Gochujang (고추장) is a fermented red chilli paste from Korea. It’s commonly used in Korean cooking and gives the distinctive flavour to Korean bbq sauce, which has recently become incredibly popular in the West. It is pronounced ‘go’ (as in ‘go away’) - ‘chew’ - ‘jang.’
The heat comes from red chilli powder (gochugaru 고추가루); the sweetness comes from the glutinous rice. The umami comes from the meju (메주) powder, which, for gochujang, is made with fermented soybeans and non-glutinous rice. Meju is basically a brick of air-dried, fermented soybeans. These ingredients are combined with salt, barley malt and water.
Traditionally, the mix would be left to ferment in earthenware containers on small raised platforms in people’s backyards. It’s then used in cooking dishes to give a tangy, sweet and spicy flavour that is distinctive to Korean food. The heat level can vary considerably.
Our Korean Buffalo Honey Sauce contains gochujang for a Korean twist on an American classic with the perfect sweet heat.
Or try the food trend that’s gripped the UK and USA with our Korean BBQ Honey Sauce. This sauce is sweet and salty from honey and soy and the gochujang gives it that distinction tangy Korean flavour.
Use them in stir fries or as a marinade, or drizzle them over wings, pizzas and grilled meats.