Pasta being pulled from a boiling pot
FOOD NEWS
Korean Doenjang Is The Secret To Adding A Savory Spin To Pasta
By Megan Anderson
A pasta dish on white background.
If you're looking for a way to make your pasta feel fresh and less routine, the Korean condiment Doenjang will quickly and easily add a savory, umami punch.
Korean doenjang paste in a black bowl.
Doenjang is a Korean ingredient made of soybeans fermented in salt water. It has a coarse texture reminiscent of chunky peanut butter.
Pasta being stirred into a hot pan of water.
Eric Kim of NYT Cooking demonstrates a creamy doenjang pasta by mixing the doenjang with milk and then finishing the pasta in the liquid.
Man holding linguine pasta over a wooden board.
He dilutes the pungent ingredient while coating each strand of the linguine. The result is a savory fusion dish he describes as tasting almost cheesy.
Doenjang soup with rice
Just a little bit of doenjang can amp up a pasta dish. Its profile is comparable to blue cheese's, as the smell is very sharp while the flavor is salty.