That tub in your fridge can become dinner. Start with rice, noodles, or tofu, and let a little gochujang do the seasoning.
You bought gochujang for one recipe. The recipe was good. Now the tub is behind the mustard, waiting for you to become the sort of person who knows what to do with it.
You can start with the food you already make. A bowl of rice with an egg. Noodles and a cucumber. Tofu in a frying pan. Gochujang gives each one a savory, sweet heat; a few familiar ingredients help it spread through the dish.
Get to know the paste
Gochujang is a thick Korean fermented red pepper paste, commonly made with grains, fermented soybean ingredients, and salt. Recipes vary by maker. Expect sweetness and salt as well as chili heat, so taste your sauce before adding more sugar or soy sauce.
Its thickness matters. A spoonful straight from the tub can sit in one sticky patch on your rice. Stir it with water, a little vinegar, and sesame oil, and you have a sauce that reaches more of the bowl.
Check the label before you begin. These recipes use plain gochujang paste. A product labeled “gochujang sauce,” “bibim sauce,” or “cho-gochujang” may already contain extra vinegar, sweetener, or other seasonings. Use that product’s directions; swapping it into these recipes spoon for spoon can change the balance.
Choose a mild paste if you are new to chili heat. All three meals serve two. Start with the lower amount of gochujang listed, taste the sauce, then decide whether you want more.
1 Egg and vegetable rice bowls
This is the easiest place to begin if you already have cooked rice. Cool cucumber, warm rice, and an egg give the sauce plenty to work with. It is a simple bowl inspired by bibimbap, with room for whatever vegetables you have.
Serves 2 · Prep 10 minutes · Cook 10 minutes · Total about 20 minutes, with cooked rice ready
For the bowls
2 cups warm cooked rice (about 320 g); 2 large eggs; 1/2 English cucumber (about 150 g), cut into matchsticks
1 medium carrot (about 100 g), cut into thin matchsticks; 2 tsp neutral cooking oil, divided
For the sauce
1–2 tsp plain gochujang; 2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp water, plus more as needed
Make it
1. Mix the sauce. Stir 1 tsp gochujang with the vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and water until smooth. Taste. Add 1 more tsp of gochujang if you want more heat. If it will not drizzle, add water 1 tsp at a time.
2. Cook the carrot. Heat 1 tsp cooking oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir-fry the carrot for 3–4 minutes, until it bends easily but still has some bite. Transfer to a plate.
3. Cook the eggs. Add the remaining 1 tsp oil to the skillet. Fry the eggs over medium-low heat until the whites and yolks are firm, about 4–6 minutes, flipping if needed.
4. Build the bowls. Divide the warm rice, cucumber, carrot, and eggs between two bowls. Spoon a little sauce onto each bowl, mix, and taste before adding the rest.
Use what you have: Replace the carrot with the same weight of thinly sliced zucchini and sauté until tender. Cooked brown rice works too. If starting with dry rice, cook it according to the package and allow extra time.
2 Cucumber noodles with gochujang dressing
This bowl takes its cue from bibim guksu, Korean mixed noodles. The dressing is a little tangier than the rice-bowl sauce. Rinsed noodles and crisp cucumber carry it well, especially when you want dinner without a hot bowl of broth.
Serves 2 · Prep 10 minutes · Cook 10 minutes · Total about 20 minutes; boiling time varies
For the noodles
7 oz dry somyeon or thin wheat noodles (200 g); 1/2 English cucumber (about 150 g), cut into matchsticks
2 fully hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved, ready before you start
For the dressing
1–2 tbsp plain gochujang; 1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar; 2 tsp sugar; 2 tsp toasted sesame oil; 2 tbsp cold water
Make it
1. Mix the dressing. Stir 1 tbsp gochujang with the vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and cold water. Taste before adding up to 1 more tbsp gochujang. For a gentler first bowl, begin with just 2 tsp gochujang in the dressing.
2. Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package, stirring to separate the strands. The package timing takes priority over the estimate above.
3. Rinse and drain. Drain the noodles, rinse thoroughly under cold running water, and gently loosen them with clean hands once cool. Shake off excess water so the dressing does not become watery.
4. Toss and serve. Toss the noodles with about half the dressing. Taste, then add more as needed. Divide between two bowls and top with the cucumber and eggs. Serve immediately.
Use what you have: Thin spaghetti can stand in for somyeon; follow its own cooking time, then cool and drain it. Add extra time if you need to boil the eggs. Keep them ready so the dressed noodles do not sit and clump while you wait.
3 Pan-seared tofu with a gochujang glaze
Here, the same paste becomes a warm glaze. Give the tofu time to brown before adding the sauce. You are looking for golden edges under a glossy coating, with rice underneath to catch what is left in the pan.
Serves 2 · Prep 15 minutes, including pressing · Cook 15 minutes · Total about 30 minutes, with cooked rice ready
For the tofu and rice
1 block extra-firm tofu (14 oz / about 400 g), drained; 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil; 2 cups warm cooked rice (about 320 g)
1 scallion, thinly sliced, optional
For the glaze
1–2 tsp plain gochujang; 1 tsp soy sauce; 2 tsp sugar; 1 small garlic clove, finely grated; 3 tbsp water; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, reserved for the finish
Make it
1. Dry the tofu. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and press gently under a plate for 10 minutes. Cut into 3/4-inch (2 cm) cubes and pat the surfaces dry. Use this time to mix the glaze.
2. Mix the glaze. Combine 1 tsp gochujang, the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and water. Taste and add 1 more tsp of gochujang if wanted. Keep the sesame oil separate for now.
3. Brown the tofu. Heat the cooking oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu in one layer. Cook for 8–10 minutes, turning gently to brown several sides. Let each side develop some color before moving it.
4. Glaze over low heat. Turn the heat to low and let the pan cool slightly before pouring in the glaze. Toss gently for 1–2 minutes, until it coats the tofu. If it thickens too quickly, add water 1 tbsp at a time.
5. Finish and serve. Turn off the heat and fold in the sesame oil. Divide the rice and tofu between two bowls. Spoon over the remaining glaze and add the scallion, if using.
Use what you have: Firm tofu works if you handle it gently and allow more time to drain. Silken tofu is too delicate for this method. If your skillet is smaller, brown the tofu in batches and allow extra cooking time.
Don’t Be Scared
You do not have to enjoy very spicy food to try gochujang. Start small and taste a bite with the rice or noodles, not just the sauce by itself. The finished mouthful is what you are seasoning.
If it is too spicy
Use less sauce and add more plain rice, noodles, or vegetables to your portion. Water makes a thick sauce easier to spread, but it does not remove the chili already in it. Adding more sugar will also make it sweeter without taking that chili away.
If the sauce sticks or scorches
Loosen a thick sauce with a little water. For a cooked glaze, brown your tofu first and add the sauce over low heat near the end. Gochujang and added sugar can scorch in a very hot, dry pan.
Before the tub goes back in the fridge
Follow the storage instructions on your product and use a clean utensil. The MISUN paste linked below specifies refrigeration after opening. Check ingredient and allergen labels too: gochujang often contains soy, some versions contain wheat or other gluten-containing grains, and sesame oil contains sesame.
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Start with the paste, then use the rice, eggs, vegetables, and noodles you already have. These two pantry ingredients connect the three meals; you do not need to buy a whole new kitchen.
MISUN Premium Red Pepper Paste (Gochujang) 500g
Haenam Organic GABA White Rice 4kg
Bongpyeongchon - Buckwheat Soba Noodles 850g
Pick the meal that asks the least of your fridge tonight. Cook that one first. The next time you see the tub behind the mustard, you will have a use for it.
