Learn about ssamjang sauce. What is it and how to use it.
Ssamjang (쌈장, Korean spicy dipping sauce) is a thick and spicy paste used as a dipping sauce when you make a wrap. This typically involves Korean grilled BBQ on a lettuce, perilla or steamed cabbage leaf.
You simply dab a small amount of sauce with a pair of chopsticks on to a lettuce leaf or piece of meat. Or you can dip the meat into the sauce.
Typical ingredients for Korean ssamjang include, Korean soybean paste (Doenjang, 된장), Korean chili paste (Gochujang, 고추장), minced garlic, minced onion, chopped green onion and sesame oil.
If you want to make this sauce from scratch, check my ssamjang recipe. Also, if you need more Korean BBQ related sauce ideas, check my Korean BBQ dipping sauce recipe.
I don’t normally buy a big container for ssamjang sauce, because I only use a small amount of it each time. Below are some pictures of Korean ssamjang varieties available at a Korean grocery store.
Am excited to learn more korean foods…i love noodles and its sauces. That’s why i want to understand some of them. Thanks in advance and more power to you…keep safe…
I am thinking of grilling pork belly and serving with the ready made ssamjang. Does the pork belly need to be marinated in advance, or salted, or given a dry rub?
None of those will be needed if you’re doing standard samgyeopsal (Korean grilled pork belly). Ssamjang and some kimchi can do all the heavy lifting. Enjoy! 🙂
Dear Sue
I assume the idea is to leave the seal/ film somewhat intact with the container so that the pouch/ sachet draws in extra moisture during storage? Is that the purpose of the pouch/ sachet? Or should that be discarded when we break open the seal?
Thanks
A great question. It is recommended that you keep the seal under the lid. I usually have one side of the seal attached to the container, so that it doesn’t move around. It is supposed to prevent/delay the paste going dry. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi!
May I know what does the dAte in the container of Ssamjang (the greene colored) means? Is it production date or expiry date?
I badly wanted to eat this soybean paste and when I saw the date 03/03/2020 vs the date today 21/05/2020. I’m a bit skeptical to eat it. Is it true that it expires a year after the indicated “Production Date”?.
Thank you so much for your response.
I just checked my ssamjang container and I see two dates written on it. One is production date and the other one is best before date. Whether it’s OK to eat after the expiration date would depend on how you have been storing it all this time. If you’re not sure, I would just discard it and buy a new one. 🙂
Hi! Can I use ssamjang paste for marinades? Or is it just a dipping sauce? I went to a Korean Mart here in the Philippines and asked the saleslady if there’s a mild hot pepper paste and she gave me a green tub with pure korean label on it. I thought it’s what you call gochujang but after researching I found out it’s ssamjang.
Ssamjang is mostly used as a dipping sauce. But you could incorporate a small amount in marinades too. I just don’t have any recipes to guide you yet. Ssamjang isn’t as versatile as gochujang (hot pepper paste). 🙂
Ohmy~ I’m sorry that I bothered you about it, think it’s Pa muchim? Or something else with garlic chives? I’m going to the store right now~ Anyway, thank you for running such a wonderful website :3
Yes, I think it’s Pa Muchim. My recipe is here. https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-spicy-green-onion-salad/ Enjoy!
Hooray~! 감사합니다 -thank you so much for the recipe, you’re awesome :3
Annyeong Sue~ I am curious, I spent april in Korea and it was a whirlwind, I really had a hard time asking for info on anything even though everyone there is absolutely the best. There was an herb salad at a really nice korean BBQ near ildong-myeon I went to with G-Dragon’s dad when I went to Dolce Bita. No one in that little town spoke english including any of the other six visitors at the pension, so although I greatly enjoyed our 8-person dinner and I’ve now eaten samgyeopsal countless times since, I’ve been becoming increasingly upset that I haven’t been able to figure out what this particular banchan consisted of, the herbs I’ve been hunting for in Asian grocery stores for months. I don’t know who to ask. If I have a photo that shows that herbs on the table, would you possibly be able to identify it for me? Like this one? http://i68.tinypic.com/j9ykvc.jpg It was so delicious, but I can’t afford to just brush up on my korean enough to fly back and ask them directly anytime soon. thank you so much. Your website is absolutely awesome ~
Is store bought supposed to be cold or warm to eat? Also how long is it good for if you keep it refrigerated after opening?
Hi Miranda, You serve ssamjang cold or at room temperature. There should be an expiry date on the container, so follow what it says. (As a rough guideline, it lasts a long time, like one year or so from the manufacturing date.)
Hello,, where did you buy your ssamjang sauce?
I’m in Gilbert AZ and can’t locate ssamjang sauce. Please HELP
There’s a Korean grocery store called Asian Market on the NW corner of Southern & Dobson. They have everything Korean.
Hello,, where did you buy your ssamjang sauce?
I’m from AZ too and I couldn’t find local places either but recently got mine here http://www.trifood.com/ssamjang.asp got it within 3 days
is this what they use really? i never knew. i always thought the stuff in restaurants were doenjang. heheh its yummy if this is it.