As much as I love Korean food, I substitute ingredients for miso paste and soy sauces; these two ingredients provide much of the fundamental flavours of Korean cooking. I do not mimic the authentic flavours. I try to create a rich unami flavour to bring an equal depth and tastiness with as many of the authentic Korean ingredients as possible to come up with a new version that hints to the original. Here is my adaptation from Caroline Phelps’ recipe for ‘Korean Chili Paste,’ known as gochujang.

Korean Chili Paste

Ingredients

1/4 cup Korean Chili pepper flakes

1/3 cup soup stock (no salt or fats added)

2 tbs raw honey

1 tbs Redboat fish sauce

2 tbs Trachang Shrimp paste

1 tbs lime or lemon juice

1 1/2 tbs pure organic white grape juice or soup stock (no salt or fats added)

Method

Place chili flakes, stock, honey, fish sauce and shrimp paste in a pot and stir over a medium heat until it simmers. Stir for a minute or two. Turn off the heat and leave for 15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and grape juice.

Store in a sterilised jar. Let it fully cool on the counter before storing in the refrigerator.