This sweet, tangy and spicy Korean dipping sauce (known as chogochujang) is a perfect Korean sauce to pair with seafood!
Today, I want to talk about Sweet, Tangy and Spicy Korean Dipping Sauce aka Cho-Gochujang (초고추장) or ChoJang (초장). I get it if you thought this post was about “steamed prawns” rather than the “dipping sauce” from the above picture. 🙂 But certainly the above combo was how I enjoyed this sauce recently.
After I posted Three Ultimate Korean BBQ Dipping Sauces a few weeks ago, I received a recipe request for a Korean dipping sauce for seafood. Here it is, Angeline, This one is for you!
The direct translation of Cho-Gochujang means {Vinegar (Cho) + Gochujang}. But in reality there’s a more complex flavour to it than that. First you will notice the sweetness, then the tanginess, and finally the spiciness kicks in.
It is most commonly paired with (raw, boiled or steamed) seafood – e.g. oysters (Gul, 굴), abalone (Jeonbok, 전복), Korean style sashimi (Hweh, 회), octopus (Muno, 문어 or Nakji, 낙지) and squid (Ojingeo,오징어). You can also pair it with blanched broccoli. Some restaurants serve it in this manner as a side dish (Banchan, 반찬).
My recipe is quite a runny version, like tabasco sauce. Some Koreans add sesame oil into the sauce but I don’t like adding it as I think it could overpower the flavour and you might not be able to taste the main ingredients (e.g. seafood) much.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Korean chili paste (Gochujang)
- 2 Tbsp White vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Raw sugar
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp minced garlic
*1 Tbsp = 15 ml
How to Make Sweet, Tangy and Spicy Korean Dipping Sauce (Cho-Gochujang)
Mix the above ingredients in a bowl well. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Note
- It can be stored in a fridge for a few weeks. (Maybe even for a few months, though I normally finish my sauce within a few weeks, so I can’t verify this).
Sweet, Tangy and Spicy Korean Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Korean chili paste Gochujang
- 2 Tbsp White vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Raw sugar
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Mix the above ingredients in a bowl well. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Thank you so much for this post and your website. It really makes Korean cooking accessible. I am from South Africa and my daughter and I love Korean food.
I am so thrilled to find a simply recipe for chojang that is suitable for one person! Thank you so much, your recipes always work for me and now I have a way to use up my tub of gochujang more quickly!
Hi, can I use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar instead? Thanks!
Yes, any one of those should work. 🙂
Thank you so much for your sauce recipes. It will be very helpful for me to use your different sauce recipes. I just found your blog by accident while I was going through Korean Cooking FB pages. You are helping lots of people who are learning to cook Korean Food. I am 70 but I am still learning new things since I didn’t learn when I was young. Good luck with whatever you are doing with Korean Food cooking blogs.
Thank you so much for your encouragement! Glad to hear you find my blog helpful! 🙂
This is delicious! Put it on grilled chicken with sesame seeds and green onions. Could not get enough of it.
How long does this last in the fridge? Have you ever tried freezing it?
Thanks!
Michaela
It should be OK in the fridge for a few weeks. I haven’t tried freezing it though, so I’m not sure.
Thanks for the recipe, Sue! I was looking for a dip using gochujang. I didn’t have white vinegar, so I just used rice vinegar. It came out absolutely delicious!
Excellent! Happy to hear! 🙂
Hi Sue, thank you so much!!! I’ll definitely try them out tomorrow!!!
I hope you like it!
I’ve made a sauce like this after watching Family Outing! I’ve been able to keep mine for a few weeks (longest is 3wks before I finish it) because I’m the only who can take such spiciness in my family =P Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for letting us know that the sauce could last for at least 3 weeks. That’s amazing! TV is always a good source of inspiration for a new recipe. 🙂