Red pepper paste and soybean paste are ubiquitious flavors in Korean cooking. However, the common varieties found in stores are often not of the best quality, especially because they are not organic.
To find great quality food, knowing that foods source is very important. The story of where that food comes from is an indicator of the integrity of the maker. I have been searching for good quality Korean pastes for my cooking. It was important to find a producer with integrity. Finally, I have found one. Whle I was Wwoofing at Mulme Healing Farm I was introduced to Moolmaru. Mulme Healing Farm used Moolmaru's red pepper and soy bean pastes in their cooking. When observing both pastes I noticed them to be darker then the store bought variety. Then when I tasted them, I found there to be more flavor complexity in them then the store bought variety. I had to incorporate them into my eating so I asked the farmer on Mulme Healing Farm to order me some. He gladly ordered some for me.
One day he took me to Moolmaru to pick up my order. There, I saw the owners food processing facilty. Those concerned about industrial food usually think negative things about food processing. That is because we often think about a big factory and chemicals used. However, food processing just refers to the next step from the farm to food. We do food processing at home but we just don't call it this.
We walked through the shop into a kitchen where the ingredients are mixed and we continued walking until we reached the polytunnel shown in the picture below. In the polytunnel, the products sit and ferment. They ferment in traditional pots for up to a year.
I couldn't talk to her when we went there because she didn't speak English. However, a week later, my friend J, who Wwoofed there and was able to give me an account of her time there. One thing she said I vividly remember.
"She was obsessed with mold. She always was checking to see if the right mold was growing on the blocks."
When J told me about the owners obsession with quality, I felt an affinity for a person who puts a lot of love into making a good thing. The more food processors that work with integrity like this woman means a better food system for us all.
When J told me about the owners obsession with quality, I felt an affinity for a person who puts a lot of love into making a good thing. The more food processors that work with integrity like this woman means a better food system for us all.
1kg of soy bean paste or red pepper paste costs 20,000 won, each. This may seem like a lot. But this is the price of a healthy and good product. One jar could last half a year considering the small amount needed in cooking.
 |
| Tangerine Red Pepper Paste |
 |
| Soy Bean Paste |
No comments:
Post a Comment