Ssamjang Product Review

What is Ssamjang?

Many of you might be familiar with gochujang(Chili paste) and Doenjang(Fermented soybean paste). These pastes are widely used in Korean food. Ssamjang is a thick and spicy soybean paste which is a mix of soybean paste, chili paste and other seasonings. There are lots of variations with different ingredients such as nuts, tofu, sesame oil, onion, garlic, green onion, mushroom, etc. Ssamjang is mostly served as a dipping sauce for meats and vegetables.

Which Ssamjang is popular in Korea?

There is a wide variety of Korean ssamjang available in the market today. Some products are less spicy or nutty. Some have more sweet taste. You can try and find the best taste to your personal preference.
  
Here are some popular ssamjangs.

• Haechandle Ssamjang specially for Meats

• Rating: ★★★★★
• Spicy and rich flavor
• Great for meats with more chili, onions, sesame and garlic
• Very popular in Korean local markets

• Haechandle Four Seasons Ssamjang 

• Rating: ★★★★★
• Deep and rich flavor
• Great as dipping sauce for meats or vegetables with less salty taste
• Good for marinating and adding flavor to stew
• Little bit sweeter than other products
• Very popular in Korean local markets

• Haechandle Ssamjang with 8 Domestic Ingredients

• Rating: ★★★★★
• 8 main ingredients such as garlic, onion, chili powder, extra spicy chili powder, sesame, sesame oil, spring onion, and red pepper are all sourced from Korea
• Little bit more spicy and crunch
• Good for meats and vegetables as well as stew

• Daesang Chungjungone O'Food Mild Ssamjang

• Rating: ★★★★☆
• Good as a dipping sauce for meats and vegetables or for BBQ
• Less spicy with little bit of sweet taste
• More popular in international markets

• Singsong Healthy Ssamjang with reduced salt

• Rating: ★★★★☆
• Less salty and mild, but still can feel salty taste
• Great for meats, vegetables and stew

• Chungjungone Sunchang Ssamjang with More Seasoning

• Rating: ★★★★☆
• More crunchy ingredients such as onion, spring onion, garlic, and sesame
• Little bit sweet and watery than other products
• Great for meats and vegetables

• CJ Bibigo Korean Seasoned Soybean Paste

• Rating: ★★★☆☆
• Spicy and sweet taste
• Good as dipping sauce for meats and vegetables
• More popular in international markets with 4~5 stars, but less popular in Korean domestic markets

What can you do with Ssamjang?

It is used as a dipping sauce for wrapping a cooked meat and steamed rice with vegetable leaves such as lettus, sesame leaves, and cabbages. You simply dab a small amount of ssamngjang onto a lettus leaf with a piece of meat or/and steamed rice.

Ssamjang is excellent as a dipping sauce for fresh vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, and peppers. It simply add spicy and sweet flavors to the vegetable when served together. It can be used as a dipping sauce for cooked beef, pork or even chicken as well.

You can also put ssamjang in many types of Korean stew. By adding just a small amount of ssamjang, the taste of stew becomes very rich and flavorful from those various ingredients of ssamjang. 

Ssamjang can be added to salad dressing to reduce the buttery and greasy taste of the dressing. It's important to put just little bit of ssamjang just to boost the flavors.

Some people like to add a little bit into ramen for rich flavour, but you need to be careful because it gets little salty. It might be a good idea to use half or two third of the soup powder with just a little bit of ssamjang.

Any special tips?

You can add ingredients or seasonings to make ssamjang more healthy, flavorful and crunchy. Many Korean people add sesame, sesame oil, and spring onion. Nuts and seeds can be added for a dipping sauce. 

Close tight to avoid getting dried and store in the fridge once opened.