Are you a Gochujang aficionado, captivated by its fiery, sweet, and savory symphony? Ready to elevate your taste buds to a whole new level? Yak Gochujang Sauce is the answer! This Korean culinary masterpiece takes the bold flavors of Gochujang and amps them up with garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and substantial body that has you sticking your spoon in the sauce and eating it straight! It’s a flavor explosion that will have your taste buds dancing with delight.
Yak Gochujang Sauce is a fried version of Gochujang Sauce that adds flavor complexity from ginger and garlic, and gives it a more substantial body with mushrooms. Yak means medicine in Korean, and comes from adding honey to the sauce, and the honey is said to have medicinal properties. In this fully vegan version, the honey is left out, but we know it is very, very healthy! Yak Gochujang was historically a side dish for the upper classes.
This amazing sauce uses another one of our sauces as a key component, Gochujang Sauce. Also consider making it with Doenjang Sauce, though then I suppose we'd have to call it Yak Doenjang Sauce!
It has so many uses! It can be a topping for Mung Bean Pancakes or Bibimbap. It can be a side dish by itself. It can be mixed with pineapple chunks and placed on top soba noodles. Mix it with plain rice. Thin it out a bit and use it as a dipping sauce for vegetables or tufu or tempeh cubes, or bites of savory Mung Bean pancakes. Use it in lettuce wraps! This sauce is so versatile.
Try our other Korean sauces, like Doenjang Sauce or Korean BBQ Sauce.
Ingredients
- Gochujang sauce
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Tamari sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Pine nuts, optional
See recipe card for quantities.
The Gochujang sauce is the cornerstone of Yak Gochujang Sauce, so make sure that you have an excellent Gochujang Sauce! We happen to think our Gochujang Sauce is pretty fine, but, if you are short on time, by all means find a plant-based one at a local store! If you need to avoid soy, make sure the Gochujang sauce doesn't have soy.
The mushrooms provide the needed body for Yak Gochujang. They also further add to the umami of the dish. You can replace the mushrooms with a variety of things, minced tofu, minced seitan, crumbled tempeh, even finely chopped jackfruit, though the dish won't have as much umami. Wanna go wild?! Add all the above! Just make sure things are finely minced so that the sauce isn't chunky!
The tamari gives an umami boost to the sauce and is naturally gluten-free. Want the dish to be soy-free as well? Use coconut aminos to replace the tamari, which will also give a sweeter flavor to the sauce.
The pine nuts, if used, give a nutty flavor to the sauce, as well as a silky pop for texture contrast.
The rice vinegar gives an acidic bite.
The ginger gives a pungent, spicy bite.
Sesame oil give Yak Gochujang Sauce a nutty flavor.
The garlic... well, it's garlic. Garlic makes everything wonderful.
Instructions
Step 1: Mix the mushroom marinade ingredients together
Step 2: Chop the mushrooms and place in a bowl
Step 3: Add the marinade to the mushrooms and mix well. Set aside for at least half an hour
Step 4: Heat up a skillet. When hot add sesame oil. When oil is shimmering, add the marinated mushrooms
Step 5: Cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes
Step 6: Add the gochujang sauce and water to the pan
Step 7: Mix the contents of the pan well and cook, about 10 minutes. If it starts drying out, add more water
Step 8: Add the pine nuts, if using, to the pan
Step 9: Mix and continue to fry, about 2 minutes, adding water to keep the consistency where you want it.
Enjoy!
Equipment
- A frying pan, I prefer a cast iron skillet
- Spatula
- A knife for chopping mushrooms, garlic, and ginger
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cup
Storage
Yak Gochujang Sauce should last up to two weeks in the fridge, and up to 1 month in the freezer.
Related
Looking for more Korean-inspired recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
This sauce is excellent with the following dishes:
Recipe
Yak Gochujang Sauce
Equipment
- 1 frying pan I like cast iron
- 1 spatula
- 1 knife for chopping garlic, ginger, and mushrooms
- measuring spoons
- measuring cup
Ingredients
Mushrooms and Marinade
- 7 ounces mushrooms oyster, shiitake, cremini, see Notes
- 2 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon ginger chopped
- 2 cloves garlic large, chopped
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
The Sauce
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil preferably toasted
- ¾ cup gochujang sauce
- 3 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts optional
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients for the marinade together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Chop the mushrooms, place in a bowl.
- Mix the marinade thoroughly with the mushrooms. Set aside and let marinate for 30 minutes.
- Place a skillet on the stove at medium heat. When the pan is hot, add sesame oil to the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the marinated mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the gochujang sauce and the water to the pan. Mix and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more water if the sauce begins to dry out.
- If using, add the pine nuts, stir, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add more water if the sauce begins to dry out.
- Enjoy!
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