Guys I order this soybean paste online for the first time and omg why is it sooo black, I was expecting a light brown color and the expiry date is 4 months away. Is this safe to eat? And what about flavor?? Pls help
by AmphibianFearless289
10 Comments
__WorkThrowAway__
I don’t think that’s soy paste. I think what you have is black bean paste for dishes such as jjajangmyeon and jjajangbap.
Background_Koala_455
If you take a scoop out does it get lighter as you go down?
Doenjang gets darker with oxygen, but I’ve never seen it this dark.
I wonder if maybe in the same factory they make black bean paste? Which, I’ve recently learned isn’t made from black beans.. ~~the words are parsed differently. It’s black ‘bean paste’, not ‘black bean’ paste.~~ But I don’t know if black ‘bean paste’ is just black ‘doenjang’ or not… But if it is this could explain it.
(Edit to add: it’s not a parsing issue, it’s a generalization/specific issue. Black bean paste is made from black soybeans, not what English speakers call black beans… So it’s basically doenjang but instead of regular soybeans, it’s black soybeans. I believe there is other things added, because most of the time doenjang is thick, like really thick mashed potatoes, but black bean paste is usually pourable, like pasta sauce, IIRC)
But if it’s lighter underneath, doenjang is one of those things that even if there’s mold on top, you can remove the first half inch or so of the top and use what’s underneath.
But in the picture it seems to be thinner than normal… If you can’t get any straight answers on here I might try calling the brand if they have an office in your country, or at least emailing them.
I’d say, if it is just a layer of black on top, and what’s underneath is what you would expect doenjang to be, just remove it all of the black and like the first half inch of regular.
If it’s like that all the way through, I’d try to get a replacement or at least try to contact the brand to see if it’s normal/safe to eat.
But it looks like ~~jjajang~~ chunjang(black bean paste), to me, but take this with a (huge) grain of salt as I’ve only seen ~~jjajang~~ chunjang in video recipes and not in real life, so I am no means an expert.
lasVegasharold
Cause they use black soy beans.
throwaway--887
I’ve actually just bought this exact container last week and opened it to check. Mine is definitely brown, not too dark though. I’ve attached a picture as well. I can’t say if what you have is right or not since this is my first time buying/using this!
I showed this to my wife and she says this is fermented country style daenjong paste which is usually dark in color.
littleaddybaby
How was the seal on the container?? Nice and sealed up when you bought it?
Sadykalwayswrong
Вообще-то черный не приговор. Ты еще выстрели в него, урод
GenericMelon
It has just aged a bit longer than other varieties. Still safe to eat, although the taste may be a bit intense. If you’re making doenjang jigae, add a little at a time, and taste as you go.
joonjoon
This is most likely a labeling mix up. You can’t get fermented beans that color without adding color, and only chun jang looks like that.
cordialconfidant
you might consider crossposting to r/foodsafety too
10 Comments
I don’t think that’s soy paste. I think what you have is black bean paste for dishes such as jjajangmyeon and jjajangbap.
If you take a scoop out does it get lighter as you go down?
Doenjang gets darker with oxygen, but I’ve never seen it this dark.
I wonder if maybe in the same factory they make black bean paste? Which, I’ve recently learned isn’t made from black beans.. ~~the words are parsed differently. It’s black ‘bean paste’, not ‘black bean’ paste.~~ But I don’t know if black ‘bean paste’ is just black ‘doenjang’ or not… But if it is this could explain it.
(Edit to add: it’s not a parsing issue, it’s a generalization/specific issue. Black bean paste is made from black soybeans, not what English speakers call black beans… So it’s basically doenjang but instead of regular soybeans, it’s black soybeans. I believe there is other things added, because most of the time doenjang is thick, like really thick mashed potatoes, but black bean paste is usually pourable, like pasta sauce, IIRC)
But if it’s lighter underneath, doenjang is one of those things that even if there’s mold on top, you can remove the first half inch or so of the top and use what’s underneath.
But in the picture it seems to be thinner than normal… If you can’t get any straight answers on here I might try calling the brand if they have an office in your country, or at least emailing them.
I’d say, if it is just a layer of black on top, and what’s underneath is what you would expect doenjang to be, just remove it all of the black and like the first half inch of regular.
If it’s like that all the way through, I’d try to get a replacement or at least try to contact the brand to see if it’s normal/safe to eat.
But it looks like ~~jjajang~~ chunjang(black bean paste), to me, but take this with a (huge) grain of salt as I’ve only seen ~~jjajang~~ chunjang in video recipes and not in real life, so I am no means an expert.
Cause they use black soy beans.
I’ve actually just bought this exact container last week and opened it to check. Mine is definitely brown, not too dark though. I’ve attached a picture as well. I can’t say if what you have is right or not since this is my first time buying/using this!
https://preview.redd.it/hoxwcqfuk2qb1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=f4641041b49aec15595769e2518c486b02622a5b
I showed this to my wife and she says this is fermented country style daenjong paste which is usually dark in color.
How was the seal on the container?? Nice and sealed up when you bought it?
Вообще-то черный не приговор. Ты еще выстрели в него, урод
It has just aged a bit longer than other varieties. Still safe to eat, although the taste may be a bit intense. If you’re making doenjang jigae, add a little at a time, and taste as you go.
This is most likely a labeling mix up. You can’t get fermented beans that color without adding color, and only chun jang looks like that.
you might consider crossposting to r/foodsafety too