean notes pair especially well with ingredients that have the pungent aroma of mould and the pungent aroma of butyric acid. While potato tones complement tannin notes and butter's rich creaminess. Here, we explore the many flavours that resonate with each note of Black bean sauce, revealing abundant possibilities for creative pairing.

Each Chord Connects Two Harmonising Flavour Notes

What To Drink With Black Bean Sauce

The violet notes in margaux make it a perfect pairing with black bean sauce. Likewise, the flint flavours in saint-romain create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of black bean sauce below.