our doenjang needs help!

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    • #69562
      lookit
      Participant

      Hello Maangchi and everyone else!

      So, me and my partner have been making doenjang these last months. The drying and fermenting of the meju went swimmingly. We couldnt find any onggi, so we got a big crock for making sauerkraut and such, and put our meju in with jujubes, wood coal, chiles and salt, as in the recipe.

      When it became time to separate the doenjang from the ganjang, we were excited! But when we went to do it, the meju still felt really hard, and we didn’t reallt have any floating fungi flowers. We cracked one of the blocks with the ladle, and it was full of really bad looking molds, black and orange. I should add that it smells FANTASTIC. Like fruit and umami. As the molds are so visible, we’re worried. Is everything ok? We put everything back in the ganjang and let the crock be, to ask advice here before doing anything more. I’ll enclose a coulple of photos.

      Any help would be super appreciated!

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    • #73782
      RobertBaan
      Participant

      I had the same problem my first year. She uses kosher salt which has no ionide in it. Also the structure of the salt is almost twice as light so you would need double. I used a sauerkrautpot too. But the meju started to rise above the water. I am in the dark when it comes to doenjang. But this year i got it right. I got an onggi and i have white flowers! Good luck with the next projects!

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    • #73786
      RobertBaan
      Participant

      I forgot to mention:i use 4×450 gram (about 2 kg) celtic seasalt on 5 liter water. That seems to be the best. Onggi’s might still be sold in antwerp. In chinatown.

    • #73788
      Floryknits
      Participant

      First try at making doenjang. When the blocks are drying, do they get supper hard? Mine have been hanging for 2 days and I could build a wall with them.

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    • #76400
      Floryknits
      Participant

      The blocks are now doenjang. It sits in a hangari maturing. The soy sauce by product is stellar — sweet, salty, beany, delicious.

      I have 4 more blocks maturing. Homemade soy sauce is like no other.

      • #76410
        RobertBaan
        Participant

        they look just like mine. from 30-7-2017. i wish you luck again!

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    • #76409
      RobertBaan
      Participant

      fantastic! i have been too busy for this years meju’s but i will pick up the ritual again now. i have been able to cook and save my ganjang in the small fridge. i dared to taste two drops. i became extremely ill, but that was from the australian flu and severe bronchitis, haha. my doenjang was lost sadly. i am going to try another drop of ganjang. after 3 februari i will make 9 more meju’s. keep going guys. just like kimchi, one day i will end walking in the dark and have some great doenjang! my kimch cured many peoples diseases too! thank you maangchi!

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