Ssamjang
korean ssamjang
Yummify that Korean BBQ.
WHAT IS SSAMJANG?
SSAMJANG is the savoury dip and ready-to-eat condiment sold to enjoy with Korean grilled foods. “JANG” refers to a salty (fermented) seasoning. “SSAM” refers to the bundle of food you make by wrapping rice/meat in a flexible leaf like lettuce. It translates to a seasoning paste for food wraps.
It is most often served at Korean BBQ restaurants. You eat it by adding a dollop to SSAM (food bundle of joy) usually consisting of rice and meat. Brown and chunky, it can be a bit off-putting to the uninitiated, but man oh man, does it take grilled foods up to the next level!
The spicy kick of GOCHUJANG flavours are toned down by blending it with DOENJANG and sugar. This works as a perfect savoury salt- which is why meats will be plain and unseasoned (unless marinated in sauce) when presented at the Korean BBQ.
WHAT IS SSAMJANG MADE OF?
SSAMJANG is made up of a mixture of two major Korean seasoning pastes: GOCHUJANG and DOENJANG.
GOCHUJANG is a paste made from ground Korean peppers mixed and fermented in a (traditionally rice) flour slurry. DOENJANG is a fermented bean paste. Together, they bring saltiness, slight spiciness (which can be adjusted to your liking) with that mysterious yet explosive deliciousness we call Umami.
“Ooh-Mah-Mee”
WHAT DO YOU USE SSAMJANG FOR?
SSAMJANG is most often used to accompany grilled meats as a dip. I use the term “dip” loosely. Yes, you can dip your hot-off-the-grill meat directly in the SSAMJANG. However if it’s served in a communal dish, the polite thing to do would be to lightly scoop what you need with chopsticks unto your meat or food package.
A healthy portion is served at the table so it can be added to SSAM or to dip fresh vegetables like cucumbers/carrots/Korean peppers as well (no double dipping please). If you’re at a restaurant and are a SSAMJANG fiend, it wouldn’t be out of place to request for more should you feel the need.
Like the ideal companion to fries, Ketchup, it can also be used as a pre-loaded seasoned ingredient. For example, it can be added to soup. If you’ve heard of GOCHUJANG Soup (basically a soup flavoured with soy sauce and GOCHUJANG), the same would apply with SSAMJANG.
A basic recipe will have pork, potatoes and onions, cooked in broth (anchovy/kelp) or water. You would then add some SSAMJANG tempered with some DOENJANG and cooked until you get a rich soup. Some recipes will call for all 3 pastes (GOCHUJANG, DOENJANG, SSAMJANG), that’s how great they go together. Just watch your portions as all these pastes act as salt substitutes and can get quite salty.
Lastly, some SSAMJANG lovers go as far as to add some to instant noodle soup (RAMYUN). Note that if you try this, make sure to halve the amount of seasoning powder from the actual soup packet to avoid it getting overly salty.
WHAT DOES SSAMJANG TASTE LIKE?
“The taste is like the love child of GOCHUJANG and DOENJANG.” OPPA COOKS HERE
DOENJANG has a deep, savoury bean taste that’s rich with complex fermented flavours. GOCHUJANG is a gently (or fiery- depending on the heat level of the product!) spicy paste with hints of sweet. Most commercial SSAMJANG found at stores will usually lean more towards sweet than spicy.
HOW TO MAKE SSAMJANG AT HOME?
Making it at home is dead simple as long as you have DOENJANG and GOCHUJANG at home.
Decide on the amount you want to make by adding DOENJANG to a bowl. Add GOCHUJANG and adjust to your preference. The most popular ratio is 2:1 DOENJANG to GOCHUJANG. Personally, I add both in equal amounts- this is why if you eat homemade SSAMJANG, the taste may vary wildly.
You can also add a sugar of choice and adjust to your liking- we add honey. Some people use a bit of Sprite!
If you’re feeling fancy, keep going and add more stuff. Minced or pressed garlic is amazing, toasted sesame seeds (because this is the epic Korean garnish) and a generous drizzle of toasted sesame oil (CHAMGIRUM) are some common additions. Add chopped green peppers if you want some colour.
If you like things spicier, add some GOCHUGARU (Korean red pepper powder) or chop in some CHEONG-YANG pepper (Korean spicy pepper).
Something worth mentioning is that some people don’t eat SSAMJANG at all. OPPA, together with his mom and sister enjoy extremely spicy foods (his dad has to endure the entire family’s predilictions as he is hopelessly outvoted even though his tolerance is nowhere near the others🤣). His family will use straight-up GOCHUJANG rather than SSAMJANG.
Whereas my family is used to a sweeter SSAMJANG drowned in a river of toasted sesame oil.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SSAMJANG AND GOCHUJANG?
SSAMJANG is a prepared, ready-to-eat condiment paste.
GOCHUJANG is a Korean ingredient. Although some may use it as a dip (spice addicts like OPPA), it’s most often used as a component in a recipe- like marinades, soup/stew or the ever popular TTEOKBOKKI (spicy rice cakes) can be made with this.
SSAMJANG is a blend of GOCHUJANG and DOENJANG. The ratio depends on your spice tolerance and highly dependable on personal tastes. You can even add GOCHUGARU (Korean red pepper powder) for added heat.
If you don’t like heat, make 2:1 doubling the amount of DOENJANG. Adding a sugar of your choice- often in the form of corn syrup in commercial formulas, will yield a delicious flavourbomb your tastebuds will sing for. Honestly, it’s the high sugar content that wins over many newbies to this tasty pasty condiment.
IS SSAMJANG THE SAME AS DOENJANG?
No, it’s not the same as SSAMJANG is the dressed up version of DOENJANG. In comparison DOENJANG can taste rather raw and unpalatable eaten on its own. Like GOCHUJANG, DOENJANG is used more often as an ingredient.
However, if you get your hands on some quality, homemade (or artisan-made) DOENJANG, you may find it delicious to use it as a dip/condiment.
IS MILD SSAMJANG SPICY?
Most SSAMJANG sold in stores lean more to sweet than spicy. However, it will always contain some amount of GOCHUGARU (Korean pepper powder) or GOCHUJANG (Korean pepper paste) so it does have some heat.
Because it is toned down with sugars (especially true for the prepackaged stuff), most people find it very delicious. If a product specifies that it is “mild”, it’ll definitely be a sweet savoury more than anything. I highly doubt you’ll find a mild product spicy. But let me know if you do, I’d love to know!
SHOULD I REFRIGERATE SSAMJANG?
Once opened, it’s best stored in the fridge.
Because it’s used as a dip or condiment, the best practice is to serve it in portions for a particular meal with a clean spoon and dispose of any that’s uneaten.
WHAT IS A GOOD SUBSTITUTE FOR SSAMJANG?
It depends on what’s currently in your fridge. If you have miso, you can mix some up with GOCHUJANG and achieve a similar flavour profile (but it won’t be as punchy so you may really have to hold back on the amount of GOCHUJANG used- miso is very subtle and mild).
If you have Thai chili garlic paste, try adding some toasted sesame oil to that. It isn’t a perfect dupe, but it may do the job.
As previously mentioned though, there is no reason to go to the store solely to buy SSAMJANG. We actually don’t buy it regularly as OPPA likes plain GOCHUJANG better and I can just mix some up as needed with the GOCHUJANG and DOENJANG we do have on hand. Also, most times, I find kimchi or PACHE (spicy green onion “salad” kimchi) is enough to add that hit of salt that plain grilled meats call for.
Most people who buy SSAMJANG on the regular just really, really enjoy it. There is no great substitute- if you love it, it’s worth getting the actual thing.
BEST BRANDS OF SSAMJANG
The biggest brands of GOCHUJANG and DOENJANG are ChungJungOne and CJ Foods. You’ll find their SSAMJANG to very tasty and widely available as well. Sempio isn’t a bad choice either. You can check out ChungJungOne’s SSAMJANG here, CJ’s HaeChandle SSAMJANG here or SEMPIO’s SSAMJANG here.
As you can see, SSAMJANG will usually be sold in green tubs. You can reliably make your purchase as GOCHUJANG will usually* be sold in red tubs and DOENJANG brown tubs.
*Usually being the case, it’s not an absolute statement as some SSAMJANG sold as spicy may be in a red container to signify its spiciness🔥.