It is silky and slightly creamy, spicy, garlicky (!!), and a little tangy and salty from the soy sauce and rice vinegar. I literally just whispered “oof” outloud as I am reliving it in my mind. It’s so good.

So first, an explainer: gochujang is a red chile paste that has its roots in Korean cooking! Gochujang can be bought as a paste (spicier and more concentrated) or as more of a table sauce (usually a bit sweeter and less spicy).

This gochujang sauce is a dipping sauce / dressing that you make from store-bought gochujang sauce. You then a) fall in love with it, and b) put it on salads, rice bowls, and all manner of everything. Does it make sense? It makes a lot of sense to my tastebuds.

It has very quickly earned a top spot in my list of Favorite Sauces of 2024, and it takes all of five minutes to make. WHEEE! Things I have used this sauce on:

• a dip for air fryer chicken (this was the OG, which naturally leads to…)
• a dip for air fryer tofu!
• and a dip for the air fryer salmon!
• a smashburger!
• a salad dressing!
• a sauce on a rice bowl!
• a drizzle for a wrap or sandwich!

It’s just the sauce of my life these days. Initially I just tucked it into the notes of the air fryer chicken post, because I thought – it won’t need its own blog post because I mostly will only use it for this? which was very delusional. Because then I started putting it on everything. And I realized it needs its own home here on POY.

Welcome home, you incredible little gochujang sauce! This is where you live now.