The savoriness of fermented beans is practically synonymous with Asian cooking, and doubanjiang is one of them. The umami taste is the number one reason why fermented beans and only the beans which have been fermented are used to make seasoning pastes and sauces directly and indirectly. The large amount of free amino acids released from the protein content of cooked beans during fermentation process, combined with the large amount of salt, provides a highly umami flavoring source which adds deep complexities to food it touches. When a recipe calls for bean paste or chili bean paste, it is often unclear which bean paste it really means.īecause of those confusions, most doubanjiangs available in Asian stores are collected and illustrated in this article for clarification of what is doubanjiang and for the sake of shopping reference. Cooking sauce manufacturers and foodie writers also translate it as (chili) broad bean paste, (chili) bean paste, (chili) soybean paste, (chili) bean sauce, hot bean sauce, and so on, while bean paste and bean sauce are so generic that they represent countless types of fermented bean pastes, including soybean paste, sweet bean paste, black bean paste, etc. Fuchsia Dunlop translates it as chili bean paste in her English Sichuan cookbook "Land of Plenty". The term of doubanjiang is translated into English differently. Given a few doubanjiangs on the Asian store shelves, it is confusing to choose a right one for a recipe. ![]() It means broad bean paste as well as soybean paste. Once beyond the local regions, however, doubanjiang becomes a most confusing term. There is no any problem for local people to know what doubanjiang exactly means locally. In Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southern China, however, doubanjiang means kinds of fermented soybean pastes that sometimes have chili and sometimes do not, called as doubanjiang (豆瓣酱) and spicy doubanjiang (辣豆瓣酱) correspondingly. In Sichuan, doubanjiang (豆瓣酱) is a reddish brown salty paste fermented from broad beans and fresh chili peppers, but it is rarely called spicy doubanjiang (辣豆瓣酱) as it does else where. ![]() The term of doubanjiang in Madarin Chinese is used differently in different parts of China. It is also often added in small amount to jazz up a simple dish like fried rice or noodles. It is an indispensable seasoning ingredient for many famous Sichuan dishes such as Mapo Tofu, Shuizhu Beef, Twice-cooked Pork, etc. Originating in Sichuan, doubanjiang is usually stir-fried in oil to flavor food, but rarely eaten directly as a condiment on table. What Is Doubanjiangĭoubanjiang is one kind of salty and savory brown fermented bean pastes. But as mentioned above, you should be able to get it online pretty easily, in the UK as well as in the US.Doubanjiang is not something to eat directly, but adds great umami flavor to food. Substitute for DoubanjiangĪ regular Chinese hot bean paste or dark miso with chilli make an adequate substitute, if you really, really cannot get the real thing. This hot bean paste leans more towards the Cantonese style of cooking, and, at a push, can be used as a substitute for doubanjiang, if you can’t get the real thing. This has broad beans and soybeans in it and a whole lot of other unnecessary ingredients (LKK loves additives!). You may come across a chilli bean paste called Toban Djan, made by the folks at Lee Kum Kee. This is my affiliate link for one of the brands I use, on Amazon. My local one is pretty small, but they still have doubanjiang on their shelves at all times.įailing that, ya know Amazon will stock it, dontcha? And there are many Chinese online food shops these days, that you will most certainly be able to get it online. If you have access to a Chinese grocer or supermarket, chances are, they’ll stock it. This is my favourite brand Where to buy Doubanjiang? It will transform all your stirfries, whether they are noodles, vegetables or a mix of everything.Or I lighten it with some lime juice and drizzle it over salad.Sometimes, a quick lunch sees me adding a touch of doubanjiang to an egg (boiled, scrambled, sunny side up), and having that with some rice and a salad. ![]() It is the ingredient in Mapo Tofu (above) and twice fried pork.I absolutely adore this hot bean paste paste, and have to stop myself from using it indiscriminately in everything I cook! It turns a boring dish into something more.
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