Komoda Kinya is a star Sichuan-cuisine chef, whose friendly manner has made him a familiar sight in living rooms around the country. Each dish he prepares expresses both the traditions of Sichuan cuisine and his own free-flowing culinary creativity. Savoring his cooking is to enter Komoda’s world. One of the seasonings behind his dazzling deliciousness is homemade doubanjiang (spicy Chinese bean paste).
We sat down with him for a long conversation, touching on such questions as what is his ideal doubanjiang and what role does fermentation play in his cuisine.
In my quest for a smooth mellow umami flavor, I finally decided to make my own
This doubanjiang was matured for 18 months. Komoda uses freshly fermented doubanjiang and well-aged doubanjiang in different dishes for different tastes.
“Sichuan province, the home of Sichuan cuisine, is a large lowland basin with hot summers and cold winters. It rains nearly every evening, so the region is quite humid. Sichuan cuisine, which makes extensive use of the pungency of chili peppers and the numbing flavor of Sichuan peppercorn, arose out of the demands of life in this tough climate.
“Chili peppers, however, were only introduced in Sichuan about 500 years ago. And doubanjiang, a common seasoning in Sichuan cuisine, first appeared about 400 years ago.
“Many people identify Sichuan cuisine with bright red, spicy food. In Sichuan itself, however, doubanjiang is more frequently used as a savory bean paste than a spicy bean paste. It differs substantially in color, flavor, and salt concentration from the commercial doubanjiang made in Japan.”
The doubanjiang on the left was ordered from Sichuan; on the right is a typical doubanjiang product made in Japan
“I wanted a doubanjiang with a good balance between spiciness, saltiness, and umami. I also wanted something that I knew was completely safe and secure, from the ingredients all the way through the maturation process. To meet all these requirements, I decided to make it myself, which is how I started fermenting my own doubanjiang.
“With my doubanjiang, I prioritize the umami and keep the percentage of salt rather low. The aroma is on a completely different level, because the microorganisms are still living. You can start using the doubanjiang about six months after preparing it, and as it matures, it becomes milder and richer in flavor. The color also turns to a shade of black.”
I prepare doubanjiang just before summer arrives when the conditions for fermentation are the best
Doubanjiang is a living seasoning because the fermentation process does not stop. As the doubanjiang ferments and matures, its flavor and aroma continue to evolve.
“The ingredients for doubanjiang are fava beans, chili peppers, salt, and koji malt. The first year, I used fresh fava beans and it nearly killed me. A 100 kilograms of fresh fava beans shrunk to just 20 kilograms after I peeled them. I was peeling the pods seemingly night and day, and my fingers turned pitch black from the scum of the beans. For all that hard work, I only got 20 kilograms of beans. (laughs)
“From those beginnings, I searched out frozen fava beans and experimented with all kinds of things, such as which chili peppers I should use, whether I should choose dry salt or slightly moist salt, and what percentage of salt is best. Eventually, I reached the recipe I use now. Until then, I went deep down the doubanjiang rabbit hole.”
Doubanjiang continues transforming even after it is finished, so the taste never gets boring
“I’ve tried making it with soybeans instead of fava beans. One time I used 100 percent soybeans and another time I used a 50:50 blend of the two, but both attempts were failures. I realized from these experiments that the aroma of doubanjiang comes from the distinctive grassy smell of fava beans. I’m amazed by the people of Sichuan who originally hit on the idea of fermenting fava beans.
“I prepare doubanjiang every year at the start of summer, when the temperatures are high and the bacteria are more active, which cause the fermentation to progress better. I ferment about 160 kilograms of doubanjiang on my own, and then store it in barrels to mature at home. This is basically like a hobby for me, so I can’t ask my staff to assist me. And just generally, I feel it’s better if fewer hands are involved when making fermented food. It’s hard manual work to make, transport, and maintain the doubanjiang, but it’s never a chore.”
Let the doubanjiang develop its aroma by heating it slowly over a low heat
The aroma of doubanjiang is the deciding factor in stir-fried Dai-chien ji chicken
“The temperature is crucial when heating doubanjiang to bring out its full aroma.
“Many people may think that Chinese dishes should be cooked quickly over a high heat, but the golden rule is to cook slowly over a low heat to bring out the aroma and spiciness.
“I’ll give you one famous Sichuan dish that shows off how doubanjiang is used.
“Dai-chien ji is deep-fried chicken that is then stir-fried with vegetables in a sweet and spicy sauce. It is named after the famous painter Chang Dai-chien from Sichuan who loved this dish.
“The chicken is first marinated and then kneaded with egg whites and potato starch before being fried until crispy. The same oil is used to fry the vegetables, such as green peppers and celery, which are cut into bite-sized pieces. Next, all the ingredients are stir-fried together.”
Grapeseed oil is used for stir-frying because it is light and smooth and does not overpower the flavors of the ingredients
“Put the oil in a pan and cook green onions, thinly sliced ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and doubanjiang over a low heat to infuse the oil with the flavors. Make sure not to cook the ingredients quickly over a high heat because it will cause the flavors to dissipate and heighten the bitterness.
“When the aroma begins to spread, add the chicken and vegetables back in and quickly stir-fry them together with the sauce. The sauce is a mixture of sugar, saké, grain vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, and a seasoning called jiuniang, which is made by fermenting rice koji malt.”
The completed gleaming dish is enveloped in a mouth-watering aroma
“The role of doubanjiang in this dish is not to add spiciness but to amplify the aroma and umami. The sauce, which harmoniously combines sourness, sweetness, and a mild spiciness, sinks into the moist, juicy chicken and the firmly textured vegetables.”
The joy of using living seasonings
“The taste of homemade doubanjiang naturally varies slightly depending on the year and even the barrel. Even if you make it the same way, it won’t taste exactly the same, and the flavor also changes depending on the season. The aroma is much stronger in summer because the bacteria are more active, but when it gets colder, the aroma becomes more subdued. This is a characteristic of fully fermented seasonings in which the fermentation doesn’t stop.
“My cooking is about varying the amounts of seasonings to match the ingredients being used to bring out what I think is the best flavor. I don’t measure things out exactly, like one tablespoon of doubanjiang or two tablespoons of soy sauce, so even when I make the same dish, it’s always something one-of-a-kind.
“In other words, I’m not looking for consistency in my cooking. If I were aiming for consistency, I wouldn’t have considered making my own seasonings. (laughs)”
