ryanct203
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ryanct203MemberHey EW,
No problem. Out of the two brands that you posted, I would buy the second one, the Haechandle brand one. I personally would still buy the Sunchang from Daesun, but that is just because I have experience with this one.
I found a really good blog post about what the best gochujang is. Thank you to Grace of ‘One fork, one spoon’ for her excellent and informative blog post. It also confirms what I have said about Sunchang, but it is really a matter of preference when it comes down to it. Check out the post here:
ryan :)
P.S. – Something I found out from reading the above mentioned blog post, is that ‘Sunchang’ is actually a place in South Korea as well as a brand name used by Chung Jung Won for it’s gochujang. Sunchang is a county in the North Jeolla Province of South Korea. It is renown among the people of Korea for it’s famous gochugang and many different brands come from there, not just the ‘Sunchang’ brand by Chung Jung Won. Supposedly, the governor of the county puts an official ‘Seal of Approval’ to verify that it is Sunchang Gochujang. Kind of like Champagne or San Marzano tomatoes, I guess. Just a little trivia for you!
ryanct203MemberHey,
As far as I know all gochujang should be made following the same method. Which is that it usually is fermented. I have not heard of the non-fermented one before, but I am not the expert. If there were a choice, I would opt for the fermented one over the non-fermented. Maybe Maangchi or someone else with more experience than I can provide some more information.
There are definitely different levels of quality when it comes to gochujang. I would go for the one that is the most natural. The brand that I like is Sunchang, I always use it, so I can attest that it is good. It also comes in varying degrees of heat. I usually buy the spiciest one my local market carries, which is a number 4. I believe a number 5 exists, but I haven’t seen it in the store. Some of the gochujang’s contain other ingredients that are used as ‘fillers’, such as corn flour and wheat flour. These not as good and not as natural. I posted a question that deals with this a while back, the link is below.
In the end, I think almost any gochujang will do to provide you the authentic flavor you are looking for. It is a must have, so it is better to have it than not have it at all.
ryan :)
ryanct203MemberWow, looks great! Nice plate too! I have to admit, I usually end up eating the kimchi before it ages for very long. I should let it go for longer. Do you have a separate kimchi refrigerator? I just got my brother a crock pot for Christmas, I should have him make this! Btw, I just ate at Del Posto last night. It was amazing! If you are ever in the city, you should check it out.
ryanct203MemberHehe… I bet we could find the ‘kimchee facility’ if we just followed our noses… Hope the neighbors like kimchee! I did hear about the kimchi shortage in Korea… I also heard about contaminated kimchi coming from China (surprise, surprise). You are right, we probably could make a couple of Won, hehe… Although, I don’t know what that would be in dollars…
ryanct203MemberNo Stanford, haven’t been here yet. I have been to Eataly though, just went last week. I usually eat at Kum Gang San, but I have been meaning to branch out a little bit. There are so many good places. I want to try Song 7.2 in the East Village. Have you been there?
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/song-72/
ryan :)
ryanct203MemberI would also recommend Ojinguh Bokkeum, hot and spicy stir fried squid. This dish goes great with soju. Serve with white rice and several different banchan. Yum!
ryan :)
ryanct203MemberThanks for the translation kumaxx! Yes, and they are right, it does taste better! This is my favorite brand, SunChang. I get the extra hot one! It is the best! Thanks again!
ryan :)
ryanct203MemberI agree with all of the other users comments! I made a vegetarian doenjang jjigae the other day it it came out really good. I used five dried shiitake mushrooms in my recipe instead of the anchovy. I personally like the anchovy, but I was making it for someone who is vegetarian. Anyway, it came out great! Another thing that I did was I soaked the mushrooms in hot water for like 20 minutes to soften them and then I used that water in the stew to add more depth of flavor. Or alternately, if you wanted to, you could use 1 TBSP of soup soy sauce or light colored soy sauce, but keep in mind that the soy bean paste is salty itself, so don’t go overboard. Or if you are not vegetarian, but don’t want to chop up the anchovy or don’t have them, perhaps try a tablespoon of fish sauce instead. And lastly, look at the recipe for the soon dubu jjigae and follow Maangchi’s recipe for making the stock, minus the anchovy.
ryanct203MemberThe answer is yes. I have bought kochujang that comes in various degrees of heat. If you look at the pictures below you can see at first the two containers appear to be the same. But in the pictures below that, you can clearly see that they are two different levels of heat. Notice that one container, in the bottom lefthand corner, has a number “3” and underneath it says “Moderate” and indicates that (what I’m assuming is) the red pepper amount is 60-100 ppm (parts per million). The second container has a number “4” and it says “Very Hot” and the ppm is 100-130. I don’t know if all brands come in various strengths like this. The one pictured is the brand I use and recommend, Sunchang, I believe Maangchi also recommends this brand as well. I definitely like the hot one! Hope this helps!
ryan :)
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ryanct203MemberYes, I have also heard of many folk remedies like this, ie. rhino horn. I have also heard about the benefits of soy for women, although, I have heard that men should not consume too much soy. Who knows… they come out with new reports all the time. Don’t drink coffee! Drink coffee! Don’t eat eggs! Eat eggs! Everything in moderation I guess.
Sea Urchin is delicious though! It can be an acquired taste, but you should try it! It literally tastes like the ocean.
ryan :)
ryanct203MemberYesterday, when I was researching bellflower root (doraji), I came across this information. In Korea, it is believed that bellflower root helps with colds and coughing. Dont’ know if it works, but its worth a try and it’s also very delicious!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platycodon_grandiflorus
http://taoism.about.com/od/herbsthattransformphlegm/g/Jie_Geng.htm
Hope that helps!
ryan :)
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