A flavor that takes time
In business for 60 years, the Liu family uses traditional methods and excellent ingredients, letting time act as a catalyst to produce a paste whose rich flavor lingers on the palate and in memory.
The raw materials for bean paste are quite simple. Chili peppers, which Mingteh has long bought from farms in Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung, provide the heat. Every year the company purchases mass quantities—some 200 metric tons—of chilies in season. The fresh chili peppers are first washed and minced before having salt added to them. After being sun-dried for six months, they are then mixed with fermented beans in proper proportions to create the firm’s famous “broad bean paste with chili.”
Mingteh uses imported American non-genetically-modified soybeans, which provide a better fermented aroma. Because Sichuan-style bean paste needs “broad beans” (fava beans) in the mix for the proper flavor, Mingteh imports these from Australia. “Broad beans have a higher starch content, and a relatively mellow taste once you ferment them,” Liu Yu-pang explains. “Soybeans contain more protein and have a sweeter taste. By combining these two flavors, you get Mingteh’s unique paste.”
The soybeans and broad beans undergo separate cleaning and cooking before starter cultures are added. This is the most important step in the process of creating the company’s sauce, Liu emphasizes. If it isn’t done right, it doesn’t matter how well one handles the following stages.
Once the fermentation of the beans has been properly started, the next step is to pour the separately fermented soybeans and broad beans together into vats before adding brine and natural spices. The vats of beans have to bathe under the warm southern sun for 180 days. In a salty environment, enzymes will slowly break down the proteins and starches if given enough heat and enough time. They’ve also got to be stirred every day so the aroma of the bean paste can gradually form.
Sixteen years ago, when Liu returned home to learn the family business, the first thing that his father wanted him to learn was how to stir the vats. It’s far from an easy task. Every day the beans have got to be “stirred, mixed, turned and kneaded.” The beans at the very bottom of the vats must be moved to the top so that they can be exposed to air and fermentation can be completed.
Because the company insists on adhering to meticulous standards with regard to their raw materials and production processes, Mingteh sailed through the various food safety scandals of recent years. Some consumers are beginning to exercise more caution about their food and paying more attention to purity. For instance, the Leezen organic food stores and the Homemakers Union Consumer Coop have sought out Mingteh to process their foods. This has convinced Liu that Mingteh made the right choice all along by insisting on high quality and exacting standards.
Mingteh embraces both old methods and new innovations. After the fermentation process has been completed, the company employs a mechanized production line to better control processes and quality. (courtesy of Mingteh Food)