Food - News
The Fermented Ingredient You Should Be Adding To Pasta
By JUSTINA HUDDLESTON
Pasta is one of the easiest staples to cook at home, but if you feel overly reliant on jarred marinara or plastic tubs of pesto to get a tasty dinner on the table, it’s time to try something new. Upgrade a basic pasta dish, such as buttered noodles, with this refrigerated ingredient just by adding a flavorful spoonful or two.
Doenjang is a thick paste made from fermented soybeans that has a salty, savory, slightly sweet flavor that can be used to liven up a plain pasta dish. According to New York Times Cooking’s Eric Kim, "doenjang has its own cheesiness" that brings out "deep savory flavors that have been unlocked on your tongue."
For a Korean take on Italian food, just add doenjang, butter, milk, mirin, and black pepper to pasta that's removed from its cooking water before it's al dente. Then, finish cooking the pasta in a pan with the other ingredients and some pasta water until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is creamy and emulsified.