I can't be sure, but Ssamjang seems to be something that could only exist in South Korea.
Gummy, spicy and both sweet and salty, it became an almost-immediate addiction to nearly everything I ate in the six weeks spent in the country.
And while it won’t take the place of salsa or bbq sauce, it certainly would be a welcome addition to any grilled feast you might make:
(H/t to BeyondKimchee whose recipe seemed to be the closest I experienced, and one I adapted this from, with the help of a few Korean friends).
I had a real, real problem with it—problem in a good way, as far as I'm concerned, not so much for whatever restaurant I happened upon—as whatever small amount they dished out (seen in the above photo, right above the green peppers) was never enough, and it wasn't out of the ordinary for me to order not one, but two extra helpings of it, no matter the dish. Even my last day here on Jeju, you can see the offensive amount on both a) my snack, b) my chopsticks (flat and slight point of contention) and c) the dish, which has obviously been refilled.
It's a delight and one I hope you make.
And while it's perfectly acceptable to buy it in the local Korean supermarket, it's also easy to make at home—provided you have the below ingredients:
Chili paste (Lao Gan Ma seems to be the easiest to find)
Soybean paste or Miso
Garlic: finely minced
Sugar
Rice wine (unsweetened)
Sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions? Super easy. Throw everything into a bowl and mix.
Lemme know how it turns out!
