How to make Gochujang at home

How to make gochujang at home the traditional and authentic way. It is a lot of work but will be nothing like the ones you buy at the stores. Makes about 1 gallon (4 quarts).

Prep time: PT360M

Cook time: PT360M

Total time: PT720M

Rating

4.96 stars (23 reviews)

Keywords

chili paste, fermentation, korean chili paste

Ingredients

1.5 kg Fine Red Chili powder (Goun Gochukaru 고운 고추가루) ((1.5kg = 3.3 lb) )
500 g Fermented Soy Bean powder (Meju Karu 메주가루) ((500g = 1.1 lb) )
1 kg Sweet Rice (made into powder - Chapssal Karu 찹쌀가루) ((1 kg = 2.2 lb) )
750 g Milled Malt Barley (Yeotkireum Karu 엿기름가루) ((750g = 1.65 lb) )
750 g Sea Salt with bittern removed (Cheonilyeom 천일염) ((750g = 1.65 lb) )
1 kg Rice Syrup (Jocheong 조청) ((1 kg = 2.2 lb) )
5 liter cold water ((5 litre = 5.2 quart))

Cuisine

Korean

Steps

THE NIGHT BEFORE: Soak 750 g Milled Malt Barley (Yeotkireum Karu 엿기름가루) in 5 liter cold water for 5 hrs or more.
THE NIGHT BEFORE: Soak whole 1 kg Sweet Rice (made into powder - Chapssal Karu 찹쌀가루) in water for 3-4 hrs or more.
NEXT MORNING: Strain soaked sweet rice through a colander and remove all excess water.
Grind sweet rice with a blender or chopper as fine as you can make it. Set aside.
Strain malt barley through a fine sieve or medium grade cheese cloth to just get the liquid and some fine white sediments. Discard the malt barley.
Add sweet rice powder to strained liquid from above.
Leave mixture in the oven with a temperature of about 60°C (140°F) for 5 hrs.
Remove malt barley + sweet rice mixture from oven and cook on stove top.
Start at medium high -> medium heat until liquid has reduced by about 20%. Let it cool.
Once liquid is cooled, add 1.5 kg Fine Red Chili powder (Goun Gochukaru 고운 고추가루), 500 g Fermented Soy Bean powder (Meju Karu 메주가루) and 750 g Sea Salt with bittern removed (Cheonilyeom 천일염).
Add 1 kg Rice Syrup (Jocheong 조청) - add more or less to your taste.
Mix everything well.
Transfer gochujang into the prepared, sanitized clay pot (hangari 항아리).
Sprinkle top with handful of sea salt.
Leave in full sun for 6 months.

Reviews

Adam Hackländer on 2024-10-28 (5 stars):
Thanks a lot, that's extremely helpful. Also, out of pure curiosity. I collated about 20 different recipes specifically titled 전통 고추장 (and ignoring recipes with different grain base, e.g. 보리고추장) and created the median values for each ingredient. Very surprisingly, the measurement ratios based on these 20 randomly picked recipes are as close to your recipe as they can get: Fine Red Chili powder: 1500g Soy Bean powder: 700 Sweet rice powder: 750 Milled Malt Barley: 813 Cheonilnyeom: 700 Rice Syrup: 980
Adam H. on 2024-10-10 (5 stars):
Thanks for this amazing recipe. We finally obtained all the ingredients in Korea, as well as a few 옹기 for our garden, and I wonder: Does this need full sun at all times? I wanted to make this over winter and leave outside or burried underground (the same way I'd do with kimchi, at around 1°C). For this gochujang, is the high temperature important? Would this do well in room temperature (save for any smell, in which case I'd probably prefer to put it outside anyways). Any tips re temperature are much appreciated - thanks!
Heather H on 2023-04-22 (5 stars):
I tried this for the first time and I made a few mistakes. First, I used my biggest pot but it could not hold the malt barley/sweet rice mixture plus 5 liters of water. I ended up only being able to fit about 3.5 liters of water. Realizing I had nothing large enough for the final mixture, it took me an extra day to acquire a 30 quart mixing bowl from restaurant supply. So instead of 5 hours left to ferment, it was 29 hours. These two problems caused the malt barley/sweet rice to thicken up immediately to a very stiff consistency when I put it on the stovetop. I split the mixture into two batches and added the 1.5 liters of water back in, but it never turned back to liquid. I will pack it in the hangaris now, but I worry that the stiffness will create air pockets that will possibly create spoilage. I also suspect that the fermentation which accelerated in the extra 24 hours should have happened with the soybean powder, rice syrup and chili powder for the chemistry to be correct. The good news is that my problem, which was not having equipment large enough, is now solved for next time. How forgiving is this recipe? Do you think it will ferment correctly?