Keto Gochujang

^{Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.}

Bibimbap, buldak (fire chicken), dweji bulgogi (pork bulgogi), tteokppokki (spicy rice cake), dak doritang (spicy braised chicken) are all super popular, incredibly delicious Korean dishes that people all over the world have learned to enjoy. If you’ve ever wondered what it is that makes these dishes so delicious– it’s the gochujang.

In my first round of testing, I made my keto gochujang without the dried shrimp and I was incredibly happy. Gochujang is normally a vegetarian paste anyways, so if you are vegetarian leave out the dried shrimp and it will be delicious and you will love it. The addition of dried shrimp added even more depth to the sauce that I think is usually attributed to the fermented soybean powder in the original non-keto version, so if you don’t have an aversion to seafood, I say add it!

Gochujang is a thick, luscious red pepper paste with well-rounded, bold, umami, sweet, spicy and salty notes.

This recipe is so easy, will keep in your refrigerator forever, tastes 9.5/10 like the real deal, and will add such a special touch to anything you put it on.

Gather your ingredients.

Add the dried shrimp to a coffee/spice grinder (I love and own two of the exact model linked– one for my coffee beans and one that I use exclusively for spices and dried shrimp) and blitz to make shrimp threads. Alternatively, you can pound the shrimp using a mortar and pestle.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Add all of the ingredients into a sauce pan except the xanthan gum and dried shrimp. Mix well.

• 

• 

Sprinkle the xanthan gum evenly to the top of the mixture and stir to incorporate evenly.

• 

• 

Place the sauce pan on the stove and stir constantly with a rubber spatula on medium-low for about 5 minutes. The xanthan gum should start working it’s magic and turning the paste nice and thick. Add your shrimp threads and continue to stir for an additional 5 minutes and you’re done! The gochujang should coat the back of your spoon without moving.

• 

• 

Put into a glass container and keep in the refrigerator. Your keto gochujang should be good for at least a year.

Enjoy gochujang as a dip with your favorite Korean BBQ, as a marinade for chicken and pork, bibimbap, and tteokppokki. Not traditional, but I do imagine it would make a great addition to a burger! Make a little aioli by mixing gochujang with some keto-friendly mayo, spread it on your Diet Doctor Bread Bun or dip your jicama fries in it. Mm.. the possibilities are endless. Enjoy and good luck! -Jihae