4 Ways To Use the Korean Red Pepper Paste to Level Up Your Meals!

korea red pepper paste in a bowl with spoon and chopsticks on the side

Have you always dreamed of going to South Korea? Whether staying for good or a brief vacation, you can get used to the taste of most traditional food in South Korea when you use the Korean red pepper paste: Gochujang!

What is in gochujang? What is gochujang made of?

If you suspect that the red color of the Korean red pepper paste is from chili, you are correct! But gochujang is not just to add spice to Korean cuisines. The fermented soybean powder, salt, and rice powder offer unique flavors to soup and other dishes. 

This one-of-a-kind food ingredient is not easy to make. If done traditionally, you have to store all of your mixtures in a clay pot and let the sun age the paste. Can you use your hand-made Korean red chili pepper paste immediately? Unfortunately, it will take you around 3 to 6 months to do so!

But now, you can find Korean red pepper paste anywhere in South Korea and grocery stores worldwide! You can also get it at The Daebak Company along with traditional Korean snacks and healthy Korean snacks.

Is Gochujang Sauce Spicy?

With pepper powder as the main ingredient, expect a touch of spiciness. The level, however, depends on the kind you get in the markets. If you are not a fan of spicy food, go for a mild version, but you can always test your taste buds with the hotter versions. 

The fermentation provides a complex flavor of sweetness, sourness, and umami into the Korean red pepper paste. So even if you get the hottest gochujang flavor, you can always add less to your food. 

Korean Red Pepper Paste Recipe Samples

Dakgalbi (Korean Spicy Stir-fried Chicken) - Marinade for chicken

Level up your chicken when you use the Korean red chili pepper paste as a marinade for your chicken ingredient in dak galbi

freshly cooked dak galbi

Use garlic, mirin, sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce, and ginger for your marinade. Mix them in a bowl, add red pepper flakes for heat (or not), and then add the Korean red pepper paste. Finally, cover your chicken with the marinade and leave it for 30 minutes or longer. 


Tteokbokki

One of the easiest uses of gochujang is this traditional Korean snack! When in South Korea, you can get tteok at the nearest market. Grab a pack of garae-tteok, gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), sugar, soy sauce, and dashi stock. 

Tteokbokki with sliced eggs and chopsticks on the side

Pour in the ingredients and the Korean pepper paste in a wok or a deep frying pan, and keep stirring until it becomes a soup-like consistency. Finally, toss in your garae-tteok and pour in some sesame oil! Just remember to add the amount of gochujang paste to your preferred heat level. You can also discover the taste of tteok through other snack varieties.

Classic Bibimbap Sauce

When you finally make your bibimbap, it is not enough to mix all the ingredients without the classic sauce! One of the essential ingredients in the sauce is the Korean red chili pepper paste or gochujang.

bibimbap with gochujang sauce and side dishes

To recreate this delicious sauce, you need sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, vinegar, garlic, and gochujang! Mix them all in a small container and pour them onto your bibimbap. Then, enjoy the meal by mixing all the ingredients and the sauce.

There are still a couple of uses and mixes of gochujang used in Korean cuisine. If you live overseas, you can try recreating these Korean dishes and sauces. However, it might be challenging when you do not have all the ingredients to cook traditional Korean snacks and dishes at home. So here’s another tip using the Korean red pepper paste. 

Instant Ramen with Gochujang

Let’s face it. Instant noodles are some of the easiest things we can get at the store. Even your favorite Kpop idols and Kdrama stars get up at night and eat instant noodles at home. You can add the Korean red pepper paste into famous instant noodles like Nongshim’s classic ramyun or in Paldo’s bibimmyeon instant noodles. 

However, make sure to pour gochujang according to your liking, especially into bibimmyeon instant noodles, which usually include a gochujang pack. 

Where To Buy Gochujang (Korean Red Pepper Paste)?

Go to your nearest Korean supermarket to get all the ingredients you need to recreate healthy Korean snacks and traditional Korean dishes. You can also reward yourself with BTS members’ favorite snacks from our BTS Snack Pack! 

You may get BTS member’s favorite gochujang, noodles, and other goods you may have just seen BTS munch into the RUN series and Bangtan Bomb videos. 

The Daebak Company also offers healthy Korean snacks, traditional Korean snacks, and even noodles with gochujang sauce like Paldo’s bibimmyeon instant noodles! Let us in on your gochujang food hack in the comments. 


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