''Ssamjang'' () is a thick, spicy paste used with food wrapped in a leaf in
Korean cuisine
Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are associated with Korean culture. This cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient Prehistoric Korea, agricultural and nomad ...
. The sauce is made of fermented soy beans (''
doenjang
''Doenjang''
* () or soybean paste is a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine used in Korean cuisine. It is also a byproduct of soup soy sauce production. It is sometimes used as a relish.
History
The earliest soyb ...
''), red chili paste (''
gochujang
''Gochujang'' or red chili paste
* is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from '' gochugaru'' (red chili powder), glutinous rice, '' meju'' (fermented soybean) powder, ''yeotgireum'' (barley m ...
''),
sesame oil
Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. The oil is one of the earliest-known crop-based oils. Worldwide mass modern production is limited due to the inefficient manual harvesting process required to extract the oil. ...
,
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...
,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...
.
Etymology
''
Ssam
' () are dishes in Korean cuisine where one food is wrapped in another. A common variety is meat such as pork wrapped in a leafy vegetable.
Variations
Besides the standard way of making ''ssamjang'', other ingredients can be added to make special versions. There are also commercially prepacked ''ssamjang'' available on the market.
*Nut ''ssamjang'' (): ground walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and other nuts are added
*'' Jjukumi'' ''ssamjang'' (): diced short-arm octopus is stir-fried with diced red peppers and onions, and mixed together with ''ssamjang''
*
Tofu
or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...
''ssamjang'' (): crushed tofu is added
*
Flying fish
The Exocoetidae are a family (biology), family of Saltwater fish, marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish in the order (biology), order Beloniformes, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven genus, ge ...
roe ''ssamjang'' (): flying fish roe is added
*''
Namul
''Namul'' () refers to either a variety of edible greens or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (). On the day of Daeboreum, the first full moo ...
'' ''ssamjang'' (): various beans are diced and added
*River snail ''ssamjang'' (): boil the water with ''
doenjang
''Doenjang''
* () or soybean paste is a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine used in Korean cuisine. It is also a byproduct of soup soy sauce production. It is sometimes used as a relish.
History
The earliest soyb ...
'', river snail, green onion, garlic, and red pepper powder.
See also
*
Fermented bean paste
Fermented bean paste is a category of fermented foods typically made from ground soybeans, which are indigenous to the cuisines of East, South and Southeast Asia. In some cases, such as the production of '' miso'', other varieties of beans, such ...