Gochujang
Korea's foundational fermented chili paste — a slow alchemy of glutinous rice, gochugaru flakes, and powdered meju soybean that ferments for months under the sun into something fiery, complex, and unreproducible by any other method.
Ingredients
For 4 servings · tick what is ready
Use the scaled ingredient list. Steps and temperatures stay unchanged; use a larger pan or dish if needed. Seasonings to taste stay to taste.
How to make it
Dissolve the glutinous rice flour and barley malt powder in the water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 20-25 minutes until the mixture thickens to a glossy, lava-like paste that pulls away from the pan sides. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. The paste is the fermentable carbohydrate base that feeds the koji during aging.
When the rice paste is completely cool, add the gochugaru, meju powder, salt, and malt syrup. Mix thoroughly by hand (wear gloves — the gochugaru will stain and irritate skin). The paste should be homogeneous, deep red-brick in colour, and slightly stiffer than the final fermented product. Taste: it should be very spicy, quite salty, and have a raw meju depth that is slightly funky.
Pack the paste into a traditional onggi earthenware pot or a clean glass jar. Cover with fine mesh or cheesecloth secured with a rubber band — it must breathe but be protected from insects. Place outdoors or in a sunny spot (ideally 25-35 C) for 60-120 days. Stir gently once or twice a week with a clean wooden spoon. Bring indoors at night if the temperature drops below 10 C.
About this recipe
By ForkRecipe Kitchen · Source: ForkRecipe / FoodML and contributors. Recipe content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Serving count is an estimate; check quantities in the source recipe.