Korean cuisine is gaining popularity the world over just like its many singers and actors that are representing the country on a global stage. Mainly consisting of a variety of meats and seafood, Korean cuisine relies on spicy flavours, most of which is derived from Gochujang.
The red paste forms a fundamental ingredient in Korean cooking and is a thick and spicy-sweet paste made from red chile pepper flakes, sticky rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. The ingredients are fermented over years in an earthenware pot kept outdoors. So let’s see how this spicy ingredient adds its unique flavour to some of the Korean dishes:
Tteokbokki
This is one of the rare vegetarian dishes in Korean cuisine. Tteokbokki is one of the most popular street foods in Korea, which often makes its appearance in Korean dramas. The main component of Tteokbokki is rice cakes. The gochujang-based tteokbokki is a red-hot, sweet-and-spicy food often served as a street snack and bar food.
Jjamppong (Korean spicy seafood noodle soup)
Jjamppong consists of fresh noodles, various vegetables and seafood from squids, prawns to mussels. It is served in a red hot soup base which comprises gochujang kimchi and other ingredients. Usually, the soup can be quite spicy.
Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef Soup)
This spicy beef soup is made with hours of simmering and patience in a traditional way to bring out all the delicious flavours in depth. The dish is commonly served during colder months as comfort food. The soup consists of shredded beef brisket, water, fernbrake, bean sprouts, green onions, sesame oil and Korean chilli powder as integral ingredients. The spicy soup looks fiery and can certainly leave you in sweats.
Ojingeo Deopbap (Spicy squid rice bowl)
This is a stir-fried squid dish served on a bowl of rice. In this dish, you will see Squid rings covered in a spicy and savoury sauce. The squid is also cooked with vegetables to add a nice crisp texture to the overall dish.
Kimchi Jjigae
This stew is perfect to make when Kimchi, aka spicy fermented napa cabbage. The stew is most commonly made with old kimchi as it offers a unique fermented flavour. The stew is made with pork and vegetables and served with rice.
