A Korean chili paste that is mildly spicy and very sticky. It’s used as a condiment, in marinating and cooking. Gochujang is the sauce that is mixed into Bibimbap, a rice bowl dish served in an iron cast vessel.
I used this paste to make Chef Todd’s Sichuan Beans with Gochujang featured in my last post.
See the photo of the paste I scooped up with a spoon and how the paste sticks on. It’s thick and gooey, so gooey it’s hard to get off your spoon.
The main ingredient that makes it deep red is chili pepper. Other ingredients include pepper powder, wheat flour and corn syrup. I guess there’s a lot of thickeners in there.
My young friend Matthew Chu has taken a liking to Gochujang. This is what happens to diplomat kids who live overseas and assimilate habits of their host countries. Like my Russell did in Manila with Garlic Fried Rice. Matthew is son of my friend Elaine who just did a tour in Seoul. Hey, Matt’s become an expert at Korean and Thai food! Matt said the Koreans eat it like sriracha. “It’s good!” is his verdict.
Obviously, this is sold in the Korean supermarkets, H-Mart and Lotte. Remember the name Gochujang Hot Pepper Paste because there are so many different kinds of pastes that come in these tubs that you might find it overwhelming to locate. I did. When I first checked out these pastes, I got intimidated by the variety and the Korean labels.
Here’s a picture of the tubs at the store. And this H Mart didn’t even have as amazing a display as I’ve seen in other stores. Don’t be scared off by this organized confusion.
Basically there are two main kinds of pastes–one soybean (like miso) and then the chili paste, which is the Gochujang. Typically the Gochujang is in a red tub, and the soybean paste in gold or green. Believe it or not, that wasn’t obvious to me. (Color blind!)
Unless you read Korean, look for the teeny English writing somewhere on the label. And you’re good to go. The different tubs in red are just different makers of the pastes. I’ve only tried this one. Like Matt said, it’s good.
