Dadaegi (Korean Chili Seasoning Paste)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heatproof mixing bowl
• •Measuring spoons
• •Small silicone spatula or spoon
• •Clean 250ml glass jar with tight lid

Instructions

1. 1

   Measure the chili

   Put the gochugaru in a small heatproof bowl. Use Korean gochugaru, not cayenne and not gochujang. The flakes should smell clean and peppery, with a red color that has not gone brown. If the flakes are very coarse, rub a spoonful between your fingers or pulse it once or twice so the finished paste spreads evenly.

2. 2

   Bloom with broth

   Pour the hot broth or boiling water over the gochugaru and stir until there are no dry pockets. It will look stiff at first. Let it stand 5 minutes so the flakes drink the liquid and soften. Dry chili powder thrown straight into soup floats rough on the surface and tastes dusty; this step makes it become seasoning.

   Use a spoonful of the soup broth if you are making yukgaejang, gukbap, or seolleongtang at the same time. The paste will belong to the bowl more cleanly.
3. 3

   Season the paste

   Stir in the guk-ganjang, fish sauce, garlic, scallion, mirim, black pepper, and the optional sugar or maesil-cheong. The soup soy sauce gives salt without dark sweetness, the fish sauce gives depth, and the small sweetness is only there if your chili tastes harsh. Do not make it sweet. Dadaegi should carry heat and savor, not turn every bowl into the same red sauce.

4. 4

   Finish and rest

   Stir in the sesame oil and crushed sesame seeds last, then scrape the paste into a clean jar. Rest it 15 minutes if you need it tonight, or refrigerate it overnight for a rounder taste. The finished paste should be spoonable, not pourable. If it stands up like clay, add hot broth 1 teaspoon at a time. If it runs, add gochugaru 1 teaspoon at a time and wait before judging it.

5. 5

   Use by the bowl

   Start with 1 teaspoon per bowl of soup, press it against the side with your spoon to dissolve, then taste before adding more. For a full pot, use 2 tablespoons per 4 cups broth only after the broth is already seasoned and clean. Dadaegi is not a way to fix a weak soup. It is the red spoonful that lets the broth stay itself.

Chef Tips

• •Do not substitute gochujang. Gochujang brings fermented sweetness, starch, and thickness. Dadaegi should season a clean broth without turning it into gochujang soup.
• •Taste the paste by dissolving a little in warm broth, not straight from the spoon. It is concentrated, so judging it plain will make you think it is too salty and too sharp.
• •For pork gukbap, replace the fish sauce with 1 tablespoon finely minced saeujeot (salted shrimp). For a meatless soup, use anchovy-kelp broth if you eat fish, or mushroom broth with 1 extra teaspoon soup soy sauce if you do not.
• •Old gochugaru makes dull dadaegi. If your chili flakes smell flat or look brick-brown, cook something else today and buy fresh gochugaru before making this. The paste has nowhere to hide.

Advance Preparation

• •Dadaegi tastes better after 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator, once the garlic settles and the gochugaru fully hydrates.
• •Because this paste contains raw garlic and oil, do not store it at room temperature. Refrigerate in a clean covered jar and use within 7 days.
• •For longer storage, freeze tablespoon portions for up to 2 months. Stir after thawing, since the oil may separate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 10g)