You may have seen Ssamjang served on the side at Korean bbq restaurants used as a condiment for lettuce or sesame leaf wraps.
“Ssam” means wraps or wrapped food, and “jang” is a term for Korean fermented condiments, such as doenjang, gochujang and ganjang.
It’s a sauce made from a mixture of doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) and gochujang (Korean red chilo paste), along with other ingredients.
The taste is spicy, savory, and sweet with an umami flavor that is not only used as a condiment but also added to Korean stews, mixed with rice, or used as dip for fresh vegetables such as cucumbers, Korean chili peppers and carrots.
You can find premade ssamjang in a green tub in Korean grocery stores next to other pastes such as gochujang and doenjang.
Here’s how to make homemade ssamjang:
The ratio of gochujang and doenjang, in addition to the amount of other ingredients will be based on personal preference so taste and adjust to your taste.
Ssamjang ( Korean Dipping Sauce)
Ingredients
1/4 cup doenjang (Korean fermented soy bean paste) 2 Tablespoons gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste)
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green onion, sliced
1-2 Tablespoons sugar, honey or Korean rice syrup
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Directions
Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
Can be stored in the fridge 4-5 days.