Red Paste, Post-Haste
tteokbokki, inspired by the following recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHA__fbE9jo. Now I’ve got me spicy soup!
You know, I’ve been experimenting with Gochujang a bit these past few months. For those unfamiliar, Gochujang 고추장 is a staple condiment used in Korean cooking. Made from gochugaru 고춧가루 (Korean chili powder). glutinous rice, meju 메주 (a Korean fermented soybean paste), barley malt powder, and salt, it is a magical bit of flavor paste for anyone looking to add a little spice kick to their food.
East Asia seems to share a culinary culture of creating incredible, often fermented pastes to enhance their dishes. In similar vein to my spicy red paste fix, I’ve got a tub of miso sitting in the fridge to fill my umami bean paste needs. And although red bean paste is predominantly a dessert filler versus a seasoning ingredient, I’d be remiss to not mention it whenever I get the chance.
What’s great about any sort of fridge-safe paste (and no, I will not phrase that more palatably), besides the incredible concentration of flavor, is that said concentration means that it will last. You only need a little dollop here or there to enhance a dish and drastically improve on taste. That’s why I swear by keeping a jar of Better Than Bouillon on hand over store-bought liquid stock or bouillon cubes.
I’ve only ever bought the one tub of Gochujang since moving, and while I’ve made my way to the bottom fourth of the container at this point, that’s after consuming a considerable amount of the stuff. What have I been making you ask? You did ask, right? I’m going to tell you anyway, but I’d like to think that someone asked beforehand.
Hot, pan-fried chicken. Practically sells itself.
This Sweet Spicy Gochujang Chicken recipe has made for some exciting meals. Whether prepared as a fusion taco/burrito filler or just eaten over rice, it’s got a mouthwatering blend of sweet, savory, umami, and just the right amount of chew from pan-frying. The real problem is that I never have enough meat on-hand for leftovers.
If you’ve ever made or eaten sesame chicken this dish is pretty similar, albeit tuning the dials up on the heat a tad and down on the sweetness that you usually get with a soy glaze. It never hurts to remix something familiar. You might find yourself discovering something new and exciting.
Then there’s tteokbokki 떡볶이 (stir-fried rice cakes). Try pronouncing that without hearing it first. I’m once again revisiting a personal fridge regular of mine in the form of glutinous rice cakes (or as I call them, rice tubes). Sometimes regular rice grains doesn’t cut it and you need a change of texture. And these little pool noodles (sans hollow center) are all about texture. A little gummy when heated, but still firm enough to have a satisfying chew, I usually throw them together with ground sausage meat and Chinese eggplant to make what I consider a throw together meal for myself.
Tteokbokki is pretty simple to throw together as well. Given that you mainly just have to stir together a paste which you then cook into a sauce, you’re not even looking at having to do any prep work. Plus the rice cakes are pre-made and available from your local Asian grocer so it’s real quick to throw together.
I found that, while tasty, the dish isn’t substantial enough to curb my hunger. I could see this working as a small dish to accompany others (think banchan), just not as a standalone star. Still, it was worthwhile to make, just not something that I’d personally feel compelled to revisit. Now I just need to figure out what to do with all of the reserved sauce…
