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Doenjang Jigae (Korean Fermented Bean Paste Stew)

My colleagues promised the best Doenjang Jigae (Korean Fermented Bean Paste Stew).

 

Korean Fermented Bean Paste is somewhere between the Chinese version (Duo Ban Jiang) and the Japanese Version (Miso). It is sweeter and less beany phenolic than the Chinese version but has none of the alcoholic "Mirin" like sweet fermented note of the Japanese Miso.

 

Here, added to a stew containing beef and tofu, it created a hearty savoury dish, with a vibrant mouthfeel. The restaurant added a signature touch - wild Korean Shephard's Purse (Naeng-i) - a member of the mustard family.

 

Just a table away, a few ladies were sitting on chairs pruning and cleaning basketfuls of these wild Shephard's Purse. Shephard's Purse is also found in China but this Korean version comes with small leaves and a long root. Added to the stew, they added an earthy-rooty taste that resembled ginseng.

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Uploaded on January 29, 2014
Taken on January 23, 2014