This Korean Condiment Is The Unexpected Secret To Better Store-Bought Tomato Sauce

Store-bought tomato sauce is a pantry staple for a reason. Sometimes, you just want to cut to the chase and pour a can or jar of tomato sauce into a pan rather than spend time prepping fresh tomatoes for your meal. Having tomato sauce on hand makes preparing meals on busy days quicker and less of a hassle, but on its own, the flavors can be quite dull, depending on the brand you reach for. Cooking with store-bought tomato sauce calls for reinforcements in the flavor department, and there is no shortage of simple hacks to boost its flavor. However, there is one spicy condiment that warrants being added to this list, especially if you're a fiend for fusion cuisine. Meet gochujang: A staple in almost every Korean household, it imparts a delectable balance of sweet, spicy, and umami flavor along with an eye-catching red hue. Gochujang is a fermented Korean chili paste that is savored in a variety of dishes, including stews, noodles, and rice-based ones.

While the idea of mixing a fermented chili paste into tomato sauce might seem blasphemous to some purists, this combination works wonders on the plate. Adding gochujang is about more than just making the sauce spicier. Rather, it adds depths of complexity with its sweet, savory, spicy, and salty notes that enhance even a basic tomato sauce with just a spoonful. So, if you're looking to try something new in the kitchen and put a Korean-inspired spin on your tomato-based meals, let gochujang be your go-to.

Elevating a tomato sauce recipe by adding gochujang to the mix isn't rocket science. Once you've familiarized yourself with its texture and flavor profile, cooking with the paste is pretty straightforward. Gochujang's consistency is quite thick and stirring it directly into a sauce can be challenging, often leaving clumps of uncooked paste in the mix. To avoid this, start by sautéing gochujang until it's fragrant before adding the store-bought sauce. This process not only ensures a homogenous consistency in your sauce, but stirring the gochujang on a heated pan allows it to caramelize and bloom, releasing its locked flavors and infusing the final sauce with its deliciousness.

When combining tomato sauce with gochujang, the default instinct would be to make a fusion pasta dish. Just like how gochujang can give your Alfredo pasta a spicy kick, it can do the same to a nuanced tomato and vodka sauce. To make it creamy while adding a boost of protein, gently stir blended silken tofu into the sauce for a decadent vodka sauce with a Korean kick. A tomato sauce with gochujang is also a great base for pizzas, offering an effortless upgrade to every slice of 'za. Avid soup and stew lovers can whip up a tasty tomato sauce and gochujang soup to dunk a tangy kimchi grilled cheese into, or simmer a spicy, Korean-style tomato, gochujang, and kimchi stew that pairs beautifully with a bowl of rice. It's safe to say that this tangy and fiery gochujang-tomato sauce duo is ready to tantalize the taste buds with its robust flavor in inspired recipes.