Ssamjang

Two parts fermented soybean paste to one of chilli paste, mixed cold, for wrapping grilled meat in a lettuce leaf.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains honey.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons doenjang
• 2 tablespoons gochujang
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, crushed
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
• 2 spring onions, very finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon honey or rice syrup
• 1 tablespoon water, if needed

Method

1. TWO PARTS DOENJANG TO ONE OF GOCHUJANG, AND NOTHING IS COOKED. That ratio is the whole recipe. Doenjang is the savoury, funky base and gochujang is the sweet heat on top of it; reverse them and you get a chilli paste with a hint of soybean, which is a different condiment and far too sweet to eat a lot of. And nothing goes near heat: cooking it drives off the raw garlic and spring onion that make it taste fresh against hot meat.
2. IT IS MADE STIFF ENOUGH TO SIT ON A LEAF. A dab goes on a lettuce leaf with a piece of pork and the whole thing is folded and eaten in one. Too loose and it runs out of the wrap and down your wrist; water is added a teaspoon at a time only if it will not spread at all.
3. THE GARLIC IS CRUSHED TO A PASTE, NOT CHOPPED. Chopped, you get an occasional mouthful of raw garlic that takes over everything; crushed with the flat of a knife and a little salt it disperses through the whole bowl.
4. AND IT IS BETTER AFTER AN HOUR, which is unusual for something with raw aromatics in it -- the pastes are already fermented and the garlic softens into them rather than going stale.
5. Doenjang and gochujang stirred together first, on their own, until completely uniform. Streaks of either one show on a lettuce leaf.
6. The sesame oil beaten in, which loosens it and makes it glossy.
7. Garlic crushed to a paste and stirred through.
8. The crushed sesame seeds, spring onions and honey folded in.
9. Tasted on a piece of lettuce rather than off the spoon -- on its own it is overwhelming, and on a leaf it is not, which is the only test that matters.
10. Water added a teaspoon at a time if it is too stiff to spread.
11. Rested 1 hour at room temperature if there is time.
12. Served in a small bowl alongside grilled pork, with lettuce and perilla leaves. Keeps 2 weeks in the fridge, though the spring onion dulls after a few days.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under South Korea · All recipes