On K Ingredients

Anytime you try to cook a new kind of cuisine, I know that just reading the ingredients list can send you into a spin. And pretty often, I run into people at our local Korean market asking me about what they should buy, which brand is the best, etc. Sometimes I even offer to help before they even ask because of the lost look on their faces, staring at the soy sauce section forever, trying to figure out what they should buy.

Soy Sauce: What is the difference between Korean Soy Sauce (Gook kanjang) and Japanese Soy Sauce(Jin Kanjang)?

The difference is mainly the saltiness and taste. I will explain further below:

1. Gook-kanjang(국간장) – Korean Soy Sauce for Soups

Korean Soy Sauce for Soups(Gook Kanjang 국간장)

The traditional Korean Soy Sauce for Soups (Gook-Kanjang) is made purely from Soy beans and salt. Cooked soybeans are fermented and then salt water is added.  The mixture is left for 2-3 months outside in the cold winter months in Korea until the liquid becomes black. This is your Korean soy sauce. The process takes few months and the taste is quite complex. This soy sauce is lighter in color (than the Japanese, Chinese version), is saltier, has a stronger earthier taste. As the name suggests, Gook Kanjang should be used for soups, stews and to flavor various vegetable side dishes (나물 Namool).

The brand that I have been using lately is Haechandeul(해찬들) but Sampio or Pulmuone should also be just as good.

2. Jin Kanjang(진간장) or Wae Kanjang(왜간장) – Dark Soy sauce

Dark Soy Sauce (Jin Kanjang 진간장)

The most widely used Dark Soy Sauce in the US is probably the Japanese version and is also the case in Korea. Unlike the traditional Korean soy sauce, this soy sauce was made for mass production for the Japanese soldiers  during world warII. And it was introduced to Koreans and became widespread due to the lower price compared to the traditional soy sauce.

It is made from soy beans, wheat, bacteria cultures and possibly other chemicals. The sauce is thicker, less saltier and somewhat sweeter, so it’s does not work well with soups. Jin Kanjang should be used for jorims(jangjorim), meat marinades (bulgogi), stir fries, grilled dishes and for sashimi.

The most common brand is Kikkoman but other brands like Sampio produce just as good tasting soy sauce. As you can tell from the images, I usually buy bigger size Jin Kanjang because I end up using it more – for parties where large amounts of bulgogi is made.

Salt: Why are there so many different types and what type should I use for Korean cooking?

Korean sea salt

Because the Korean peninsula is surrounded by the ocean on three sides, natural sea salt has been the salt of choice for hundreds of years in Korean cooking.  The best type of sea salt is cheon-il-yeom (천일염) or solar salt that’s made by letting the sea water evaporate in the sun for many days. This solar sea salt is rich in minerals and does not have any bitter aftertaste. Korean solar salt also has a lower salinity of 80% compared to 90% which is the normal level in sea salt that comes from other places in the world. This salt is not cheap but if you can afford it, it’s definitely worth it. The picture on the left is a garlic flavored cheonilyeom but there are plain cheonilyeom from the same company that I use for everyday cooking. I threw away the bag so I couldn’t take a picture of it.

The other more common type of salt that can be used for everyday cooking is kkot-soh-geum (꽃소금). This is a blend of 80% imported salt and 20% cheonilyeom which means it’s saltier than 100% cheonilyeom and also has much lower level of minerals since the imported salt tend to have very little minerals. Use this sparingly.

Recently, a more concentrated table salt called jeong-jae-yeom (정제염) was made by chemically isolating the salt from sea water. This type of salt can be produced very quickly and cheaply but the process also strips the salt of its natural minerals and it’s unique taste of the sea. The salinity is also 99%  which means it’s lot saltier so just avoid this if you can.

There are so many other salts that I cannot list them here but I do want to comment about mat-soh-geum(맛소금). This is salt and MSG blended in 9:1 ratio. Since I do not like MSG at all in my food, I don’t even think about using this in my food. But restaurants and manufacturers use this a lot in jjigae, namool and in roasted laver so just be mindful of that.

How to choose good quality dried anchovies for anchovy stock? What kind/size of dried anchovies should I use for making stock?

Gukmul Myulchi (국물멸치) - Anchovies for stock

Smaller Gulmul Myulchi (작은 국물멸치) also work well for stock

Both of these anchovies will work great for making anchovy stock. The one on the left is purely for stocks and really does produce the best stock. Note the meatiness of the fish and the silvery shine. It should still a bit moist and not totally dry. The one on the right is smaller and may not be as fabulous as the ones on the left for making stock but it is still good enough. These smaller anchovies can also be used to make myulchi bokkeum (멸치볶음) or pan fried anchovies when you take the head off and the innards out. That’s why I like this size because it can be used 2 different ways.

Another way to tell a good quality anchovy is to taste it just as it is. It should still be chewy (which means it’s still moist and not too dry/old) , meaty and taste good by itself. Make sure you take the innards out when you taste it because the innards leave a bitter taste. This applies to bigger anchovies only. You can eat the smaller ones whole with the head and the innards without getting the bitter taste because the innards are so small.