The world is officially obsessed with gochujang, so much so that the Korean paste is available in nearly every grocery store for like $10 a bottle. Nuts. Why? Because it is WAY easy to make at home, and takes like 10 minutes. As my philosophy goes, always ask yourself 'Can I make that instead of buy it?' and 95% of the time it' not just possible, it's easier, healthier AND cheaper.
Homemade gochujang is part of making a great Korean bulgogi, and is basically Korean chili pepper, soy sauce or tamari, shredded apple (or Asian pear), rice vinegar, garlic, and mirin (or sake). Sweet - salty - spicy...in just the right amount of each. Oodles of recipes online for this, y'all.. For the Korean pepper, I'd been subbing Thai chili (in smaller amounts) until I spotted it at an Asian grocer north of here the other day (score!!!) - and it was so worth it flavor-wise, let me tell you. Dry fry up some tofu and mix it with some homemade bulgogi sauce (with aforementioned homemade gochujang) and top on some jasmine rice - bam! You're good to go. Just enough spice to make you sweat without panting, while enjoying the sweet and savory vibe as well. And with the organic tofu, it's 10X healthier...
Perfect for a rainy day in February...