Beef Chili Paste Sauce

약고추장 [yaak-go-choo-jaang]
I originally made this sauce to use as a dressing for bibimbap but decided to make it a separate post. It is part of bibimbap recipe, but it goes well with many other dishes as well. You can mix in a spoonful of this beef chili paste sauce onto your rice for instant beef-chili-bibimbap, or use it as ssamjang for vegetables or BBQ. If you like the original Korean chili paste, I am sure you will like this even more.

Ingredients:

ground beef (1/2 lb)
cooking wine (3 tbl)
ground pepper (pinch)
chili paste (2 cup)
ginger (1 tbl, ground)
garlic (3 tbl, minced)
onion (1/2 chopped)
honey (4 tbl)
sesame oil (1 tbl)
ground sesame seeds (3 tbl)

1.

Add cooking wine and pepper to ground beef and mix well. Stir fry the peppered ground beef and set it aside.

2.

In a pot, mix the remaining ingredients together (chili paste, ground ginger, minced garlic, chopped onion, honey, sesame oil and ground sesame seeds) and boil.

3.

When the sauce boils, add the ground beef from Step 1, reduce to low/medium heat and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

How to make Ssamjang, Korean BBQ Dipping Sauce

쌈장[ssam-jang]
Ssam as in the famous Momofuku Ssam Bar means a wrap, and jang means a sauce. Ssamjang, literally translated as a dipping sauce for wraps, is an indispensable part of Korean BBQ and also makes a healthy dipping sauce for vegetables.

There are many ready-made ssamjangs sold in market these days, but nothing beats home-made ssamjang like this one. This special recipe comes from my mother-in-law's kitchen.

Ingredients:
This recipe makes multiple servings. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

soybean paste (dwenjang, 2 cup)
chili paste (gochujang, 1/2 cup)
garlic (6 cloves)
apple juice (2/3 cup)
jalepeno (2, ground)
red pepper (1, ground)
onion (1/2, ground)
sugar (1/2 tbl)
sesame oil (2 tbl)

1.

Blend the onion, garlic, jalapeno and red pepper with apple juice in a mixer.

2.

Combine soybean paste and chili paste

3.

Combine the mix from Steps 1 and 2.

4.

Add sugar to the mix from Step 3.

5.

Add sesame oil and mix thoroughly.

Featured Items:

Ssamjang

쌈장 [Ssam-Jang]

Ssam literally means a wrap and Jang means a sauce. If you ever wondered why the names of many Korean sauces end with 'Jang' (e.g.Gochuhang or Ganjang), you know it now. It means a sauce. Ssam and Jang, together makes a dipping sauce for grilled meat which is often served in a lettuce wrap. Click on How to eat Samgyupsal to see what I mean.

Ssamjang is made in a mixture of soybean paste, chili paste, minced garlic and sesame oil. I just buy ready-to-eat Ssamjang in Korean market. If you prefer home-made, you can easily make it by mixing the following ingredients:

soybean paste (2 tbl)
chili paste (1 tbl)
sesame oil (1 tbl)
honey (1/2 tbl)
scallion (1 stalk, finely chopped)
garlic (3 cloves, minced)
sesame seeds (2 tsp)


Related posts:
How to eat Samgyupsal
How to make Ssamjang

Sesame Oil

참기름 [Cham-Gi-Reum]


There is something in Sesame oil that makes you feel entrapped. The scent. Anybody who has smelled it out of bottle will know what I am talking about. I simply love the smell of Sesame oil than say, lavender. It is mouth watering and very addictive. In Korean cooking, it is used to make salad dressing, dipping sauce, seasoning for soups, etc. It will add special taste and aroma to your dish.

Sesame oil has now become quite mainstream that you could easily find it in big grocery chain stores in the US or gourmet markets. I even saw it in William-Sonoma store the other day.

Related posts:
Chinese Scallion Pancake

Chinese Soy Sauce vs. Korean Soy Sauce

진간장 [Jin Ganjang] vs 조선간장 [Joseon Ganjang]

Left: Chinese Soy Sauce (aka jin-ganjang)
Right: Korean Soy Sauce (aka joseon-ganjang)

It took me awhile to figure out the difference between these two types of soy sauce. I heard there are many more kinds in the market, but for my level of cooking, I have only used these two so far. The more familiar kind in western culture is the Chinese soy sauce on the left.

The very difference between the two, is the taste and its use, and of course the origin. Chinese soy sauce tends to be darker in color and sweeter than Korean. Thus, it is used for seasoning casserole, Jjigye (dense soup), or as a dipping sauce for sushi. Korean soy sauce is still dark in color but slightly more transparent than Chinese and contains more salt in it. Thus, it is often used to season light-colored soups and as salad dressing.

As many people know or have guessed, soy sauce is a byproduct of making (fermented) soybean paste, or vice versa... I don't recommend making a soy sauce on your own. I've seen once grandma makes soy sauce at home, and I have to say, it stinks really bad. I cannot imagine people today making soy sauce in their apartment homes. Their telephones will be ringing all night for complaints from neighbors. Home-made soy sauce is only the reminiscence of old times.

Red Pepper Oil

고추기름 [Go-Chu-Gi-Reum]

Red pepper oil is an important ingredient for the very widely popular Soft Tofu Soup. It could be also added to stir-fried dishes or kimchi based soups to boost some spicy flavor.

There are many ready-to-use red pepper oils in market and I just buy them. Or, it could be easily made on your stove top by following the instructions below.

For 2 cup of Red pepper oil:

vegetable oil (2cup)
chili powder (2cup)
dried chili (2, sliced)
leek (1/2 stick sliced)
ginger (1/3, sliced)
garlic (2 cloves, sliced)
onion (1/2)

1. Heat vegetable oil just until you could feel the warmth. (Do not bring to boil.)
2. Add the ingredients above.
3. Simmer in low heat for about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat just before the color turns dark.
5. Drain oil
6. Store in a glass bottle and keep in a cool shady place.