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EveryMasala

Pastes and wet masalas

Gochujang

Korea's fermented red chilli paste of glutinous rice, soybean and gochugaru.

Gochujang is a thick, savoury, sweet and hot paste made from gochugaru, fermented soybean powder, glutinous rice and salt. It is aged for months in earthenware pots and is a basic flavouring of Korean cooking.

What goes in

Gochugaru: 29%29%Glutinous rice: 29%29%Fermented soybean powder: 21%21%Salt: 14%14%Barley malt: 7%14parts
  • Gochugaru429%, Heat and colour.
  • Glutinous rice429%, Sweetness.
  • Fermented soybean powder321%, Savour.
  • Salt214%, Preservation.
  • Barley malt17%, Saccharifies.

Parts by volume of the whole spice. The ring shows each part's share.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Ratios and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional-style way.

  1. Step 1: Infuse Cook the glutinous rice into a thick porridge.
  2. Step 2: Rest Stir in malt water and keep it warm until it turns sweet.
  3. Step 3: Rest Reduce the liquid slightly, then cool.
  4. Step 4: Blend Mix in the gochugaru, soybean powder and salt.
  5. Step 5: Store Pack into a pot and top with a layer of salt.
  6. Step 6: Rest Leave to ferment for several months, uncovered on sunny days.
  7. Gochugaru: 29%29%Glutinous rice: 29%29%Fermented soybean powder: 21%21%Salt: 14%14%Barley malt: 7%
    Finished Gochujang, by share.

Fermentation

Malt or rice is used to turn starch into sugar, which gives the paste its sweetness. Traditionally it matures in large onggi pots in sun on rooftops or courtyards. The town of Sunchang is known for it.

Use

It is stirred into stews and sauces, mixed with sesame oil and vinegar as a dipping sauce, and used in bibimbap and tteokbokki. Brands vary in sweetness and heat.

Where it is used

BibimbapTteokbokkiStewsMarinades

The spices in it

Chili pepperGochugaru.

Also part of it, and being written: Gochujang (The paste.), Doenjang (Related paste.).

More on EveryMasala

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Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryMasala desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are an illustrative, traditional-style ratio, not a standard: every family and maker blends differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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