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Chef Chris Cho making gochujang jjigae — This is how you make gochujang jjigae!

Gochujang Jjigae or Pepper Paste Stew is an easy and extra spicy soup dish that you will look for every time you feel sick!

Why You Need to Try This Recipe

It’s super easy to make. Like most of my soup dishes, this Gochujang Jjigae is a chop-and-dump, one-pot, 30-minute recipe. I literally made this when I was not feeling well and it was worth getting up from bed!
It’s super comforting. I don’t know about you, but I love hot and spicy food when I am feeling down. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you love spicy food, this soup will for sure be your next go-to.
It’s easily customizable. While there are many elements in this dish, you can literally swap them according to your preferences or what’s available to you. You won’t have a hard time looking for the ingredients to make this, aside from well, having the pepper paste!

Ingredients for Gochujang Jjigae

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The Main Star: Gochujang

Gochujang, as mentioned, is Korean red pepper paste. This is essentially a pepper powder that has been fermented. This results in a spicy, savory, and mildly sweet paste.

It is a common condiment in Korean cuisine that is used in different dishes such as Kimchi Fried Rice, Spicy Cold Noodles, Rabokki, Yangnyeom Chicken, Spicy Pork Stir Fry, and so much more!

The paste is commonly bought in tubs but small amounts, about 1-2 tablespoons go a long way in any dish. Make sure to refrigerate it once you open it and check out my recipes to find various ways to use it!

Red Pepper Paste is commonly found in Hmart, supermarkets, or on Amazon! If you’re wondering which brand is the best to use, just look at the label and check if it’s made in Korea. If it is, then it’s for sure going to be good!

This is a pretty unique item, so among all the ingredients for this stew, it’s the only one that has no substitute. It’s the main soup base that’s going to give a spicy and savory kick!

Protein

For the main protein, I prefer to use pork butt or pork belly. Mainly because pork, pepper paste or pepper flakes, and sesame oil are trifecta! The perfect combination of flavors!

However, if you do not like pork, you can also use thinly sliced rib eye or short ribs. I’ve tried it and it’s just as good. If you’re not a meat eater, seafood like shrimp or clam is also a great option.

If vegetarian or vegan, you can skip all the protein and just use tofu. This is a friendly dish for any diet you may be in!

TIP: Use a separate cutting board for meats and vegetables for hygiene purposes. Plastic boards are recommended for meats so you can wash them thoroughly and keep any bacteria from growing.

Vegetables

This soup is loaded with so many vegetables, so it’s super healthy! Perfect when you’re feeling under the weather!

Zucchini, Mushroom, Onion, Peppers, Scallions, Potatoes

The vegetables of choice are:

Garlic, Onion, and Scallions – Bring great aroma to the dish
Jalapeno Pepper – For the additional kick, but it’s optional if you think it’s already too much heat, kakaka~
Potatoes, Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Tofu – These are actually very common in Korean soups and stews. These veggies are great because they hold shape when they are boiled and they absorb the taste of the soup! Additionally, the starch from the potatoes will help thicken the broth and the mushrooms will add natural umami to the dish.

While it may look like too much, feel free to simply use a total of 350 grams of any of these depending on your preference or what’s available to you. Not only that, but you can also add radish, beansprouts, or other greens to make the soup even healthier!

TIP: Be careful when handling the peppers as the seeds may sting the skin. Handle it with caution!

Seasoning

Putting pepper flakes in pepper paste soup

For the seasoning, the main base of the soup is gochujang. To enhance this, we will be using soup soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, and pepper flakes.

While soy sauce and fish sauce both give the umami, they still have different flavor profiles. I love how they complement the soup so well. If you are allergic to one or it is not available to you, then feel free to use more of the other. Sesame oil is like the cherry on top, and the pepper flakes are optional, but an added kick!

TIP: Use soup soy sauce. It’s a type of soy sauce that is lighter in color but saltier in taste, so it doesn’t change the color of the soup too much while still giving it the umami!

How to make Gochujang Jjigae?

As mentioned, this is an easy dish with a few easy steps. First, sauté the garlic, scallions, and meat. Make sure that it becomes really fragrant and that’s when you’ll know the base will be delicious.

Add sesame oil, sauté it, then add water. Now you have a basic broth. It’s super simple but at this point, it’s already super tasty.

Add the vegetables and let it boil. Add the gochujang and other seasonings. Then adjust with salt and pepper depending on your liking.

Once the vegetables are cooked, it is done! With a few very easy steps, you’ll have a healthy and comforting dish!

What to serve with Pepper Paste Soup?

This is like a soup version of Tteokbokki and honestly, it is so good as it is! However, you can definitely serve it with rice to make a quick porridge. You can also serve this with noodles to make a noodle soup. Serve super hot and enjoy!

Need more ideas to finish your bottle of gochujang? Try:

Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!

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