Doenjang — Korean fermented soybean paste — differs from Japanese miso in production method, fermentation character, and culinary applications. Where Japanese miso is fermented with a controlled koji culture, doenjang's traditional production uses naturally occurring molds on dried soybean blocks (meju). The result: a more complex, more pungent, less sweet paste with a different amino acid profile and a higher tolerance for prolonged cooking.
- **Production distinction:** Doenjang is made from meju (blocks of dried, fermented soybeans) — natural mold colonises the meju during the drying process. Japanese miso uses deliberately cultivated Aspergillus oryzae (koji). The different microbial communities produce different fermentation chemistry. - **Taste profile:** More pungent, earthier, and with a stronger umami than most miso. Its saltiness is sharp rather than smooth. - **Culinary distinction:** Doenjang is simmered and cooked (unlike Japanese miso, which is added off heat). The prolonged cooking mellows the sharpness and integrates the paste's compounds into the broth. - **Ssamjang:** Doenjang + gochujang + sesame oil + garlic + sugar — the compound paste used as a wrapping sauce for ssam (lettuce wraps with grilled meat). The gochujang's sweetness moderates the doenjang's pungency.
Maangchi