Gochujang-yangnyeom (Sweet-Spicy Chili Sauce)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small mixing bowl, at least 1 quart
• •Small whisk or silicone spatula
• •Microplane or sharp knife for garlic
• •Clean 12-ounce glass jar with lid

Instructions

1. 1

   Measure the paste

   Put the gochujang in a small mixing bowl and level it with a spoon. Do not scoop this by eye. One brand is sweet and loose, another is salty and stiff, and the only way to correct it the next time is to know where you began.

2. 2

   Whisk the balance

   Add the rice syrup, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and gochugaru. Whisk until the sauce turns glossy and the gochugaru is evenly suspended. Add the wet ingredients in two additions if your gochujang is very thick; it keeps the sauce from forming stubborn lumps.

   The vinegar is not there to make the sauce sour. It lifts the fermented paste so the finished dish does not feel heavy.
3. 3

   Add the aromatics

   Stir in the sesame oil, garlic, and crushed sesame seeds. Mince the garlic finer than you think you need to, because this sauce is often eaten raw over rice or noodles. A large piece of raw garlic makes the whole spoonful taste careless.

   If you are making a jar to keep longer than 5 days, leave out the fresh garlic and scallion now. Add them when you serve. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too, and this is a safe corner to cut.
4. 4

   Rest and taste

   Let the sauce rest 15 minutes so the gochugaru drinks in the liquid and the garlic settles. Taste it on a spoonful of plain rice or a slice of cucumber, not straight from the bowl, because this sauce is meant to season food. It should taste first of gochujang, then gentle sweetness, then a clean vinegar edge.

   Too thick for bibimbap? Add cold water 1 teaspoon at a time, up to 2 tablespoons. Too sweet? Add 1 teaspoon rice vinegar. Too sharp? Add 1 teaspoon rice syrup. Too flat? Add 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce.
5. 5

   Use or jar

   For bibimbap, use 1 tablespoon per bowl, loosened with 1 teaspoon water if the rice is dry. For cold noodles, use 3 tablespoons sauce for 2 portions and add 1 extra tablespoon vinegar. For pork, squid, or vegetable stir-fries, use 1/3 cup sauce for 450g ingredients and add it in the last 2 to 3 minutes so the sugars glaze instead of scorching. Refrigerate the rest in a clean jar.

Chef Tips

• •Taste your gochujang before you mix. If it is very sweet, hold back 1 tablespoon rice syrup and add it only after resting. If it is very salty and stiff, use the full syrup and loosen with water by the teaspoon.
• •Keep the base thick if it will go into a hot pan. Thin sauce splatters and burns faster, while a thick sauce grabs the pork, squid, rice cakes, or vegetables and turns glossy in the last minutes of cooking.
• •For gluten-free cooking, use a gluten-free gochujang and tamari instead of regular soy sauce. Many gochujang brands contain wheat or barley, so read the label before you promise the dish to someone who needs it.
• •Do not add scallion to the whole jar unless you will finish it the same day. Scallion tastes fresh at the table and tired in the refrigerator.

Advance Preparation

• •The finished sauce with fresh garlic keeps 5 days refrigerated in a clean covered jar. Use a clean spoon each time.
• •For a longer-keeping base, mix only the gochujang, rice syrup, vinegar, soy sauce, and gochugaru. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks, then add garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and scallion when serving.
• •The sauce tastes better after 15 minutes and strongest after one day. Stir before using, because sesame oil can rise to the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 36g)