Gochujang
Serves 1
Directions
- 1Dry the red chilies completely under the sun for 2 weeks.
- 2Break the dried chilies and remove the seeds.
- 3Grind the dried red chilies into 'gochugaru' (chili powder) using a food processor.
- 4Sieve the gochugaru to achieve a fine powder.
- 5Mix 300g malted barley with 2L of lukewarm water and let it sit for 2 hours to extract enzymes.
- 6Strain the malted barley mixture through a fine sieve, keeping only the liquid.
- 7In a pan, combine 500g glutinous rice powder with 1L of water and cook over low heat for 10 minutes to make a thick rice paste.
- 8Mix the malt water with the glutinous rice paste.
- 9Leave the mixture at room temperature for about 8 hours for saccharification.
- 10Add 200g of 'meju garu' (fermented soybean powder) to the mixture and stir well.
- 11Add 500g of 'gochugaru' (chili powder) to the mixture and stir well.
- 12Add salt equal to 10% of the total mixture weight and mix thoroughly.
- 13Transfer the gochujang into a sterilized jar.
- 14Cover the surface of the gochujang with a thin layer of salt.
- 15Cover the jar with a cloth or plastic wrap and ferment in a shaded place at room temperature (20–25°C) for 3 months.
Ingredients
- red chili
- 500 g gochugaru
- 300 g malt
- 3 L water
- 500 g glutinous rice powder
- 200 g meju garu (fermented soybean powder)
- 10 % of total mixture weight salt
Equipment
pottablesievebowlfood processorpanspatulajar
Tips
- Malted barley contains enzymes that break down carbohydrates into simple sugars, feeding the microbes.
- The microorganisms in meju powder use these sugars for fermentation, and its proteins produce the deep umami flavor.