Craving a flavor frenzy? A thick, spicy-sweet, umami-packed punch? Look no further than Gochujang Sauce! This Korean culinary dynamo is a spicy, salty, earthy, sweet sensation that will elevate your dishes to new heights.
I first started making gochujang sauce when I made my first bibimbap and was looking for a savory Korean sauce to pour over it. I immediately swooned over it.
Gochujang sauce can be used as a sauce, a marinade, a spread, or a dip. I have spread it on sandwiches with a piece of pan-fried tofu or tempeh with kimchi. Thin it out and marinate cubes of tofu in it before baking or frying. Smear it on slabs of tofu and bake in the oven. Use it as a condiment on a piece of panfried pineapple over tofu, tempeh, or rice. It is also excellent as a topping or dipping sauce for Mung Bean Pancakes, or as a topping for Bibimbap.
Try adding Gochujang Sauce to a vegan mayo to make it into an entirely new, magical creature that would be spread on sandwiches, placed in wraps, or perhaps be used in Egg-ish Salad to give it a Korean flair!
.This sauce is also a cornerstone ingredient in another sauce, Yak Gochujang Sauce
Gochujang Sauce will become one of your favorite sauces!
Try some of our other Korean sauces, such as Korean BBQ Sauce or Doenjang Sauce.
The dish pictured above is browned tofu and pineapple, over Forbidden rice, with scallions, Britton and green shiso, topped with Gochujang Sauce. It was served with purple kale. Bring on the anthocyanins!
Ingredients
- Gochugaru flakes
- Date syrup, or other sweetener
- Miso
- Sake, optional
- Rice vinegar
See recipe card for quantities.
Gochugaru flakes are important for giving Gochujang Sauce its distinctive flavor. You can replace it with paprika, but the flavor is very different. I have also used dried red bell pepper flakes that I found at a store.
The sauce is meant to be a bit sweet, the date syrup gives it a deeper, more complex flavor than other sweeteners, though coconut sugar would also be excellent.
Miso gives the sauce a nice umami. I prefer using red miso, it gives the dish more depth and complexity. If you need the sauce to be soy free and gluten free, use chickpea miso.
The sake is optional, but gives the sauce a bit more sweetness and some floral overtones.
The rice vinegar gives the sauce some acidity to balance out the flavors.
Instructions
Step 1: Add the gochugaru flakes to a small saucepan
Step 2: Add water to the saucepan
Step 3: Add the date syrup to the saucepan
Step 4: Add the miso to the saucepan
Step 5: Mix the contents of the saucepan well and bring to a boil over medium heat
Step 6: Once the mixture boils, remove from the heat. Allow the contents to cool for at least 15 minutes. Once the mixture has cooled, add the sake (if using), rice vinegar, and salt
Substitutions
Gochugaru is moderately spicy, but not like red pepper flakes. If the gochugaru flakes are not to your liking, consider using paprika or dried red bell pepper flakes for a milder sauce.
The date syrup gives the sauce a deeper flavor, but other sweeteners can be used, such as coconut sugar or agave.
If you need the gochujang sauce to be gluten free, use chickpea miso instead of other misos since other misos have gluten in them. If you need the Gochujang Sauce to be soy free, chickpea miso is also an excellent choice!
If you would like an even funkier taste, use doenjang instead of miso. “Funky” is not a bad term here! Doenjang is a fermented soybean product from Korea that has a much stronger and more complex taste when compared with miso. Both are giving the sauce umami, so you really want to use one or the other. Sempio has a vegan doenjang. You can find it online or possibly at a local Asian Market, I bought mine at my local H Mart.
Equipment
- A small saucepan
- A silicon spatula
- Measuring spoons
Storage
This Gochujang Sauce should last in the fridge for up to two weeks. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Related
Looking for other Korean-inspired recipes? Try these:
Pairing
This sauce is excellent as a topping, or a dipping sauce for
- Mung Bean Pancakes
- Bibimbap
Recipe
Gochujang Sauce
Equipment
- 1 saucepan small
- 1 silicon spatula
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Gochugaru chili flakes, see Notes for substitutions
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoon Date syrup see Notes for substitutions
- 3 tablespoons miso preferably red, see Notes for substitutions
- 2 tablespoons sake optional
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the gochugaru flakes into the saucepan. Add the water, date syrup, and miso to the saucepan.
- Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil. One at a boil, remove from the heat and set aside. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Once the contents of the saucepan have cooled, add the sake (if using), rice vinegar, and salt. Mix well.
- Enjoy!
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