Creamy Gochujang Pasta - Easy Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What does gochujang pair well with? ›

From bibimbap and spicy, cheesy buldak chicken to stir-fried anchovy banchan, bossam, and crispy skillet rice, these are our favorite ways to enjoy the sweet heat of gochujang.

In its truest form, gochujang is sold as a thick paste, often in plastic tubs and glass jars, and ready for cooking. The kind labeled a sauce or condiment is the same paste, thinned out with other ingredients such as sugar and vinegar.

Try it as a baste on chicken wings or pork ribs, or added to soup broths like in my Spicy Pork Miso Noodle Soup. Gochujang can also be used in marinades for meat dishes like Korean bulgogi, stirred into dipping sauces, or used to punch up stews.

This Creamy Gochujang Pasta is the perfect fusion of Korean flavors and Italian cuisine. Gochujang takes the place of tomato paste in this recipe, providing a subtle sweetness and spice. I promise, you will love this fun twist on a classic recipe that comes together just as easily and quickly as its ounterpart!

Before opening, gochujang and gochujang sauce do not need to be refrigerated. Once opened, a lot of people recommend keeping the sauce and the paste in the fridge to help them retain freshness.

Fermented soybeans in Gochujang makes it a great source of probiotics that can boost healthy gut microbiomes. Probiotics are live bacteria that are beneficial for digestion and overall gut health. However, it's important to note that Gochujang also contains chili peppers, which can be spicy.

This spicy paste is salty, savory and slightly sweet, and can be used in many ways including in soups, stews, marinades and sauces. Traditional Korean dishes that include gochujang are bibimbap, a mixed rice dish, tteokbokki, a spicy rice cake street food, and Jeyuk Bokkeum, a spicy marinated pork stir-fry.

Gochujang Health Benefits

Korean red pepper paste is even registered with the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which is an organization that promotes international food quality. It is now widely accepted that gochujang can be instrumental in weight loss and the treatment of diabetes.

Gochujang vs Sriracha

Both gochujang and sriracha are made from chili peppers and deliver that coveted umami flavor. However, while sriracha's umami flavor comes from garlic, gochujang gets its umami flavor from fermented soybeans.

On paper, harissa paste shares a lot in common with gochujang paste. It's thick, sweet, spicy and packed full of flavor. The problem is, it's the wrong flavors. Harissa paste contains spices like cumin and caraway seeds, which just don't feature in Korean food.

What does gochujang taste like? ›

Gochujang is a fermented soybean and chile pepper paste, and one of the building blocks of Korean cuisine. It has funk, salt, umami, spice and a hint of sweetness. “It's like hot sauce, Korean hot sauce, but it's really not,” said Deuki Hong, a Bay Area-based chef and author of the upcoming “Koreaworld” cookbook.

The most authentic gochujang replacement combines miso paste and sriracha with a little pinch of sugar. If you try to just swap in another Asian sauce like sriracha or sambal oelek as a 1:1 gochujang substitute, your dish will be spicier and more acidic than intended. Hot sauces contain vinegar, and gochujang does not.

Outside of a syrup, Park says infusing a spirit like gin with gochujang could yield an easy base for a spicy Gibson. Infused into vodka, it could “enhance the fiery qualities of a Bloody Mary,” while coupled with similarly earthy tequila, it could bring nuanced heat to a spicy Margarita.

It is made from a combination of fermented soybeans, glutinous rice, red chili pepper powder (gochugaru), and salt. The result is a savory, spicy, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor that is truly one-of-a-kind. The process of making gochujang is quite involved but gives this condiment its distinct taste.

Sure, gochujang has heat — depending on the brand, it can be extraordinarily spicy — but it also has a salty, almost meaty depth and a slight sweetness. In other words, it's not a one-note hot sauce that you add to a dish after the fact. If you want to see Korean chefs bristle, tout gochujang as the “next Sriracha.”

Tomato paste: Although tomato paste adds thickness and a hint of sweetness, it lacks the spiciness and distinctive taste of gochujang. Using tomato paste as a substitute would significantly alter the intended flavor of the dish.