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Easy Homemade Gochujang Recipe That’s Almost Instant!

Homemade gochujang recipe that allows you to have a ready-to-eat gochujang in just a couple hours!

Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
2 hrs 40 mins
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 301 kcal
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

  • 2 C Korean gochukaru for gochujang (fine chili powder 고추가루 for gochujang)
  • 1.5 C meju powder (fermented soybean powder)
  • 1/2 C sweet rice flour
  • 1/2 C Sea Salt (Trader Joe's)
  • 1 C rice syrup (jocheong)
  • 3.5 C water
  • 1 Tbsp green plum syrup (maesil cheong) – optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a pot (preferable flat bottomed and uniform sides), mix water and sweet rice flour. Mix it well with a whisk. Bring to boil, stirring often to prevent any lumps from forming and to make a paste. (much like sweet rice paste for kimchi)
  2. When it starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 min. or so until it is fully thickened to a paste. Stirring often to avoid lumps.
  3. Add 1 cup rice syrup to sweet rice flour paste and mix. You can add more if you want a sweeter gochujang.
  4. Turn off heat and let it cool.Cooling time will be different based on your room temperature but for me it took about 2 hrs to cool the rice paste + rice syrup mixture from 3.
  5. Add meju powder, chili powder and salt to cooled rice syrup liquid.
  6. Add meju powder, chili powder and salt to cooled rice syrup liquid.
  7. Use a whisk and mix everything well until there are almost no lumps.
  8. Let your gochujang mature a little more for 2-3 days in the fridge or at cool temperature before using it for even more flavor.

Notes

  • This is NOT the traditional gochujang recipe where it's meant to ferment for months outside in the sun. This is meant to be consumed pretty quickly and will not change much in flavor over time and may not last very long (i.e. will not have the deep ripened flavor)
  • Buy special fine chili powder that is made specifically for gochujang (고추장용) or grind it very fine, like ground black pepper.
  • It is important that the rice paste is cooled (not cold but room temp). If you add meju powder to hot liquid, the smell of meju powder will be too strong.
  • If gochujang mixture seems to be too thick, you can add 1-3 Tbs of sake or soju. Mine came out a little on the thick side - I like mine that way.
  • If you have maesil cheong (green plum syrup), you can add 1-2 Tbs for added flavor and sweetness. Now, you have Maesil flavored Gochujang. You can make your own maesil cheong or buy it. Substitute corn syrup or Oligodang syrup instead if you can't get maesil syrup.

Nutrition Information

Calories 301kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 80g (27%) Protein 3g (6%) Sodium 731mg (30%) Potassium 15mg (0%) Sugar 50g (100%) Calcium 63mg (6%) Iron 0.1mg (1%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4cups

Amount Per Serving

Calories 301

% Daily Value*

Calories 301kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 80g 27%
Protein 3g 6%
Sodium 731mg 30%
Potassium 15mg 0%
Sugar 50g 100%
Calcium 63mg 6%
Iron 0.1mg 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.