Ssamjang (쌈장, Korean Wrap Dipping Paste)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small mixing bowl
• •Measuring spoons
• •Small sharp knife and cutting board
• •Mortar and pestle or the flat side of a knife for crushing sesame seeds

Instructions

1. 1

   Measure the paste

   Put the doenjang and gochujang in a small bowl. Taste each one from the spoon before you mix. Doenjang should lead, gochujang should follow; if the paste turns too red and sweet, it will bury the lettuce, perilla, meat, and rice instead of tying them together.

   Keep the 3 to 1 balance by spoon measure. Different brands vary in salt, but this ratio gives you the right spine before you adjust the looseness.
2. 2

   Cut the aromatics

   Mince the garlic, scallion, and optional chili very fine, with pieces small enough to spread through one teaspoon of paste. If using onion, mince it even finer and only add it when the ssamjang will be eaten the same day. Big pieces tear the lettuce leaf and make one bite taste like raw garlic while the next tastes like nothing.

3. 3

   Stir the base

   Add the sesame oil, maesil-cheong or rice syrup, water or broth, and crushed sesame seeds to the bowl. Stir from the center outward until the paste is glossy and thick enough to hold the mark of a spoon. One tablespoon of liquid matters: ssamjang should spread, not pour.

4. 4

   Rest and taste

   Fold in the garlic, scallion, chili, and onion if using. Let the ssamjang rest 10 minutes so the raw garlic settles into the jang. Taste again. If it is too stiff, add 1 teaspoon water. If it is too salty, add 1/2 teaspoon syrup and 1 teaspoon water. If it is too sweet, add 1 teaspoon doenjang. Write that adjustment down. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway.

5. 5

   Serve for ssam

   Spoon the ssamjang into a small bowl and set it beside lettuce, perilla leaves, rice, grilled pork belly, beef, mushrooms, or grilled vegetables. Use about 1 level teaspoon for each wrap. More is not generosity; it is noise. Put only a small serving bowl on the table and keep the rest cold, using a clean spoon so grill tongs and chopsticks do not touch the stored paste.

Chef Tips

• •Taste your doenjang first. A dark, traditionally fermented doenjang may need the extra teaspoon of water and no extra salt at all; a mild supermarket paste may need a little more doenjang at the end. The spoon should tell you before the recipe does.
• •Do not use a blender for the scallion and garlic. It makes them watery and harsh. This is a ten-minute paste, and the knife work is the only real work, so do it properly.
• •For a vegetarian table, use water instead of anchovy-kelp broth and check that the doenjang and gochujang contain no fish seasoning. The paste still works because the fermented soybean is the foundation.
• •Maesil-cheong gives a clean fruit sweetness, but rice syrup is fine. Sugar works in a pinch: use 1 teaspoon sugar plus 1 teaspoon warm water in place of the 2 teaspoons syrup.
• •Serve ssamjang in a small bowl, not the storage container. A barbecue table is busy, and clean serving is part of good cooking.

Advance Preparation

• •The doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, syrup, water, and sesame seeds can be mixed up to 1 week ahead and refrigerated. Add the garlic, scallion, chili, and onion on the day you serve it for the cleanest flavor.
• •Finished ssamjang keeps 4 days refrigerated without onion, or 2 days with onion. Keep it covered and use a clean spoon each time.
• •For a barbecue meal, portion a few spoonfuls into a table bowl and refill from the refrigerator as needed. Do not leave the whole batch beside the grill for the evening.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 45g)