Welcome to the Mamahuhu Culinary Glossary, a series where we take to our social media to talk about Chinese-American cooking and the very special ingredients we use in our restaurants and frozen goods.
Welcome to the Mamahuhu Culinary Glossary, a series where we take to our social media to talk about Chinese-American cooking and the very special ingredients we use in our restaurants and frozen goods.
Doubanjiang is a popular condiment in China often referred to as “The Soul of Sichuan Cuisine”. It’s a spicy and salty fermented bean paste that is made from a combination of broad beans (or fava beans), soybeans, salt, rice or wheat flour, and various spices. The paste has a reddish-brown color and a pungent aroma that instantly elevates any dish it is added to. In Mandarin, the word 酱 (jiang) translates to “sauce”. Many may compare doubanjiang to Korean fermented pastes like gochujang, a sweeter, tangier fermented chili paste, or doenjang, a mild and savory fermented soybean paste. While they share an etymology, they are quite different - doubanjiang has a distinct heat and savory element - the flavor of Sichuan China.
Like most fermented and preserved foods, doubanjiang was created out of necessity to preserve perishable products. While the exact origins are unclear, one common legend attributes the paste’s creation to a handful of travelers fleeing Chengdu during wartime. Desperate to get out of the city, they shoved broad beans in their bag with chili paste. After long travels, the result was better than the two products they began with … and doubanjiang was born.
During fermentation, the paste develops a deep umami flavor that is savory, deeply salty, slightly sweet, and a little bit funky. Doubanjiang can be aged for as short as a few months or as long as a decade.
Doubanjiang’s ingredients and aging time affect both the flavor and the price. The most prized variety of doubanjiang is from Pixian, near Chengdu. Pixian doubanjiang has protected origin status and strict regulations, much like champagne from Champagne or Parmigiano Reggiano from Parma, Italy - it must be produced in Pixian, with erjintiao chiles and locally sourced beans and water.
Doubanjiang is a staple in many Sichuan dishes like mapo tofu or dan dan noodles. It can also be used as a punchy condiment, often served as an addition to hot pot or mixed directly into rice (for those unafraid of spice and flavor!) At Mamahuhu, we use Pixian doubanjiang in our Mapo Tofu with Pork and our Mushroom Mapo Tofu.
Doubanjiang’s ingredients and aging time affect both the flavor and the price. The most prized variety of doubanjiang is from Pixian, near Chengdu. Pixian doubanjiang has protected origin status and strict regulations, much like champagne from Champagne or Parmigiano Reggiano from Parma, Italy - it must be produced in Pixian, with erjintiao chiles and locally sourced beans and water.
Doubanjiang is a staple in many Sichuan dishes like mapo tofu or dan dan noodles. It can also be used as a punchy condiment, often served as an addition to hot pot or mixed directly into rice (for those unafraid of spice and flavor!) At Mamahuhu, we use Pixian doubanjiang in our Mapo Tofu with Pork and our Mushroom Mapo Tofu.
Watch our social media coordinator demystify doubanjiang on TikTok:
@eatmamahuhu Mamahuhu Glossary 📕 Doubanjiang Did you know what doubanjiang is? Spicy, earthy, but never scene-stealing, doubanjiang is the often unsung hero behind your favorite Sichuan dishes. This fermented condiment lays the foundation for Wo Chong non-GMO silken tofu to shine in our Mapo Tofu. Let us know what ingredients you’d like to know more about in the comments 👉 #doubanjiang #sichuanfood #chinesefood #chinesecuisine #chinesecooking #mapotofu ♬ original sound - Mamahuhu
