I used to make hot pepper paste and bean paste when I lived in Korea. It’s very complicated and takes long long time. Especially to make soy bean paste, first you have to cook beans , then crush and make blocks of beanpaste , and dry it, then ferment !

Not finished yet. : )

You have to put the fermented dried bean paste blocks into a huge earthenware and add water and huge amount of salt.

Not done yet! :)

Then you have to wait for a few months. Be sure you have to open the lid of the earthenware when it’s fine day. Of course you have to close it in the evening. Over and over again, you have to open and close the lid of earthenware.

Not done yet!

A few months later, the salty water turns into brown liquid, which is soy sauce! Then take out the blocks of beanpaste and put it in a jar to keep, which is “bean paste(doen jang)

Then what are you going to do with the salty water?

You have to boil the salty brown liquid for hours and hours.
ooh! smelly!

When somebody is boiling her soy sauce, all neighborhood is full of smell! The liquid is salty soy sauce.

You must have seen I often used fish sauce to salt my soup in my cooking videos. The fish sauce replaced the salty soy sauce.

The salty soy sauce is different from that you can get at a korean grocery store.

Do you think it’s possible to make it here? : )
I can’t make it here in Canada, besides it smells a lot.

Making hot pepper paste is easier than bean paste, but still it’s convenient for me to buy hot pepper paste here. The taste is ok.

Thank you for your interest in my recipes. I will keep your request in mind though. Who knows? I may have chance to make it someday.

Do you find my explanation is interesting? It took time to entertain you! : )

Next…can you show us how to make our own dwenjahng, or gochujang from scratch? I don’t trust the ones in the supermarkets with all the chemical and msg ingredients in them.
Thank you! I will be buying your book!