My home made Gochujang fully fermented at 2 months!

My home made Gochujang is fully fermented after 2 months!!

OH HAPPY DAY~~ Oh HAPPY DAA-Y~~😄 is the song that came to mind as I am writing this post.

So almost exactly two months ago in early February, I made my first batch of Gochujang at home. The picture below is the picture I took in February and the one above was taken yesterday. I did mix once few weeks ago to distribute the moisture evenly throughout because the top was beginning to dry up and crack. But you can see how dark and rich the color has become in just few weeks.

Now, I have to say that I was only partially correct when I said I needed to wait 6 months. The 6 months was the standard time to ferment Gochujang when made the really old fashion way – making sweet rice cake donuts or little balls and then cooking and mashing them with malt barley. If you remember I mixed sweet rice powder with malt barley liquid and then brewed it in oven for few hours then reducing on stove top.

So because my Gochujang recipe is a modern recipe, during my last phone call with my mother-in-law, she told me that I only need to ferment for 1-2 months. She was amazed that I actually made this at home since no people my age in Korea makes them at home anymore. She was already excited about making Gochujang for next year, she said she would be happy to ship me the ingredients that I needed.

FYI, unlike Doenjang, home made Gochujang taste is good for 1 year and then it becomes old (묵은 Mukeun) and you then usually use it to make different jangahjji or pickles by burying chili peppers, garlic scapes, garlic cloves and green plum (maesil) into them. So you don’t want to make so much that you cannot consume it in the year.

Anyway, so I tasted it and what do you know!!??!! 

My home made Gochujang was now fully fermented!

The taste is leaps and bounds different from the ones that you buy. It has no corn syrup so it’s thicker, less sweet but is sooo full of flavors of earthy doenjang and the spicy kick from the chili powder. It was so good that I just felt like eating more just by itself with a spoonful of rice. Oh..that reminds me of my old nanny who ate nothing but rice mixed with Gochujang everyday for lunch. She had the most cute red cheeks…I wonder if it was the gochujang..haha..

Anyway, I let my sisters and husband also taste it and they all thought it was really delicious. My husband even said “I mean, really, yeobo I’m not saying that it’s good just because you made it. That Gochujang REALLY is good!!!

Well, here are some pics of from my HAPPY Gochujang DAY, scooping out the pure red awesomness from my hangari/onggi into jars.

But wait…do you smell something funky??!

No.. ahem..correction.. I mean the beautiful AROMA that reminds me of my childhood, the slow days when every Korean home had their own set of onggi jars filled with amazing bean pastes! And to save my house from smelling funky, I set up shop outside.😘

It was hard to do without making a bit of a mess…hehe..I tried to wipe it up but then I started to smear Gochujang on my camera so I gave up.

And finally, here is a proud family portrait of my Gochujang jars filled with joy and happiness and some glorious red spicy goodness.

Wishing you all a HAPPY DAAY!

XOXO

JinJoo