Fermented black bean in ready made pastes

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    • #94942
      ebmh74
      Participant

      Hi there! I am relatively new to Korean cooking and so I was delighted when a year ago my local supermarket (UK) started to stock ready-made gochujang and other products. However, the way I actually came to be interested in Korean cooking properly in the first place, was via some research into vitamin B12 done by Korean scientists. This is how I found out about the amazing health benefits of fermented black bean. So, I was devastated to realise that these supermarket-friendly brands don’t contain any real fermented-bean paste at all. The special health-benefit is gone, the flavour is not authentic, and worst of all, by making this cheap product, they are undercutting the asian food stores where we would otherwise be going to find good products, but then we see that they cost a bit more! I feel strongly about this but I can’t do anything. I wonder if Maangchi with her/your massive following of people who care about good Korean food might be able to raise awareness of this by showing which of the brands that are recommended for recipes actually contain the authentic fermented ingredients. It would raise awareness of WHY/how supermarkets are selling cheaper pastes, and give us all the reason we need to spend a little more on the good stuff :) Thanks for listening!

    • #95960
      eatlearntravel
      Participant

      I’m in the US but I have the same problem, it’s a real drag! I searched high and low for gochujang online that’s actually fermented (no Asian supermarkets in my town) and when I finally found it, I was so happy. My kimchi finally tasted right.

      I’m literally soooo close to starting a business and just making this stuff myself because I’m so frustrated.

    • #95963
      ebmh74
      Participant

      Wow, you totally should, if it’s what you really want to do of course! Wish you lived near me I’d buy it lol

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