How to make Gochujang Sauce? (Sweet, Spicy Umami Flavor)

• Food: Gochujang Sauce
• Writer: Lizzie Green
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Gochujang sauce is most commonly used in Korean dishes, but it has such a delightfully sweet, spicy umami flavor that you’ll want to sprinkle it over everything!

There’s nothing like gochujang sauce in terms of flavor. I first made it to drizzle over homemade bibimbap, but once I had it, I used it to top everything from roasted vegetables to avocado toast! It’s a typical Korean sauce with a strong sweet/spicy/umami flavor and a funk undertone.

Gochujang, a fermented Korean chili paste made from glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, red chili pepper flakes, and salt, has a delightful, distinct flavor. It has a strong flavor on its own, and even small amounts contribute a lot of flavor to anything you’re cooking with it.

This is when gochujang sauce comes into play. I combine the paste with sesame oil, rice vinegar, and pure maple syrup instead of using it alone.

The finished spicy sauce is smoother and mellower than the paste, but it has the same complex flavor. Make it with Korean food or a basic rice bowl, but whatever you do, make it! If you enjoy hot sauce, you’ll enjoy this dish.

Ingredients in Gochujang Sauce

This sauce is quite simple to make, especially considering how tasty it is! You only need four ingredients:

• Gochujang paste can be found in the Asian department of your grocery store or at a Korean market. Because the intensity of different brands varies, start with a little amount and add more to taste, depending on how hot you prefer your sauce.
• Sesame oil tempers the intensity of the gochujang paste and adds a nutty depth to the sauce.
• Rice vinegar adds a tangy flavor.
• Pure maple syrup — While many store-bought gochujang sauces contain corn syrup, I like to use pure maple syrup to sweeten mine. It gives this sauce a savory and sweet flavor.

In a small mixing dish, whisk together the ingredients. Use the sauce immediately away or keep it in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container.

How to Use It?

If you’ve had gochujang sauce before, you’ve probably had it with bibimbap, a typical Korean rice bowl (pictured above). This delectable condiment, however, is much more than just bibimbap sauce! To begin, it would be delicious on any rice or vegetable dish. Replace the sauce in any of the following recipes:

• Rice Bowl with Mango and Ginger
• Rice with Cauliflower Bowl of Kimchi
• Gohan Tamago Kake
• Bowl of Kimchi Brown Rice Bliss
• The Most Excellent Buddha Bowl
• Alternatively, you can make your own bowl! Begin with brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice, baked tofu or tempeh, and roasted broccoli, cauliflower, or massaged kale as a base. Finish with the sauce to bring everything together!

You can also slather it on a vegetarian burger or use it as a sweet and spicy dipping sauce for sweet potato fries or grilled veggies.

Gochujang sauce

You won’t be able to get enough of this gochujang sauce if you like fiery sauce! It has a delightfully sweet and spicy flavor that goes well with bibimbap, roasted vegetables, vegetarian burgers, and other dishes.

Ingredients

• 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of gochujang paste
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

1. Whisk together the gochujang paste, vinegar, sesame oil, and maple syrup in a small basin. If you want a light sauce, use less gochujang paste; if you want a spicy sauce, use more.
2. Serve as a dressing for bibimbap bowls or any veggie rice bowl.

Notes

I use Mother-in-Law’s Gochujang, which I get at Whole Foods. The flavor and level of spiciness in other brands may differ.