된장
Korean fermented soybean paste.
I'm interested in trying to make this using local fava beans. I'm inspired by Noma's peaso and by Nokni's approach to using Korean techniques with local ingredients. Did a little research, and discovered that the Chinese have a fermented fava bean paste called Doubanjiang. Fava beans seem to be viewed as a good soybean replacement for a lot of reasons, including neutral-ish flavor.
It turns out soybeans have considerably more protein than most beans — just about double. I don't know what impact that might have on fermenting, but just noting.
Did some more research, and discovered that fermenting bean pastes is a thing. However, I haven't found anything on fermenting beans (other than soybeans) using Korean techniques. So, I think I'll give it a shot.
Journal
January 2021
January 18, 2021
4 pounds, 1 ounce of dried organic soybeans from Berkeley Bowl.
