The dinner table looked delicious. Everything was ready: Korean pork, lettuce, kiwi-apple kimchi and rice. This was the our first recipe we had created for a competition. It was definitely not going to disappoint.
The doorbell rang and I heard giggly voices and noisy chatter from the other end. I ran over to greet the two little ones. I gave them a pat on the head, as they mischievously ducked and instinctively ran to the table.
I sat back in ease as I watched my little cousins grab a lettuce to wrap the gochujang pork. They were going to like it. I’m sure of it.
I turned my head just in time to see my cousin spitting out the pork from his mouth. He had his tongue stuck out whilst frantically looking for a cup of water. I had forgotten one thing – gochujang (Korean chilli paste) was too spicy for them. 
2 years later, I find myself recalling this memory much too often. Standing by the counter over the bubbling pot of gochujang I closed my eyes and willed myself not to think of it again. It wasn’t our cooking skills that was in question; but the mere fact that we had neglected to consider our audience as a result of our over zealousness to “impress” my extended family with a fancy dish. Cooking has always been about bringing people and family together. It was NOT to prove myself better than others. The dinner had ended in a disaster with most of the food left on the table.
It was a simple mistake, but one that still carries a lot of meaning to me. It was a good reminder that turning outwards was the essence of true character and selflesness. Success in life comes from turning outwards and focusing on others rather than turning inwards.
As deep thoughts ran through my mind, a familiar aroma floated in the air. I looked down, snapping out of my daydream. I peered over and saw a beautiful luscious gochujang paste. Zoe held out a spoon for me to taste. My eyes widened. I looked in amazement at Zoe. It tasted exactly like what I remembered it to be. It had the same savory depth, with only a tiny hint of spiciness. I couldn’t believe it! Did I just make this?
It was gluten free. It was kid-friendly (with the reduced amount of chili flakes), it was easy to make (only 10 minutes) and it tasted incredible. And best of all it was I could adjust the level of spiciness I wanted. I could finally make my favorite Korean dishes to my family again, including my gochujang pork!
The jar of homemade gluten free gochujang (Click here) barely lasted us a week. We used it to braise chicken, stir fry with prawns and toss it in Korean noodles. The latter was our favorite: Thick sweet potato noodles coated in a sweet gochujang sauce with fresh vegetables, lots of seaweed and sesame seeds. I could hardly believe the sauce was only made of 2 INGREDIENTS: gochujang and applesauce We also tried this with pineapple puree and it tastes just as amazing. Now I am thinking other fruits can be used too like mangos and pears.
Yes you better believe it! Our unconventional twist to make this a 2 ingredient-healthy bibim guksu sauce! Fresh fruit is used instead of refined sugar/corn syrup to give a natural sweetness.
I have always been a believer of making things from scratch. I simply like the assurance of knowing what my food is made of and find satisfaction in homemaking. The noodles took so little time to assemble and photograph. This is not always the case with our recipes but with these noodles it wasn’t hard – colorful, tasty and delicious. We were both smiling at the end of it. I had a good feeling about this one and I was right. It was delicious.
FYI: We served this spiralized “Zoodles” and used pineapples instead of applesauce! (Check out the Korean Spicy Zoodles for this recipe). So for anyone who wants a guilt-free treat here you go!
- 4.4 oz (125g) Sweet Potato Noodles
- Vegetables of choice: Carrots, zucchini, cucumber, cabbage (1.5 cups)
- 1 boiled Egg (optional, omit for vegans)
- Sauce:
- 3 tbsp our GF Gochujang Recipe
- 4.5 tbsp unsweetened applesauce/ pineapple puree
- Garnish: Seaweed, Sesame seeds, Gochujang
- Cook the sweet noodles according to the instructions at the back of the packet.
- Finely julienne your vegetables of choice.
- For the sauce, mix together the gochujang and applesauce.
- Mix everything together an top with boiled egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, seaweed and more gochujang.
- 1 (VERY) large zucchini
- Sauce:
- 3 tbsp our GF Gochujang Recipe
- 4.5 tbsp crushed pineapple (drained from can and washed) OR Applesauce
- Garnish: Egg, Seaweed, Sesame seeds, Gochujang
- For the pineapples: drain pineapples from a can. Wash off the sugary coating on the top. Place in a blender and blitz.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together.
- Spiralize the Zucchini.
- Toss everything together.
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