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Key Ingredient
Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga
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KEY INGREDIENT
Black bean paste packs a punch
No matter what, do not scoop this substance directly into your mouth. Chajang sauce is a potent combination of black beans, salt and caramel with a tarlike consistency. It smells vaguely of miso and tastes like -- well, it's hard to describe.
All things in context, however. Chajang -- also called jjajang or, in English, black bean paste -- is the critical ingredient in the noodle dish chajiangmyun, which is a Korean version of a Chinese dish (see article above).
Mixed with water and a lot of vegetables, chajang becomes a gravy with a fairly mild flavor -- much milder and sweeter than Chinese black-bean sauces.
Find chajang sauce in Korean markets. Palama Supermarket sells a 1-pound jar for about $3.
NEW IN STORES
Coke fizz has coffee kick
Just in case you don't get enough caffeine in your day, there's now Coca-Cola Blak, a carbonated "fusion" beverage blending coffee extracts with the iconic soft drink.
Packaged in a cute 8-ounce glass bottle and introduced first in France in January, promotional materials claim it "has a rich smooth texture" with a "coffee-like froth when poured." Further assertions classify it as "an adult product in a carbonated beverage," which might or might not be true, depending on your preferences.
Consumers of Starbucks Frappuchino bottled coffee drinks might be inclined to shake this coffee-infused drink before opening. Don't.
Some good news: The entire bottle has only 45 calories, categorizing it as a "midcalorie" drink. And yes, you can get your 5-cent cash refund. Other than that, we'll let you decide if Coke and coffee should ever coexist in the same bottle.
