Doenjang is a Korean cooking paste and a sister paste to gochujang. The main differences in between doenjang and gochujang is that doenjang is primarily made of fermented soybeans whereas gochujang is made of fermented chili, and also more popular outside Korea compared to doenjang itself.
Doenjang is also analogically similar to Japanese miso paste, however doenjang is made purely with soybeans and salt, while miso also has koji extract added that makes it smoother and sweeter. In line with the massive recent popularity of Korean cuisine, let’s learn more about doenjang, and also doenjang’s health benefits!
Types of Doenjang
- Traditional Doenjang
- Gyerang-sik doenjang – Doenjang produced using modern yet sophisticated factory process.
- Jaerae-sik doenjang – Doenjang produced using traditional means, which might take months.
- Seasoned Doenjang
- Ssamjang doenjang – Ssamjang doenjang is made using gochujang mixed with doenjang and its aromatics. Ideal for the lettuces used to wrap meat in Korean barbeque!
- Yangnyeom doenjang – It is meant to be eaten with stews (jjigae).
What are its Health Benefits?
- Doenjang Possesses Anti-Cancer Properties
First, one of doenjang’s most famous characteristics is its anti-cancer properties, like the case with most fermented food items.
- Doenjang Helps Lowering Down Blood Pressure
The amino acids contained by doenjang is effective in enhancing protein activation, which gets rid of benefits massage tension headaches, stabilizes blood pressure, and reduces blood cholesterol. At the end, the blood arteries get more elastic!
- Doenjang Supplements Our Liver
Doenjang paste also supplements the liver by helping its detoxification process, restoring liver functions, and protecting it from poison in all.
- Doenjang Holds Acid-Fast Properties
There are plenty of polyphenols found inside doenjang, all of them which synergize to prevent aging. Not only that, because antioxidants that delays lipid oxidation is also found inside doenjang paste too!
- Doenjang Provides Antidote Effects
Doenjang is also proven effective in providing antidote effects, particularly in detoxifying the poisons found inside fishes, vegetables, mushrooms, up to snake venom and bee stings!
- Doenjang Prevents Dementia
Two of soybean’s compounds, lecithin stimulates brain activity, whereas saponin lowers down blood cholesterol levels, slows down aging and dementia altogether by suppressing the formation of fatty peroxide.
- Doenjang Supports Digestion
Doenjang supports digestion because it is rich in health benefits fruit fibre cereal, which makes it easy to digest and process waste. It is also said that indigestion can also be cured using doenjang-based soup or stew!
- Doenjang Protects Against Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a huge burden for any senior citizen’s daily life, and luckily doenjang is also able to protect elderly people from this thanks to source of vitamin D foods that are present inside its mushrooms. Vitamin D strengthens our bones by absorbing calcium.
- Doenjang Partially Treats Long Term Effects of Type 2 Diabetes
Doenjang contains melanoidin that contributes to the secretion of insulin for better diabetes management. It also contains fibres that help diabetes management from the easiest stage; proper digestion.
- Doenjang Counteracts Heart Disease and Brain Tumour
Both heart disease and brain tumour can be counteracted by doenjang, because it contains protein-rich mushrooms that help to purify the blood, manages coagulation and reduce the blood’s viscosity in all.
- Doenjang for Skin Health
And finally, linolenic acid inside doenjang is ideal for treatment of freckles as well as skin pigment discolouration by preventing the compounding of melamine.