Disambiguation
Some poorly translated Chinese recipes may refer to this ingredient simply as 'black beans', but douchi and common black beans are not good substitutes.
Taucheo are similar to douchi, but are made from different varieties of soy bean. Additionally, taucheo tend to contain much more water content.
Description
Douchi is made from black soybeans that have been fermented with salt. Each bean is still slightly soft and mostly dried. The beans have a very salty, savory, and umami flavor. These beans are sometimes rinsed before use to remove excess salt, but is not mandatory.