Creamy Korean Ssamjang (쌈장) Pasta Recipe - EricTriesIt (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with ssamjang sauce? ›

Whether you smear it on meat, use it as a dip for your favorite veggies, or wrap it up with rice in steamed cabbage leaves (no, I won't stop talking about this), you'll discover that ssamjang is so versatile it just might become your new favorite condiment.

Ssamjang has a very unique taste that is difficult to replicate. Using simple doenjang may make up for the texture aspect of the sauce. Sambal oelek is a Thai chili garlic paste that has a similar flavor profile to Ssamjang. Another option you can try as a substitute is mixing chili garlic paste with some sesame oil.

Ssamjang (Korean: 쌈장) is a thick, spicy paste used with food wrapped in a leaf in Korean cuisine. The sauce is made of fermented soy beans (doenjang), red chili paste (gochujang), sesame oil, onion, garlic, green onions, and optionally brown sugar.

Ssamjang is basically gochujang and doenjang combined, with some sesame, garlic and other wonderful ingredients that make it have this almost peanut butter-like texture. You may have seen ssamjang in lettuce wraps (Ssambap) at some Korean BBQ.

The recipe, like any good food, varies from house to house and is a specialty condiment used in a lot of meals, or even by itself.

Should I refrigerate a Korean samjang sauce? - Quora. Yes, you should it. It is not easily decayed, but for long preservation, putting it into refrigerator is recommended. Because in too warm temperature it is fermented and taste would be changed from optimal taste.

If you have a tub of ssamjang, it's great as a bibimbap sauce as well. The salty, spicy, and slightly sweet and umami packed gochujang doesn't really need much of anything else for bibimbap. I simply use some water to thin it out for easy mixing and add a little bit of sugar and sesame oil.

Several types of wild greens, known collectively as chwinamul (such as Aster scaber), are a popular dish, and other wild vegetables such as bracken fern shoots (gosari) or Korean bellflower root (doraji) are also harvested and eaten in season.

Beyond the world of condiments, ssamjang could also be used to marinate meat. The sugar, allium, and doenjang, with its characteristic fermented and salty elements, would simultaneously inject a ton of flavor into chicken, beef, or pork while tenderizing the meat.

It's best just after you make it, but you can store it in the fridge about 10 days, if you need to.

Is ssamjang the same as Doubanjiang? ›

The two have almost nothing in common, beyond being fermented and pastes (though doubanjiang is only sort of paste-like). The ingredients (broad beans and chilies versus soybeans) and the taste are very different. That's not to say that you're not allowed to make a sauce for your ssam with doubanjiang, of course.

Ssamjang, meaning "sauce for wraps" in Korean, has a wonderful combination of sweet, spicy and salty elements.

Ssämjang provides salt, sweetness, and even a touch of spice to ssäm, but the dominant note is the funky umami flavor of fermented soy beans. This comes from the main ingredient, doenjang, a thick paste similar to Japanese miso, though it's usually much chunkier.

So, “ssamjang” is a compound word in Korean. “Ssam” (쌈) means wrapped (usually lettuce wrapped), and “jang” (장) means “paste” or “sauce.” Ssam is a HUGE part of Korean food culture. We just love to lettuce wrap everything and call it healthy 😂

How to Clean/Store. Unopened, pre-made Ssamjang does not need to be refrigerated, but it should be kept in a cool place. Opened or self-made ssamjang will stay fresh in the refrigerator for months.

Put cooking oil, green onion, and red pepper powder in a pot and stir-fry over low heat. If it smells like green onion, add soy sauce and stir-fry over low heat. Add water and ramen powder and boil. When the water boils, add ramen and ssamjang and boil.