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This seasoned Korean pepper side dish is one of my favorite new(ish) things I’ve made recently! Gochu ssamjang muchim a SUPER easy banchan that can be made in less than a couple of minutes. It’s full of umami from the fermented soybean paste, slightly sweet, and has a refreshing & peppery crunch from the mild Korean peppers.
I love eating whole Korean peppers and just dipping them into ssamjang, so I don’t know why I never thought to prepare them in this way. I was inspired by a side dish that Chef Lee Mi-yeong made on the first episode of Chef & My Fridge on Netflix. After rewatching the episode, I realized she actually made this with shishito peppers, but Korean peppers are what she would have used if she had them.
My mouth was salivating when I watched her making it! I just love peppers, it’s literally my favorite food. I made this dish that same day for dinner, and there were no leftovers! This really surprised me, because I made a lot and thought I would have extra since my husband doesn’t really eat peppers, but he also LOVED it.
What are Korean peppers (gochu)?
Korean peppers, also known as gochu (고추), are a key ingredient in Korean cuisine. They come in various forms and levels of spiciness, and they’re used fresh, dried, or ground into powder.
This specific pepper is called “오이고추” (oi-gochu). It’s known for its mild, crisp, and slightly sweet flavor. The name literally means “cucumber pepper” because it has a refreshing taste similar to cucumbers. These are not spicy at all!
These peppers are used in a variety of ways- they can be eaten whole and dipped into ssamjang (a flavorful Korean dipping sauce), stuffed, fried, pickled, used for braising, sliced for Kbbq wraps, or made into banchan dishes such as this one.
In case you were wondering, here is the translation of this dish:
- “Gochu” = pepper
- “Ssamjang” = wrap dipping sauce (mostly fermented soybean paste)
- “Muchim” = seasoned or mixed
Ingredients
Mild Korean Peppers- be careful not to use the smaller, spicier Korean peppers (cheongyang gochu). You will probably be in a world of hurt if you use those! Mild Korean peppers will most likely be labeled as “Hanguk gochu” (Korean pepper) at a Korean market. They are long and skinny, and always green!
Ssamjang– you can use store bought ssamjang to make this much faster, but I highly recommend making my ssamjang recipe. You’ll need dwenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochujang (Korean pepper paste), garlic, sesame oil, and honey. Here is the dwenjang brand I recommend– it matters because they all taste different!
Diced jalapeno- this is optional as jalapeno is not very traditional, just my touch. They are not eaten in Korea, but I think ssamjang + jalapeno is SUCH a tasty combo so I highly recommend adding them!
- Sugar- I’m going to say this is not optional. This dish needs a little extra sugar to really make it taste amazing.
Sesame oil- as always, I recommend the Kadoya brand.
- Sesame seeds– for garnish and flavor.
What is ssamjang?
Ssamjang is a traditional Korean condiment that is commonly used as a dipping sauce for grilled meats and vegetables. It is considered the “king” of all Korean dipping sauces! The main ingredients are dwenjang (fermented soybean paste) and gochujang (fermented chili paste).
It has a rich, savory, and slightly spicy flavor profile with a depth of umami from the fermented soybeans. It is often used as a sauce for Korean BBQ, lettuce wraps known as ssam, or served with dinner as a dipping sauce for fresh veggies.
“Ssamjang” is a compound word in Korean. “Ssam” (쌈) means wrapped (usually lettuce wrapped), and “jang” (장) means “paste” or “sauce.”
Why you’ll love this recipe
If you already have some ssamjang made (highly recommend my recipe), you can make this banchan in 2 minutes. It’s really that easy.
My girlfriends recently came to visit me, and I served this at breakfast as one of our banchan items. They loved it so much, they asked me for the recipe right away!
Korean peppers, for some reason, always come in large quantities and I often find it difficult to use them all before they go bad. This is no longer an issue since I’ve started using all my peppers to make this quick & easy banchan!
Banchan for KBBQ
Planning a KBBQ night at home? One of the best parts of going to KBBQ restaurants is the banchan! Here are some of my favorite side dishes for Korean bbq:
Gochu Ssamjang Muchim
Ingredients
- 6 Korean peppers, mild
- 1/2 jalapeno
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup my ssamjang recipe, or see next ingredient list
*If you don't have ssamjang already made, add these ingredients
- 3 tbsp dwenjang , (fermented soybean paste)
- 2 tsp gochujang, (Korean red pepper paste)
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
Instructions
- Wash and dry the peppers. The salt content from the ssamjang will draw water out of the peppers over time, so make sure you dry them off after washing.
- Cut the Korean peppers into 1/2 inch rounds, then deseed and finely dice the jalapenos.
- If you don't already have ssamjang made, you can quickly make one by combining dwenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochujang (Korean red pepper paste), sesame oil, garlic, and honey.
- Combine the cut peppers, ssamjang, sugar, and sesame oil in a bowl.
- Mix until combined, then eat right away or store in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you keep it in the fridge, the salt content from the ssamjang will draw out some water from the peppers. This is fine, but the sauce won't stick as easily to the peppers. Use any leftover sauce to season your rice, don't waste!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
