# Doubanjiang



## Badgertooth (May 28, 2017)

I've become slightly obsessed with Sichuan cooking and got a bottle of doubanjian. Couldn't get pi xian but I got the shopowners 2nd favourite from Taiwan. 

What can I use it for when I get sick of mapo dofu and dan dan mien?


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## pkjames (May 28, 2017)

Twice-cooked pork (hui gui rou&#65292;&#22238;&#38149;&#32905


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## Badgertooth (May 28, 2017)

Now we're talking


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## Nemo (May 28, 2017)

What, no recipee?


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (May 28, 2017)

Didn't even see this thread before posting what I just posted to the food photo thread  

Or go drypot (didn't intend to post this photo, wish I had photographed one with lotus root slices and more intense red seasoning): 



kostenlos bilder hochladen 

Basic method: precook (steam, blanch, bake, stir fry...) whatever you want, then make a mini-stir fry of the usual aromatics, some cumin and fennel powders, chili flakes, sichuan pepper (and optionally star anise, cinnamon, cloves), infused oil, doubanjang, rice wine/chinkiang/soy sauce/the-usual-stuff-you-know toss it all together with cilantro and/or gronions... sesame and/or sesame oil if it fits... some recipes suggest using actual hotpot base, which you can of course do...


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (May 28, 2017)

Oh, I forgot: Gochujang and Doubanjiang can *somewhat* substitute for each other in cooked dishes (obviously, you wouldn't want to make ssamjang with doubanjang  ), if you balance the rest appropriately.


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## Nemo (May 28, 2017)

Thanks life.

This looks really nice.

Think I'll visit the asian grocer next time I'm in Melbourne.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (May 28, 2017)

@Nemo actually, this is one that got too dense and is missing a bit of glaze - as always, when having some small cut ingredients in a mixed dish - and here the small soy puffs set the tone... and the baby corn already got soaked more than i wanted - one wants to err on the side of thin when it comes to sauce consistency, but it got a bit too thin there..

Get some lotus root when at your grocer: looks great in that kind of dish, what you don't use makes awesome tempura (crunchy throughout. Goes great over plain soba in broth, but that's just my opinion) , and you will have a good excuse to keep a laser gyuto around (these cut like a carrot and a water chestnut's bastard, and they are two inches thick, and are best used kept round and sliced 2-5mm).


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Ah, two more uses, though they don't strictly call for doubanjiang:

You can use it for fish-fragrant eggplant. I like using half/half doubanjiang and sambal oelek for that - make sure you don't make it too salty though! I suggest to use small japanese or turkish eggplants, slit them a couple times, then stir fry them whole a few minutes, then add aromatics and build sauce, braise (cooking times for various eggplants varies....), break up the eggplants only for the last few minutes of cooking... )
Wouldn't recommend the huge western eggplants - they can be bitter and you need to cut them up, which makes stir frying them without ripping off irregular pieces or getting a mushy layer of flesh a pain...


Have you made some ants climbing a tree yet? If you want a meatless version, crumbled firm tofu (maybe combined with diced shiitake and diced normal mushroom) fried HARD works great (as it does in mapo dofu of course...).


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## Sporks (May 28, 2017)

Really any of the "fish-fragrant" recipes (often translated as "in hot garlic sauce" or "in garlic sauce" in the US). Yu xiang rou si (fish-fragrant pork/pork in hot garlic sauce) is probably the most common in the states.


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## Sporks (May 28, 2017)

Oh yeah, the original Sichuan version of kung pao chicken uses it as does the spicy eight treasures stir fry/ba bao la jiang (woks of life has a pretty good post on this recipe).


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (May 29, 2017)

Still haven't figured out whether it is a must or an option in (sichuan, not jiding) kung pao... It certainly won't mess it up I guess, it's heat acidity and umami, they're all welcome in it...


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## Badgertooth (May 29, 2017)

So, its first outing was as a quick snack in a tiny little egg pan with garlic, spring onions, sugar and sesame oil over some fresh noodles with peanuts. Super deep fermented flavour, very salty, less heat than I expected but I am excited about it as an ingredient


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (May 29, 2017)

@Badgertooth you po mian essentially?

On a related note, try chinkiang, douchi, and maybe some of the pickled/fermented tofus (I find some of them yuck, some yummy. And can't vouch for that stuff being 100% safe for someone not used to it, so approach with caution*) for deep fermented flavors.

*fermenting stuff with rice could be a cereus risk, and I think I read about occasional cereus finds in such products too - so I wouldn't put it in the "feed to children in quantity" category...


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