Could I leave out the black bean sauce in the Stir-Fried Chicken. . .5-01

[jliah]

I couldn't locate any black bean sauce for the Stir-fried Chicken and Broccoli With Black Bean Sauce. Could I leave this out, or is there something I could substitute? The recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon.

Thanks for your help

[Ohioan]

I wouldn't advise leaving out the black bean sauce, since it carries the whole flavor of the dish. (Black bean sauce is a very strong flavor, so 1 Tbsp isn't just a side accent.) Plain soy sauce wouldn't be the same, either. Do you have an Asian grocery nearby, or a large supermarket that has a lot of Asian sauces? If not, why not try mail order? Oriental Pantry usually has a good selection, or Gong Shee:
http://www.orientalpantry.com http://www.gongshee.com

Cheers,
Phoebe