Getting Into Jang! By Kang - A Whole New Cuisine

 

I just discovered, Jang, The Soul of Korean Cooking, by Mingoo Kang.  Well, it's a new trip for me anyway.  The Jang journey!  And a truly fascinating one.  How they're made, and how to apply to my usual (or should I say unusual) cooking.  I said discovered, but to give proper credit it was due to the Eater post: The 17 Best Cookbooks of Spring 2024, which I've totally enjoyed, checking out many of them from the library and sampling recipes!  In between finding out which type of galangal I'm growing and how to use our Blue Turmeric.  For the ever blooming road of growing and researching plants and their uses is never ending. Anyway, this book is now due at the library, and I need to decide whether to buy it Yikes!  There are so many more recipes I want to try.

The Publishers say:

"Like butter in French cooking or olive oil in Italian, jangs are the soul of Korean cuisine. These soy-based umami sauces—gochujang, doenjang, ganjang—are found in every meal, from soups and stews, to salads, marinades, and even desserts, adding depth and complexity to every dish.

Few chefs understand these ingredients better than Michelin star winner Mingoo Kang, who has dedicated his Seoul restaurant, Mingles, to the exploration of jangs. In his first cookbook, Kang expertly weaves jangs’ history and methods into 60 accessible recipes to bring the sauces to life. Through artisan profiles, sidebars, and step-by-step photographs, Kang uncovers one of the culinary world’s best-hidden secrets... while showing how they can be used to make both Korean and Western dishes more delicious."  

In order to do that - attempt making Western dishes more delicious, I prepared one of his recipes: a Tagliatelle with Gangang Ragu, made with ground venison, rather than ground beef, as my little innovation.  If Bob can't tell the difference, then we're good.  He does love his ground beef!

For this trial I bought myself a little tub of Doenjang, which I'm continuing to experiment with.  Forget finding it in a local grocery, unless you're near a Korean one.  Thanks Amazon.  The remaining ingredients were easy, in your kitchen items.  Instead of the chopped parsley I used minced green onion, the green part.  A side of mixed cabbage kimchi is good with this.

So, yes, I'll probably get the book, a good addition to my multicultural cookbook library.  I'm sending a link along to Heather at Foodies Read Challenge, and to Marge, the Intrepid Reader and Baker, who hosts the Weekend Cooking site.  Be sure to stop by and check out all the great reads and food!