fermented bean paste

Mapo tofu is a justly popular menu item in many Chinese restaurants. It is a quickly cooked dish of braised tofu with minced pork (sometimes beef) in a bracing spicy sauce made with fermented black beans and fermented broad bean paste, along with hot red pepper and Sichuan pepper. This meatless version with fresh shiitake mushrooms is completely satisfying, and surprisingly easy to make. For the best texture, use soft tofu rather than firm, taking care to cook it gently to keep it from crumbling.

Vegan Mapo Tofu

shiitake mushrooms

water

block of soft tofu (do not use silken)

Salt

vegetable oil

red peppers

black beans,

spicy broad bean paste (doubanjiang)

garlic

ginger

soy sauce

sesame oil

Sichuan pepper

Cilantro sprigs,

Remove stems from mushrooms. Make a light mushroom broth by simmering stems in 2 cups water for 15 minutes, then strain and reserve broth (discard stems). Dice mushroom caps and set aside.

Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Cover with boiling salted water, let steep for 15 minutes, then drain.

Put oil in a wok or wide skillet over medium heat. Add red peppers, black beans and bean paste and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger and let sizzle, then add mushrooms, soy sauce, sesame oil and Sichuan pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups mushroom broth and cook mixture gently for 2 minutes.

Carefully add tofu cubes. Shake pan to distribute sauce, using a wooden spoon to help. Try to avoid smashing tofu. Drizzle in cornstarch mixture, gently swirling pan to incorporate (sauce will thicken) and simmer tofu in sauce for 2 minutes more. Thin with a little mushroom broth if necessary. Transfer to a low bowl or platter. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro sprigs.

Hello everybody! I know some of you have been waiting for my doenjang and ganjang recipes for a long time! Today I feel a real sense of achievement to release this recipe here. It&#039;s one of the recipes in my cookbook, and whether you have my book or not, this video and recipe should still be...

Fermented soybean paste (Doenjang)

salt

honey

Hi Maanchi, What will happen if I soak my Meju blocks longer than 2-3 months? Will that be damaging? Also&hellip;

Comment by Shanook on September 19, 2021

Hi Maanchi, I am following your Doenjang recipe, which is absolutely great! I have followed all the steps and I&hellip;

Comment by Shanook on August 3, 2021

I&#039;m really sorry, I wrote chestnut but I was going to write chickpea and I noticed it now.

Comment by use gram metre celcius please US on October 11, 2021

Hi! I decided to make doenjang (not now there are so many flies) but soybeans aren&#039;t used much in home&hellip;

Comment by use gram metre celcius please US on July 8, 2021

Comment by georgelorane on May 10, 2021

This is my first time making doenjang and I&#039;m at the initial hanging of the meju, before putting the blocks&hellip;

I think you are a master of doenjang making! You&#039;re even replying to some of my other readers&#039; questions. I&hellip;

Comment by Maangchi on April 1, 2021

Maangchi, The second year I am making doenjang and the hanging meju smell much stronger. Very yummy, but too strong&hellip;

Comment by Inches on March 26, 2021

my meju fell apart as they dried. Can I wrap them in cheesecloth and continue all the drying?

Comment by JoeMroz on April 1, 2021

I have tried a few of your recipes; all delicious! I followed this one exactly (except I didn&#039;t have a&hellip;

Comment by JoeMroz on March 21, 2021

It just needs to be dry all the way through and fermented well enough. Smaller meju will probably dry faster&hellip;

Comment by Inches on March 14, 2021

Hi Maangchi, If I make a smaller Meju block do I still need need the same amount of time to&hellip;

Comment by Pickle on March 7, 2021

Oh, you must be so frustrated, I&#039;m sorry to read this. Koreans usually make and ferment meju blocks during the&hellip;

Comment by Maangchi on February 20, 2021

I&#039;ve tried to make it twice and both times flies lay eggs in my meju. ㅠㅠ The first time in&hellip;

Comment by DanielleD on February 15, 2021

Flys and fleas can easily make it through cheesecloth, especially if it touches the block, then even a big one&hellip;

Hello! My meju has been hanging for one week and has lots of white and green fungi growing. But I&hellip;

Comment by DanielleD on November 15, 2020

Some might have flavoring but you&#039;ll probably see a picture of the flavor on it, like an anchovy or garlic&hellip;

Comment by Inches on March 15, 2021

Hi Maangchi. I am from India and am a vegetarian. After seeing your videos i got interested in Korean food.&hellip;

Comment by Renu on October 28, 2020

Yes, it looks good! It&#039;s ok flowers. : ) Just remove the white mold. How did you like the taste&hellip;

Comment by Maangchi on September 24, 2020

Hi! I&rsquo;ve been working my way through the process and am fermenting. White mold is growing but I&rsquo;m not sure&hellip;

Comment by ErinE on July 30, 2020

Sorry, I don&rsquo;t know why my photo is upside down. Should I remove the white &ldquo;scum&rdquo; or leave it be?

Comment by Nerimaro on July 27, 2020

Hello Maangchi! I was so excited to see your Dwenjang making recipe and followed it. All seemed well until the&hellip;

Sorry here&#039;s the extra photo of the orange spots (see previous message)

Comment by Moon on June 20, 2020

How did they turn out? If the blocks touch the bags, then insects can still touch them too. Needs some&hellip;

Hello Maangchi! I&#039;m from the Netherlands and loving your recipes! I&#039;ve made meju blocks but they smell very strong, they&hellip;

Did you use black soybeans? If you are in Indonesia you should use the same as they use for white&hellip;

I ferment my meju block, lot of white, yellow, and pink mold. But it definitely smells earthy. Is it okay?

Comment by semuttmadu on May 16, 2020

Make meju blocks from soybeans

Drain the beans and put them in a large heavy pot. Add water that is three times as deep as the beans, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 1 hour. Turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking until the beans are soft enough mash easily, 4½ to 5 hours, checking to make sure the beans remain covered with water, and replenishing as necessary. Drain the beans in a colander. Mash the drained beans to a paste in batches with a large mortar and pestle or in a food processor. Don't finely grind them, leave some beans half-crushed. Divide the mashed beans into 3 portions. Knead each portion with both hands and shape into a firm rectangular block measuring 6 x 3 x 4 inches.

Ferment the meju

Traditionally Koreans dry meju on the heated ondol floors of their homes, and if you live in Korea or have that kind of heating in your house, you can do that too. But in my NYC apartment I simulate ondol by putting an electric blanket on the floor. Line the blanket with a clean cotton cloth or waxed paper and set the blocks on top, or put them in an open basket. Set the heat to low. Dry the blocks, rotating them occasionally, until they are solid enough to hang, 3 to 4 days. Tie each block up in cotton twine and hang them. You can hang them outside but be sure to keep them covered and out of the rain, and if it's too hot out they may rot. Inside, you can hang them from the ceiling with hooks. Wherever they hang, the spot should be cool and well-ventilated and all sides of the blocks should be exposed to air and not touching each other. Let the blocks hang for 6 weeks, until they are well dried out and smell a little pungent when you get your nose close to them. Now it’s time to ferment the bean blocks. Place a layer of dried rice straw or hay in the bottom of a cardboard box that’s just big enough to hold the blocks with a little space between them; the straw will insulate the blocks and attract good bacteria like Bacillus subtilis in the air. (Don’t worry if you can’t find straw or hay; the blocks will still attract good bacteria.) Cover the box and put it on the electric blanket. Set the heat to low and let the bean blocks ferment for 2 weeks. At this point, the well-fermented bean blocks will smell a little earthy and pungent and will be covered with white, brownish-yellow, or sometimes greenish fungi. (These fungi change the bean proteins to peptides and amino acids, which will give the bean paste its delicious nutty flavor.) Tie the fermented bean blocks up in cotton twine and hang from the ceiling, as before, for 1 month.

Soak the meju in brine

Wash the blocks in cold water and to remove the fungi. Place the blocks in a shallow basket or on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and let them dry in the sunlight for 1 day, turning them until every side of each block is dried. Combine the 3½ gallons water (56 cups) and 5 quarts of the kosher salt (20 cups) in a large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until the salt is thoroughly dissolved. Set out a 4- to 5-gallon earthenware crock. Put 2 pieces of the charcoal on a gas burner; turn on the flame, and heat until they are glowing red. (If you don’t have a gas burner, use the broiler: Put the charcoal pieces under the broiler and turn it on; remove the charcoal when it is red.) Use tongs to transfer the charcoal to the earthenware crock. Drizzle the honey over the burning charcoal. Cover the crock and wait for 5 minutes. Remove the lid. You will see lots of smoke and smell a good caramel aroma. This process sterilizes the inside of the crock and will give the sauce good flavor. Remove the charcoal and wipe the inside of the crock with paper towels. Add the bean blocks and salted water to the crock. Add the remaining piece of charcoal, the jujubes, and dried hot peppers; they will float on the surface of the water. (The charcoal will attract and absorb any dust. The jujubes add sweetness and the dried red peppers help prevent the blocks from going bad.) Cover the crock with flour sacking or cheesecloth and put on the lid. Let the blocks soak in the salty water until well fermented, 2 to 3 months. On clear days remove the lid and let the crock sit in the sunlight. Close it at night and be sure to keep the crock covered with the cloth so bugs and dust can’t get in. As time passes, the salty water will turn brown and smell like deeply fermented soy sauce.

Separate the doenjang from the soy sauce

Discard the charcoal, jujubes, and peppers. Transfer the soaked bean blocks to a large bowl. The blocks may have broken up during the soak, so use a bowl to scoop the soy sauce out of the crock and into a strainer set over another large bowl. Add any pieces of bean block to the bean block bowl. Save the soy sauce for making Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang) later. Mix the doenjang with both hands, breaking it up into a paste, and transfer it to a 5-quart earthenware crock. Pack it down and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup kosher salt. Cover with the cotton cloth, secure it with a rubber band, and put on the lid. Put the doenjang crock in a sunny spot for its final fermentation. About twice a week on sunny days, remove the lid and let the sunlight shine into the crock through the cotton cloth. When it’s well fermented, the doenjang will smell sweet and taste salty and earthy, with a deep flavor. This will take 5 to 6 months. If it ever looks a little too dry on top, pour some of the separated soy sauce on top to make it moist again. You don't need to stir it in.

Serving and storage

Store the doenjang in the crock outside the house or at room temperature. Whenever you take some out, press the rest down with a spoon to keep out the air. Once in a while, take the lid off, cover with a cotton cloth, and let the sun hit it again.

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Vegan Mapo Tofu

Fermented soybean paste (Doenjang)

Top 2 fermented bean paste recipes from across the web

The most viewed fermented bean paste recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Vegan Mapo Tofu

Fermented soybean paste (Doenjang)

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