Doenjang is a signature ingredient in Korean cooking, used in many dishes, dips, soups and stews in Korean cuisine. It’s deep and rich, nutty and full of umami. Soup or stew made with doenjang are the most iconic and delicious of all Korean dishes.
Today most Koreans use commercially made soybean paste (it may or may not be labeled “fermented”), but traditionally we make it at home. The process takes about a year, my recipe is here if you want to try. It’s usually sold in brown tubs at the Korean grocery store. Keep in the fridge and use within 3 months. The top of the paste may oxidize a bit and turn brown, but it’s still edible.
It’s made by grinding soybeans into a thick paste and forming it into blocks that are dried and fermented for months before being soaked in brine for a few more months. The liquid becomes Korean soup soy sauce and the solids become doenjang.
This is my favorite brand, “Haechandul.” However, Wang or Soon Chang can also be pretty good.
I prefer doenjang that is not too dark or light, but a nice brown color like this one.
This one looks a too light to me.
Posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 7:03 pm. Last updated on April 11, 2020.
Tagged: korean food, korean ingredients
hi maangchi…i was planning on making some jajamyun but i accidentley bought the soy bean paste other than the black bean paste, so i was wondering if you know any good and easy dishes i can make with the soybean paste….by the way, the soy bean paste taste really salty and funny when in the box, will it taste the same if used in any dishes?
Korean Foods and other mixing products are not very much available in our country. For that, I have to make use of my own. Can you specifically, show us the components in making doenjang?Hope you can assist. Thanks.
Can I substitute Thai soybean paste (Healthy Boy brand)?
Hi Maangchi – I just bought the brand of soybean paste you use and on the top was a lot of white stuff that smelt very strong (and not pleasant). When I scrape it off the paste beneath appears to be okay – do you think it is safe to use?
I just want to tell you that the white stuff at the top are wax-like fillings that were added to preserve the paste. As long as you scrape it off, the paste will be fine ^^
Hi Maangchi~! ^^
I looked upon the ingredients in Hae chan Deul Doen Jaang and I found that it contains Elthyl Alcohol.
So I was wondering, do you usually put any alcohol to make doenjang to help the fermentation process?
Thank you in advance~ =)
Maangchi didn’t use alcohol in the doen jaang recipe she just developed. It’s possible that is one of the ingredients added to stop fermentation in commercial doen jaang so it doesn’t explode in storage. Alcohol kills lots of microbes, so I don’t think it would help fermentation. Usually salt is added to help good bacteria/fungi and kill the bad. I really don’t know for sure though
Hi Maangchi!
I know yous aid there is a difference between doenjang and miso, supposedy miso is milder? but the miso i have is a brown rice miso, it’s dark brown and chunkier, with a stronger taste.. will it be a good substitute for doenjang? also i’m a bit curious about WHEN to add soybean paste to the food. i heard that the fermentation process creates many healthy bacteria, so it’s best to add miso at the end of cooking, to preserve these living enzymes. Yet, in korean food, you seem to add doenjang at the start of cooking..Is there a reason?
Please help, thank you! I look forward to more yummy food from you (:
Love, Shuh
Oh, I have the same exact tub of soybean paste in my fridge! I love making jjigae with it using the huge zucchinis I buy from the Farmer’s market. I must admit I don’t make jjigae too often. How long does soybean paste stay “fresh?” I know it’s fermented so I don’t think it technically has an expiration date but thought I’d pose the question.
check the expiration date on the tub of soybean paste. I would throw it away even if I kept it in the fridge if the expiration date passed.
I can’t really see the expiration date because some water got on the label and rubbed it off. Considering I can’t remember when I bought it, I’ll throw it away and get a fresh tub of fragrant smelling soybean paste :)
what is the difference between black bean paste (chunjang) (sample picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunjang)
and
black bean garlic sauce? (sample picture: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1006996/Lee-Kum-Kee-Black-Bean-Garlic-Sauce-Big.jpg)
~ i cannot find any chunjang here, how can i make my own recipe of chunjang? what are the ingredients and procedure?
thank you ^^
You need a right ingredient to make good jjajangmyun.
The blackbean paste that I use is posted here.
https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/black-bean-paste
And check “where to buy Korean ingredients” section on the forum on my website. You can leave your question there and someone else who is living in your area might give you the answer.
https://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/where-to-buy-korean-cooking-ingredients
Hello Maangchi,
I am a Filipino, but i love korean food… can i ask is it possible to do a bibimbap using soybean paste instead hot pepper paste? thank you so much!
It will be strange taste if bibimbap is mixed with soy bean paste. Don’t ask me why : ) Anyway, if hot pepper paste is too spicy for you to use in your bibimbap, make yangnyumjang. I posted the recipe under bibimbap recipe here:
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/bibimbap
“Chop 4 green onions and put them in a small bowl. Pour half cup of soy sauce in there, and add 1 tbs of sesame seeds, 2 ts of sugar, 1 tbs of sesame oil and mix it up.”
Here is a link to an article from The Korea Times about a small hole-in-the-wall place in Seoul that only sells doenjang bibimbab!
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/09/146_37920.html
Hi Vhon:
I actually like the taste of soybean paste mixed in with the hot pepper paste in my bibimbap. I would do 70% red pepper paste and 30% soybean. The flavours are really good.
nona
this is my first time making pork bone soup, and i used 2 tblespoons of i think chinese soy bean paste… would this still be okay to use for the dish? if not do u think if i added the korean soybean paste to the pot, would it still work? or should i just make a new soup altogether..
I don’t think it will matter if you use Chinese soy bean paste for this recipe.
Hi Maangchi,
If I want to buy bean paste, but I don’t know what kind is the best please give me a recommendation.
Thanks,
Mine is made by Singsong.
Probably the brand name is “sinsong”:신송
I throw the container away after it’s empty.
My container of Doenjang has a packet inside. Whats it used for?
Wouldn’t that be the dessicant or something to keep the food fresh? I think it’s something like the ones in Gim.
I have bought a box of the korean bean paste but it has a weird smell to it. is it suppost to have that smell? if yes is there a way to get ride of it?
I wish I could smell your soy bean paste! : )
I ordered bean paste online at koamart and when I recieved it, it smelled like it was overdue. How are bean paste suppose to smell?
hmm, what color is it? The color of soybean paste should be light brown. I sometimes see dark brown soybean paste sold at a grocery store which is not good quality. If the color is ok, don’t worry much about smell. Check when it was made and expiration date, too.
I ordered this brand: http://www.koamart.com/shop/30-1792-hot_peppers_paste-sempio_soy_bean_paste_for_miso_soup_2_09lbs.asp but this was the one that they sent me: http://www.ec21.com/image/sempio/oimg_GC00563912_CA00563937/Soybean_paste.jpg
The expiration date isn’t till next year and my sister said it looks like a medium brown. So I’m guessing that I ordered the bad kind.
If its expiration date is ok, use it. I would like to see it and smell it for you. : )
Sempio Soy Bean Paste is also good brand.
Hi,
I think i really bought the wrong sauce (because the one i bought looks like the picture of soy bean paste)
i thought soy bean paste is the same as black bean paste, i thought i could make jjajiang myun.
Maangchi, is there any more food that can fully utilizes soy bean paste? i thought i can still make other great korean food. =)
Thank you in advance!
Get this black bean paste next time if you go to a Korean grocery store. That’s what I’m using! : https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/black-bean-paste
Soy bean paste is used for so many different kinds of Korean dishes. Check my soybean paste stew (doenjang jjigae) recipe. https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/tofu-stew-doenjang-chigae