Sweet bean sauce also known as sweet bean paste, sweet soybean paste, sweet flour sauce, or sweet noodle sauce, is a thick, dark brown- or black-colored Chinese sauce made from wheat flour, sugar, salt, mantou, and ground fermented yellow soybeans (that is, what is left of the soybeans after the fermentation of soybeans into soy sauce).

Not only the Chinese, but the Japanese use it a lot when they make their own-style Chinese food!
You can avoid looking for it by making it yourself and at the same time control the ingredients.
Here is a simple suggestion for a home-made recipe!
And it has the merit to be vegan/vegetarian!

INGREDIENTS:

-Red miso: 600 g
-Sugar: 300 g
-Soy sauce: 5 tablespoons
-Japanese sake/Cooking sake: 3 tablespoons
-Water: 3 cups/600 cc/ml

RECIPE:

-Pour all ingredients into a large enough pan and stir well.

-Switch on fire and cook over low fire stirring all the time.

-The water will gradually disappear. When large bubbles break out on the surface, switch off fire and let cool completely.

-Transfer into a vessel you can securely close and keep in the fridge.
The sauce can be preserved for 4 months in the fridge.

USE SUGESTIONS:

With tofu:
Vegan, vegetarians can fry vegetables with tofu and sauce.
Omnivores can add minced meat fried beforehand.

With noodles:
Vegan, Vegetarians can fry vegetables and nuts in the sauce before topping the noodles (non-egg noodles)

Can be added to stewed beef (and sprinkled with some chopped leeks just before serving).

Can be used in sauce for “Hayashi Rice”, a typical Japanese beef and rice dish.