Ssamjang Korean Dipping Sauce 🥣🥬

Description

Classic Korean ssamjang, a thick fermented soybean chili sauce that is savory, nutty, and slightly sweet, the most searched Korean dipping sauce for lettuce wraps, grilled dishes, and clean, premium bowls. 🌶️

Hook ✨

If you want the one Korean sauce that instantly makes food taste like a restaurant, ssamjang is it, bold, glossy, and ready in 5 minutes. 🥢

Ingredients

• Base
• 🫘 60 g doenjang, Korean soybean paste (¼ cup / 2.1 oz)
• 🌶️ 30 g gochujang (2 tbsp / 1.1 oz)
• 🧄 10 g garlic, finely grated (1 tbsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🧅 30 g scallions, finely sliced (½ cup / 1.1 oz)
• Balance and finish
• 🍯 15 ml honey or sugar syrup (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🍋 10 ml rice vinegar (2 tsp / 0.34 fl oz)
• 🟤 10 ml toasted sesame oil (2 tsp / 0.34 fl oz)
• ⚫ 8 g toasted sesame seeds (1 tbsp / 0.28 oz)
• 💧 15–30 ml water, to loosen (1–2 tbsp / 0.5–1 fl oz)
• Optional premium add ins
• 🧅 40 g onion, very finely minced (⅓ cup / 1.4 oz)
• 🌰 15 g toasted pine nuts or walnuts, finely chopped (2 tbsp / 0.5 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Blend the base
2. In a bowl, whisk doenjang and gochujang until smooth and fully combined. 🥣
3. 2️⃣ Add aromatics
4. Stir in garlic and scallions, and onion if using, until the mixture looks glossy and cohesive. 🧄
5. 3️⃣ Balance the flavor
6. Add honey or syrup and rice vinegar, then mix 15 sec so the sauce tastes rounded, not sharp. 🍯
7. 4️⃣ Finish with sesame
8. Stir in sesame oil and sesame seeds, then add 15 ml (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz) water to loosen into a thick spreadable paste. ⚫
9. 5️⃣ Adjust texture
10. Add up to 15 ml (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz) more water only if you want a more dip like consistency. 💧
11. 6️⃣ Rest briefly
12. Rest 5 min so the aromatics soften and the sauce tastes deeper. ⏳
13. 7️⃣ Serve
14. Serve with lettuce wraps, rice bowls, grilled mushrooms, or vegetables as a premium Korean dip. 🥬
15. 8️⃣ Store
16. Refrigerate in a sealed jar up to 5 days, stir before serving. 🫙

Total Time

⏱️ Prep: 5 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 0 min
🛋️ Rest: 5 min
⏰ Total: 10 min

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