Recipe

‘예매진’이란 예술 예(藝), 매화 매(梅), 참 진(眞). 뜻은 ‘솜씨있게 향기롭게 진실하게’라는 의미를 담고 있습니다.

Doen Jang (Best Seller – Soybean Paste)

Doen Jang guk (soup)

Many of our long-time customers have told us once they made the switch to YMJ’s doen jang, they can’t cook with any other brands. Our doen jang is a versatile ingredient that can be used to make soups, marinate veggies (namul), and even served as a dipping sauce.

1/2 large zucchini (145 g / 5.1 ounces), thinly sliced and cut into quarter circles
4 small shiitake mushrooms (50 g / 1.8 ounces), rinsed, stem removed and thinly sliced
1 pack enoki mushrooms (200 g / 7.1 ounces), bottom 4-5 cm stem removed and rinsed briefly in cold running water
1/2 small brown onion (35 g / 1.2 ounces), diced
250 g Korean tofu (8.8 ounces), medium firm, diced or cut into small rectangular pieces
4 1/2 cup dried kelp and dried anchovy stock (Korean style dashi)
3 Tbsp Doenjang
Gan jang to taste

Bring to boil 4 ½ cups water then add the dried kelp (4-5 small square pieces, or a palm size large piece) and dried anchovy (use about 5-6 dried anchovies with their heads and guts removed) to make Korean style dashi. Boil on medium heat for about 10 minutes to bring out the flavours.

At this point, you can remove the stock ingredients or leave them in. Still on medium heat add the zucchini and the onion. Boil them for 2 to 3 mins.

Add the 3 tablespoons of doenjang. Make sure it is well mixed in. Taste and if the soup is bland you can add more doen jang, but I recommend that you add gan jang to adjust the flavour as too much doen jang can make the soup too cloudy and thick.

Add the tofu and boil for a further 1 to 2 mins. Add the shiitake mushroom and enoki mushrooms and boil for last the 1 to 2 mins. Turn the heat off and serve.

Optional:

Fresh chilli or chilli powder for spice
¼ or ½ fresh or frozen raw crab for deeper flavoured soup
Add diced white radish (about ½ cup) together with the dried kelp and anchovies

Doen Jang marinated veggies (Namul)

600g spinach (or Chinese cabbage, bean sprout, leafy greens)
1 tbsp doen jang
½ tbsp sesame oil
½ tbsp sesame seed toasted
¼ tbsp minced raw garlic (optional)

Thoroughly wash and drain the veggies. Bring water to a rolling boil, add a tablespoon of salt. Add the veggies and when it is wilted but still firm (about 1-2 minutes only, perhaps a bit longer depending on which vegetable) drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Squeeze out any excess water and if needed, chop into manageable pieces. In a mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly making sure the doen jang is equally mixed in. Taste and add more doen jang and/or sesame oil to your liking.

Optional: Add fresh chilli or chilli powder for spice.

Quick and easy Ssam Jang:

YMJ doen jang can be eaten as a dipping sauce for meat and vegetable sticks as it is, or you can jazz it up with a dizzle of sesame oil, or by adding some of these ingredients: minced garlic, fresh red or green chilli, chilli powder/paste, finely chopped shallot, or toasted whole sesame seeds.

Gan Jang (Soy Sauce)

Our gan jang is another versatile cooking ingredient, but as mentioned before, we don’t recommend customers to use it as a dipping sauce. Rather, use it in lieu of salt for Asian style soups, stirfries, Asian casseroles (such as braised Korean beef ribs) and when marinating veggies or meat.

Radish Soup

(Children’s favourite with rice)

350g Korean radish
2 shallots chopped
170g beef brisket, chuck, or loin sliced into strips
2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons Korean soup soy sauce, guk ganjang
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate the beef strips with 1 tablespoon of soup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of garlic, a pinch of pepper, and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Set aside.

Cut the radish into bite size pieces (2-3cm squares, about 5mm thick).

In a medium pot, sauté the beef until all the pieces turn brown. Pour in 8 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Skim off the foam. Reduce the heat to medium high and continue to boil, covered, for 10 minutes to soften the meat.

Add the radish pieces and boil, covered, until the radish turns translucent and soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining teaspoon of the garlic, scallions, and the remaining tablespoon of the soup soy sauce. The soup should not look too dark. Taste and if it is bland, add more soy sauce or salt. Add pepper to your liking.

Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

350g Korean rice cakes
150g Korean fish cakes, rinsed in hot water & cut into bite size pieces
2 cups Korean soup stock (dried kelp and dried anchovy stock)
60g onion, thinly sliced

For the sauce (mix these in a bowl)

3 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1 1/2 Tbsp raw sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Korean chili powder

Unless your rice cakes are soft already, soak them in warm water for 10 mins.

Boil the soup stock in a shallow pot over medium high heat and dissolve the tteokbokki sauce by stirring it with a spatula.

Once the seasoned stock is boiling, add the rice cakes, fish cakes and onion. Boil them a further 3 to 5 mins until the rice cakes are fully cooked. Then, to thicken the sauce and to deepen the flavor, simmer it over low heat for a further 2 to 4 mins.

Optional: Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds, and chopped green onion then quickly stir. Serve warm.

Barley Ssam Jang

Ssam jang is another versatile condiment that usually accompanies Korean barbeque meats. It can also be used as a dipping sauce for crunchy vegetable sticks, added to bibimbap in lieu of gochujang, used as a dressing for wilted vegetables to make ssam jang namul, and some Korean even make ssam jang jjigae! (hot pot dish)

YMJ ssam jang can be enjoyed as it is, or you can jazz it up with some fresh ingredients.

Try adding some, or all of these to make a ssam jang bursting with flavour and texture:

Finely chopped fresh red chilli or spicy green chilli
Finely chopped shallot
Minced garlic
Toasted sesame seeds
Sesame oil

Cheonggukjang powder (Fermented Soybean Powder)

Consider this as a easy way to boost your protein and probiotic intake. Traditional cheonggukjang is widely known amongst Koreans as an ultra healthy food that has a long list health benefits. Being in powder form makes it so much easier to include in your daily diet.

Simply add a heaped spoonful to a glass of milk, smoothie or a bowl of yogurt. You can also sprinkle it over salad. Adding a heaped spoonful to instant noodles or cup noodles gives a tasty nutty flavour to the soup.

Green Plum Extract

Exactly like cordial, simply dilute in water in 5 to 1 ratio and further add the green plum extract to suit your taste buds. On a hot summer day, try making a delicious ice tea. Brew the tea of your choice in hot water (black tea, green tea, chamomile, hibiscus, etc) add ice and top with a generous splash of the extract. Taste, and if needed add more extract to your liking.

Gochu Jang (Chili Paste)

Doen Jang guk (soup)

YMJ chilli paste is the only one of its kind made with red chilli farmed, dried and powdered in Sydney, Australia. It is also called green plum chilli paste (maesil gochujang) as a generous amount of our green plum extract was added to give it a unique fruity flavour.

Simply add a dollop into your bowl of bibimbap with a drizzle of sesame oil and sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, or dip crunchy vegetable sticks such as fresh green chilli (the non spicy kind), capsicum, carrots, and cucumber.