Spice Up Your Dishes with Gochujang: Discover the Flavors of Chilli Hot Pepper Paste!

Looking to add a burst of flavor and a touch of heat to your dishes? Look no further than Gochujang! This vibrant Korean ingredient has gained popularity around the world for its unique taste and versatility. In this article, we'll explore the wonders of gochujang, a chili hot pepper paste that can take your culinary creations to the next level. Get ready to tantalize your taste buds and embark on a flavor-packed journey!

What is Gochujang?

Gochujang (pronounced go-choo-jang) is a traditional Korean condiment that has been used for centuries. It is a thick, sticky paste made from red chili peppers, fermented soybeans, glutinous rice, and salt. The combination of these ingredients gives gochujang its complex and robust flavor profile, with a perfect balance of spiciness, sweetness, and umami.

Flavorful and Versatile:

One of the reasons gochujang has gained immense popularity worldwide is its incredible versatility. Its unique flavor adds depth to a wide range of dishes, from traditional Korean cuisine to fusion recipes. Gochujang can be used as a marinade for grilled meats, a base for stews and soups, a dipping sauce for dumplings, or even as a condiment to enhance the flavor of burgers, tacos, and sandwiches. The possibilities are endless!

Taste Experience:

When you taste gochujang, you'll encounter a delightful symphony of flavors. The initial kick of spiciness from the chili peppers is balanced by a natural sweetness derived from the fermented soybeans and rice. The fermentation process adds depth and complexity, resulting in a rich umami taste that lingers on your palate. The combination of heat, sweetness, and umami creates a flavor experience that is truly unforgettable.

Where to Find Gochujang:

Gochujang is becoming increasingly accessible, and you can find it in many grocery stores, both online and offline. Look for it in the international or Asian section of your local supermarket, or visit an Asian grocery store for a wider variety of options. Additionally, many online retailers offer gochujang in various brands and heat levels, allowing you to explore different flavor profiles according to your preference.

Experimenting with Gochujang:

Now that you have gochujang in your pantry, it's time to get creative! Start by adding a spoonful to your stir-fries or sautéed vegetables for a spicy kick. Mix it into your marinades for meats, tofu, or seafood to infuse them with a depth of flavor. You can even create your own gochujang-based sauces by combining it with ingredients like soy sauce, garlic, ginger, or honey. Let your imagination run wild and discover new and exciting taste combinations.

Conclusion:

Gochujang is a true gem of Korean cuisine that has captured the hearts (and taste buds) of food enthusiasts worldwide. Its distinctive flavors, ranging from spicy to sweet and savory, make it a versatile ingredient that can elevate any dish. So, don't hesitate to embrace the wonders of gochujang and embark on a culinary adventure filled with exciting and delicious flavors!

Caramelized Gochujang Tomato Soup with Chili Crisp

Cheesy Gochujang Skillet Fried Rice

Crispy Baked Gochujang Tofu (Korean-Inspired)

Vegan Sausage Gochujang Rigatoni

do you have some favourite go-to recipes? i would love any of your recommendations!! xx

we eat the same few things on rotation in our house, as I do all the cooking, and I like a) one-pot meals, and b) pasta, preferably. most of these are fairly low effort but you get a lot of bang for your buck flavour-wise, and they're endlessly customisable!

also, listen, I don't do measurements. follow your heart and taste as you go.

the tiktok viral baked feta pasta from like 4 years ago ingredients: plum or cherry tomatoes, a block of feta (or boursin if you're feeling flush), garlic, pasta optional extras: spinach, cannellini beans, chili crisp recipe: whack your tomatoes, sliced garlic, and olive oil in a big dish. nestle your feta in there. I like to add a tin of drained cannellini beans at this point to bulk it out/cut down on the pasta/make the texture confusing, but you don't have to. stick it in the oven at like 180-200C for half an hour ish. after half an hour boil your pasta. retrieve your oven dish, stir everything up to desired consistency (I'm a chunk girl). you can add spinach while you do this for extra greenery, or a massive spoonful of chili crisp for heat and crunch, but it's good on its own. add the pasta and some pasta water if you need. voila. you simply cannot go wrong.

gochujang and hummus pasta ingredients: gochujang (this keeps forever in the fridge so it's a good kitchen investment), a tub of hummus, garlic, white onion, parm optional extras: parsley recipe: chop onion and garlic, sling them in a pan with butter and a splash of EVOO. when the onion is sufficiently sweaty and nice, add a dollop of gochujang (the bigger the dollop the spicier the end result) and stir it all in, followed by the whole tub of hummus. boil the pasta. add the cooked pasta to the pan, along with some pasta water, a shit load of grated parm, and garnish with parsley. my friend sent me a vegan version of this recipe about a year ago and I've made the non-vegan version roughly once a week since. it is so fucking delicious. butter bean thing ingredients: butter beans, garlic, red onion, tomato paste, cream/double cream/greek yog, lemon, sourdough/nice crusty bread optional extras: parsley recipe: throw chopped garlic and onion in a pan with butter and EVOO and really let them sweat it out. add tinned butter beans WITH THE JUICE. yes, I know. add in a few good squirty piles of tomato paste and stir, then let it all heat through. at this point start toasting your crusty bread of choice because I ALWAYS forget until the end and then I'm rushed. I recommend splurging for the good bread, slathered with melty butter. add whatever creamy thing you have to hand (the og recipe I saw said double cream, but I usually have greek yoghurt in and that does the job) to the beans, along with some lemon juice, garnish with parsley if you like and serve. use the bread as a giant spoon. you are welcome.

sausage soup/stew? casserole?? ingredients: celery, white onion, carrot, sausage/s, cherry tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, chicken broth, parm optional extras: creamy thing of your choice, spinach, orzo recipe: dice the celery, carrot and onion (mirepoix!), and throw it in a big big big pot with some EVOO. now: I get a pack of nice sausages and either mash or chop them depending on how much energy I have, but if you live somewhere with a butcher or whatever you can save your mashing arm and just get ground sausage. throw in the ground, mashed, or chopped sausage and cook for a bit. follow with a tin of chopped tomatoes and chicken broth. I usually put in about a litre. chop the cherry toms and toss them in. follow with a load of grated parm. if you have any parm rinds, throw em in and leave it to bubble away. this doesn't sound like much but it is so good. the longer you leave it the more flavourful it will be! towards the end I like to add in whatever creamy thing is in the fridge (double cream, greek yog, milk), along with lots of chopped spinach and a cup of orzo to really bulk it up. we can happily live on this for DAYS, especially if we have leftover fancy crusty bread from the gochujang pasta. oh and remember to take out the parm rind.

thai chicken curryish ingredients: chicken (thigh/breast), garlic, ginger, yellow peppers, spring onion, cashew nuts, rice, coconut milk, chicken broth optional extras: sriracha, coriander recipe: I love this one cos it is SO quick and SOOOO easy. cut chicken into chunks and brown it in the pot. whip it back out and throw in the chopped garlic and ginger (I have a tube of ginger paste in the fridge cos WHO has the time?) with a big glug of EVOO, then a cup of rice. jasmine works, but I've also used risotto rice. toss in the chopped peppers, spring onion and cashew nuts (if I have the energy I'll chop the nuts, but you can put em in as-is), then add coconut milk (a tin's amount, be that an actual tin or some of the melted stuff that costs 1/4 of the price - thanks Asian supermarket!) and chicken broth. put the browned chicken back in, give it all a stir, cover it, and stick it in the oven for like 25ish mins. here’s the NYT recipe if you need liquid measurements/an actionable recipe that isn’t me riffing. (as always, 12ft.io/ in front of the address to bypass the paywall.) serve it with sriracha squirted all over it (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) and coriander if you like it.

delicious little rice waffle ingredients: leftover jasmine rice, chili crisp, an egg, kewpie mayonnaise, sesame oil, spring onion, A WAFFLE MAKER optional extras: furikake recipe: full disclosure, you need a little waffle maker for this. mix the rice with chili crisp, a little sesame oil, and egg yolk. dollop it into the waffle maker and cook. garnish with kewpie mayo, sliced spring onion and some furikake if you have it, or just toasted sesame seeds if you have those, or neither! delicious little spicy umami snack, my beloved.

tuna melt of dreams ingredients: you know what's in a tuna melt recipe: swap the butter on the outside of the bread for kewpie mayonnaise and thank me later.

ADDENDUM: this goes without saying for me but sadly I know it does not for everybody: SEASON YOUR FOOD WITH SALT. IT WON'T MAKE YOUR FOOD SALTY IT WILL MAKE IT DELICIOUS. COOK YOUR PASTA IN SALT. WHEN IN DOUBT, ADD SOME SALT. THANK YOU.

Cooking with Patches motivates me to cook more than anything 🥺

Also, your goated cooking posts has gotten me to do a couple of meatless meal days (Pan-fried tofu battered in cornstarch is life changing!) Any go-to recipes you find yourself cooking alot?

Ah hell yeah!!!

I'm glad to hear it bc I like making the Cooking with Patches posts. She's just HERE and being CUTE and I like sharing this fact with other people.

As far as go-to recipes - "pan fried tofu" DOES actually capture a lot... Like, choose *some* sauce, make rice, make some broccoli, put scallions and sesame seeds on top, and that's like a dozen variations of the same general idea. I tend to just keep scallions and tofu around, so I can kinda just do this whenever and mix up some sauce.

My probably most go-to of the above is this (copied from my notes):

sauce: 3tbsp soy sauce 3tbsp water 1 tsp sugar 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp gochujang Garlic Scallions recipe: Cook tofu cut into slabs, turn over and spoon sauce, turn over and spoon sauce, cook however long you want after

My other "I didn't plan anything and I'm making dinner" approach is to keep fixings around to make ramen Better:tm:. Like I always have some ramen on hand. so I COULD just make ramen but if I have any of these on hand they make the ramen Better:tm:

Ramen add-ins:

kale, spinach, or any other leafy green, (added to the boiling water alongside the ramen noodles)

bok choy, same as above.

(if not vegan) an egg cracked in, added with 1 minute left of the noodles cooking

ANY kind of mushroom, sliced, but shiitake and wood-ear are extra recommended

(if like spicy) any chili pepper, sliced and added with the noodles

silken tofu (like what goes in miso soup)

sriracha (added on top at the end)

sliced scallions, sesame seeds, sesame oil/chili oil (added on top at the end)

And then some actual like, recipe-recipes, I went through things I'd bookmarked as liking

(sub tofu for the fish in this one) =>

My child is actually playing by himself upstairs, and I am TERRIFIED of ruining it. He's just so loud and energetic ALL DAY, and I'm soooo tired... this silence feels like a rare gift. I have 12 minutes before my laundry is done and 15 minutes before I have to start dinner, and I just want all of those minutes to be quiet minutes...🤞🤞🤞

We've been trying to eat vegan and vegetarian meals at least four nights a week (usually more), and these three meals so far have been the biggest hits with the whole family (even C)!

https://hostthetoast.com/thai-cashew-coconut-rice-ginger-peanut-sauce/

(Not sure why the bottom one didn't come out the same and I'm too tired to care, but I highly recommend them all!)

hi, this might be a good flavorful recipe even though it does take some spoons (but there's basically no way to mess up and it's not bland and vegan)

disclaimer, I'm not Korean and I'm giving you the most basic version but Korean vegetable pancakes (야채전 ya-chae-jeon) are incredible

Ingredients:

~1 cup of flour

~1 cup of water

whatever vegetables you like

large pinch of salt

vegetable oil

Optional ingredients:

gochujang/sriracha

soy sauce

rice vinegar

spring onion

sesame oil & sesame seeds

onion/mushrooms/sweet potato/zucchini/..

Basically what you do is cut all your vegetables into matchstick-shaped pieces (the longer they need to cook, the smaller you cut them). Put them in a large-ish bowl. Then plop in the flour, water, salt (+optionally some gochujang/sriracha) and mix mix mix. Your desired product should be vegetables covered in a layer of batter with a crepe-like consistency.

Then put a generous amount of oil into a hot frying pan and pour in the batter to your desired pancake size. Fry until golden brown. Repeat if you have batter left.

Optional stuff: I think onion, zucchini, sweet potato and mushrooms are particularly yummy. I like to make mine extra spicy via adding the mentioned chilli sauces. Plus I make a quick soy sauce + rice vinegar (5:1) dip which is the cherry on top. Also nice to pair with left-over rice.

Rosé Tteokbokki

Cheesy Vegan Gochujang Udon Noodles

hiii im going to be living w my aunt over the summer and therefore buying my own groceries. I am going to be busy w summer classes and working on the weekends but I do rlly want to try cooking at least once or twice a week. I can make an egg and pasta but that’s about it. What are some of your fave recipes that aren’t super complicated that I could start with if you have any? (I am open to a minor challenge but cooking can overwhelm me so I like a challenge but not too much of one lol). I am also vegetarian (not vegan) if that matters! If you don’t get to this that’s okay !!! I hope u are well 🩷🩷🩷

now it's been a little while for me since i've had to use this model due to moving back home w my family for a time but when buying groceries for one person i found it helpful to follow this sort of structure about once a week! when i do this it feels a lot easier to 'wing it' in the kitchen and mix and match my meal components. and to preface, this is what i find to be helpful and everyone is different and finds different things to work for them!!

1-3 protein sources - i like to center my meals around this because i've found it helps me feel the most nourished and full, i always think of it as things that can be the 'star' of your dishes. i eat meat so i usually do salmon, chicken thighs, and alternate pork + beef. but for u that could b things like tofu, eggs, beans/lentils, mushrooms maybe, vegetarian 'meat' fakes lol, peanut butter if u like any peanutty noodle dishes

3-4 veggies - i love to snack on veggies so i usually get snap peas, cucumbers, + bell pepper just for snacking, and then something like brussel sprouts for roasting as a side dish w a dinner, these can also be frozen

2-3 types of fruit - i am a smoothie enjoyer bigtime so i get a combo of frozen and fresh, almost always mango, and then whatever is seasonal that i can see myself being excited to eat throughout the week

2-3 grains - pastas, premade pizza crusts, bread, rice, etc!! these rly round out ur meals!! and imo they make it simpler to make a meal on the fly. i am a huge fan of microwave rice LOL

2-3 multipurpose dips/spreads/sauces/condiments/pantry items - now here is ur golden ticket for being able to reliably make well rounded and varied meals!!! slowly building up your collection over time is the most cost effective way imo. it's helpful to stock up your pantry w things like baking supplies (flours, sugars, leaveners), spices, shelf stable canned goods (canned tomatoes, beans, vinegars, oils, soy sauces, fish sauce, cartons of things like oak milk), and 'fridge pantry' items (parmesan, herbs, lemons for juice and zest, miso, gochujang, ketchup, mayo, hot sauce, jam, pickles, etc). you can use these to season your food as you cook!

2-3 snacks/frozens - any microwave meals or chips or desserts you might want!!

using this structure makes it easier to look at what you have and be like, i have xyz and they would go together well.

EX. i have rice, tofu, and bok choy, now i can cook the rice and pan fry the tofu and bok choy with my pantry ingredients (soy sauce, miso, sesame oil, chili oil) and create a filling meal!

some of my favorites that could be made vegetarian -

ground pork seared on the bottom of a dutch oven in patties (you could sub tofu or use a fake meat replacement), broken up into smaller chunks, eaten with linguine, sliced snap peas or celery, + a garlicky peanut butter sriracha sauce

pizza w a store bought crust!! super easy, done in like 10 minutes! i like to make mine in a cast iron following this protocol

i really love to dress up ramen w sliced veggies and eggs

i like to make pasta dishes and then form a sauce w parmesan cheese, butter, pasta water, lots of lemon zest and juice and sometimes chicken stock, then adding in peas and fresh herbs at the end

idk if this was helpful at all, but i also have a recipe + recovery tag on my blog w more of these if that is helpful to you! im also on Instagram (@clementineoliveoil) and like to post what i cook there sometimes too!! i wish u all the most beautiful meals in your future!!

I keep forgetting you are also vegetarian!! What sorts of things do you make (if you dont mind talking about it)

I need ideas since I can't really eat most of what my family makes lol

i like to cook from scratch so i don't know how helpful I'll be but I'll lay out some of my favorites

i eat a lot of pasta tbh. fettuccine alfredo, meatless spaghetti (or if i can find the tofu meatballs, that), pasta primavera. I'm trying some mac and cheese with gochujang in it, I'll let you all know how that is.

easy as hell feta tomato pappardelle

not to be cliche and say salad but the nashville hot pickle and spinach dijon make me (a salad hater) like salad. they sell these at walmart or raley's.

i make a vegetarian noodle soup with vegetable broth sometimes. depending on where you are, there's an amy's brand one that's canned. zuppa toscana is a fun one to make if you have veggie italian sausage (i wouldn't put white wine in it. i rarely put wine in anything.)

also korean and indian food is usually vegetarian by default. japchae is really good. it's very vegetable-heavy. i make a cold soondubu (it's usually hot but this is a very good cold for hot days version). this is kong-guksu, which is a peanut sauce ramen dish (better than it sounds).

my favorite indian dishes are palak paneer, tikka masala (i make it with cauliflower or tofu depending), chana masala, basmati rice, and naan.

falafel is vegetarian, and you can make yellow jasmine rice vegetarian easily by making it with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. and of course, there's hummus and baba ganoush

if you like mushrooms, they're a good substitute for steak on philly cheesteak and this recipe for vegan po' boys is phenomenal.

i make black bean burgers from time to time (i usually buy them bc I'm lazy but they're fun to make). also, black bean and corn tamales are very good. quesadillas are easy too. or cheese enchiladas. they sell vegetarian refried beans too. if not, pre-boiled (or canned) whole pinto beans + vegetable shortening.

we have decent vegetarian sections at the stores i go to. i find safeway and sprouts (I'm not sure if this is a national chain or not) have the best options. i wish i lived in la or sf where all the vegans are.

when in doubt, you just buy nacho fix ins. not healthy but fun and everything that needs to be hot goes in the microwave.

if you need any more recipes or ideas, let me know.

Gochujang Tofu Rice Bowl

I love this recipe so much I make it all the time with all kinds of different substitutions too, basically if I have the gochujang and the carrots we are having this soup. Main thing is I usually just use potatoes instead of turnips. I make it in the instant pot too and then use the immersion blender