Ssamjang Recipe: Authentic Korean Dipping Sauce
Learn to make an authentic Ssamjang right at home with this easy recipe! This authentic Korean dipping sauce, deeply rooted in Korean culinary traditions, is a must-have for your Korean BBQ and other dishes.
Want to take your Korean BBQ to the next level? Look no further than ssamjang! This easy-to-make dipping sauce is a must-have condiment for any Korean BBQ feast or healthy Korean wraps.
You can whip up a delicious batch with this recipe in less than 5 minutes using basic Korean ingredients. Don’t miss out on this essential component of the Korean cuisine experience!
What is Ssamjang?
Ssamjang is an intrinsic part of Korean cuisine basics. This thick, spicy paste made with the core ingredients like Korean soybean paste (doenjang) and Korean chili paste (gochujang) also features other delightful seasonings such as garlic, onion, honey, sesame oil, and more.
Widely known as the crown jewel of Korean BBQ condiments, it also serves excellently as a vegetable dipping sauce and a wrap sauce. Pa Muchim, a Korean green onion salad, is often served alongside ssamjang and completes the meal perfectly.
While store-bought versions exist, nothing quite captures the essence of traditional Korean sauces like a homemade batch.
How to Enjoy Ssamjang
Ssamjang Uses: For those unfamiliar with its versatility, let this serve as your introduction: Start with a lettuce or perilla leaf, then layer rice, enticing Korean barbecued meat (Samgyupsal), and a dab of this rich ssam sauce.
For the full Ssambap experience, throw in some kimchi, radish pickles, raw garlic slices, and chilies. Ensure everything is bite-sized to savor the flavors without the mess!
Alternatively, you can treat it like you would with hummus. Dip a vegetable stick into the sauce and enjoy its complexity.
If you’re curious more about other dishes to pair with this Korean dipping sauce, here are a few more options to consider:
- Bossam
- Galbi (Korean BBQ ribs)
- Classic bulgogi
- Doenjang jjigae (Korean soybean paste stew): try adding ssamjang to the stew. This will give it the same rich, complex flavor that you would find in jjigae served in a Korean restauran
- My cookbook, Korean cooking favorite, has a recipe for BBQ restaurant style doenjang jjigae.
Exploring Alternative Ingredients
Understanding the depth of Korean food recipes allows for experimentation. If you don’t have access to specific ingredients, here are some ideas you can adapt to suit your needs.
Some changes include substituting Japanese miso for Korean doenjang and employing sriracha sauce instead of Korean gochujang. These experimentations resulted in delightful taste variations, ensuring that there’s a Ssamjang for everyone!
- Original: Doenjang, Gochujang, Toasted sesame oil, Honey, Toasted sesame seeds, Minced garlic, Onion
- Nutty Twist: Previous ingredients + Walnuts
- Fruity Elevate: Previous ingredients + Apple
- Miso Variation: Miso, Gochujang, and the rest from the original
- Spicy Kick: Doenjang, Sriracha sauce, and others from the original minus garlic
Authentic Ssamjang Recipe
Here are the ingredients you will need:
- Korean soybean paste (doenjang)
- Korean chili paste (gochujang
- garlic: finely minced
- sweet rice wine (mirin)
- sugar: or honey
- sesame oil
- toasted sesame seeds
To make ssamjang: combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl, mix well.
Recipe Note: To give your ssamjang an extra kick, you can add chopped green onions, green chilies, or even walnuts. This will add more flavor and texture to the sauce and make it even fancier. Give it a try and see how you like it!
Storing Your Ssamjang
To maximize the life of your homemade Ssamjang, store any unused portion in an airtight container and refrigerate. For optimal freshness and taste, consume within 3-5 days, though it can last up to 2 weeks.
For those keen on delving deeper into the world of Korean cuisine, explore more essential Korean grocery ingredients and enjoy the vast culinary treasures it has to offer!
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Ssamjang Recipe: Authentic Korean Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Korean soybean paste (doenjang)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirim)
- 1/2 tbsp sugar, or honey
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.
- Homemade ssamjang typically lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge if kept in an airtight container.
- Note: To give your ssamjang an extra kick, you can add chopped green onions, green chilies, or even walnuts. This will add more flavor and texture to the sauce and make it even fancier.
- Dishes that pair well with ssamjang: Bossam, Samgyupsal (Korean BBQ pork belly), Beef Bulgogi (Korean marinated beef), Ssambap (Korean lettuce wrap), Galbi (Korean BBQ ribs).
