Cheong Guk Jang is another fermented soybean food traditionally eaten by Koreans as a hot casserole type of dish. It is famous for it's health benefits and pungent fragrance. The fermenting agent for cheong guk jang is also a strain of Bacillus, but unlike doen jang which ferments for at least 6 months before consumption, cheong guk jang ferments at a higher temperature for 2-4 days only.
Despite it's pungent smell, cheong guk jang has some amazing health benefits:
- it is full of beneficial probiotics
- improves digestion
- a natural blood thinner which improves blood flow and volume and reduces the chance of blood clots
- improves blood circulation
- reduces blood pressure
- strengthens bones and immune system
- improves heart health by lowering cholesterol.
So many Korean brave the pungent smell and consume cheong guk jang on a daily basis for these health benefits. Traditionally, it is used to make jjigae which is a hot soup, or hot pot. A perfect match with a bowl of steaming rice - this is a nostalgic comfort food for a cold winter evening for many Koreans old and young.
If you would like learn more about cheong guk jang, we recomment this article:
https://journalofethnicfoods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42779-019-0004-8
Try out these recipes:
with kimchi - https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/cheonggukjang-jjigae
without kimchi - http://mykoreaneats.com/2015/03/10/cheonggukjang-%EC%B2%AD%EA%B5%AD%EC%9E%A5-fermented-soybean-soup-aka-stink/
