What Exactly Is Gochujang?

Gochujang paste is a fermented Korean paste made of hot chilies, rice, fermented soybeans, soy sauce, salts, and yeast. It is simultaneously sweet, hot, salty, and umami.

The origins of gochujang’s ingredients are mixed. Chilies are native to the Americas, and rice originated in either Thailand, China, or India.

The soybeans that make up the soy sauce and red miso that adds the fermented flavor are both from Southeast Asia, and some recipes use sweeteners of varying origins.

As gochujang is a fermented product, it takes four to six months to make. The process begins by soaking barley malt for several hours, which turns it into liquid malt wort.

The malt water gets combined with rice powder and is then heated up. Salt, fermented soybeans, and an infusion of gochugaru are added before the paste is fermented.

Gochujang paste’s taste is hard to replicate; sriracha has its spice but lacks its sweetness, and Thai chili paste tastes of garlic. The closest is Chinese hoisin sauce.

Gochujang isn't a one-trick pony when it comes to flavor. It's pungent, with sweet, spicy overtones and hints of salty umami and smokiness — perfect for Korean barbecue.