fermented shrimp

[trillium]

So I'll probably answer this question myself in the next day or two, but I'm curious enough to want to know now...

We're going to dive into kimchi making at home because it's hard to find a nice variety of kimichi here and we love it. We're starting with a basic cabbage, green onion and minari stem one from this book we have, and we went to the Korean grocery store to buy ingredients which included fermented shrimp and anchovies. The fermented shrimp, which is a product of China, looks identical to cincalok, which is usually made in Malaysia, at least the stuff we can buy. I haven't opened the jar yet because there are other projects in line ahead of the kimchi one and the jar doesn't look like it will re-close all that easily, which means I'll have to figure out another way to store it.

My question is, are these the same thing? Or do the bugs that ferment them have different flavor profiles?

regards,

trillium

[herbacidal]

fermented shrimp, which is a product of China

what is this?

a quick search gave me some info on how it was used, such as a fermented shrimp paste, but what is the process? how are shrimp fermented?

is this what is used for (cantonese) ha journg, served with seafood in cantonese restaurants, such as seafood birds' nest?

sorry for off-topic.

[torakris]

I don't know the Korean name fort he fermented shrimp but in Japanese they are ami no shiokara and they look like this:

http://store.yahoo.co.jp/kimuchi/242.html

These are what I prefer to use in kimchi making though when I can't find them, I substitute the ika no shiokara (squid fermented with its guts)

[trillium]

fermented shrimp, which is a product of China

what is this?

a quick search gave me some info on how it was used, such as a fermented shrimp paste, but what is the process? how are shrimp fermented?

is this what is used for (cantonese) ha journg, served with seafood in cantonese restaurants, such as seafood birds' nest?

sorry for off-topic.

I don't think it's the same, I think they (the Cantonese) use the greyish purple stuff that also gets called shrimp paste. You can see a not very clear picture of cincalok here under shrimp. I know fermented seafood is jeot in Korean, but I don't know the specific name of fermented shrimp. Anyway, it looks just like the picture torakris posted and an awful lot like cincalok (which was supposidly "invented" in Malaka). I guess I'll just have to do side-by-side taste tests.

regards,

trillium

[SG-]

cincalok is fermented with rice which adds another layer of flavor, whereas the korean variety is preserved with just salt.

I have used them as an alternative, a little shallot, lime and sliced chilli. Also great fried crisp and used as a topping for fried rice.

Edited January 13, 2004 by SG- (log)

[jschyun]

trillium, that looks just like the fermented shrimp sauce we use. If you got it at a Korean grocery, chances are, it's the right thing. I'm sure you'll be fine.

I love that shrimp sauce on pork's foot and any other cold meat, especially if the sauce has been doctored with chili flakes and some green onions. yum!

--shrimp is sehwoo (I think that's how to romanize it?) and I think pickled or fermented means jeot. put the two together and sehwoo jeot means fermented shrimp. You can get fermented oysters and stuff like that too.

Edited January 14, 2004 by jschyun (log)

[trillium]

Thanks for the help. I tasted them and they don't taste the same, like SG said, (cincalok and the koreon ones) but it's nice to have a near substitute for cincalok, which isn't always easy to find in the US.

Herb- we use cincalok in sambals (erm, condiment sauces that usually have chillies in them) or when we're stir-frying seafood S'pore style (not Cantonese) or we eat it like SG mentioned with chilli, lime and shallot on rice. Good ones have a very pungent but creamy and almost floral taste in addition to the shrimpy taste.

regards,

trillium