Maangchi's Korean food and cooking forum » Topic: It's a gochuchang smackdown!!

unchienne on "It's a gochuchang smackdown!!"

unchienne — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:17:46 +0000

I just finished up my container of Chung Jong Won gochujang (I go through it pretty fast), and so I purchased the one the bloggers suggested. I have to say that it's pretty good. Very spicy and less dark and bitter than the Won version. The color is pretty bright, the taste a little on the sweet side (though not as sweet as Wang), and the burn is very nice. More spicy than either the Wang or Won versions, though I did get the one with the fully red chili pepper on the box...don't know if maybe that means it's hot rather than mild. I'm probably going to switch over to this brand as it works in my recipes better. The others had such a strong aged/roasted taste that it sometimes overpowered the sauces I made with them and I had to try and "brighten" the taste with more sugars. This one stands pretty well on its own.

Souavarat on "It's a gochuchang smackdown!!"

Souavarat — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:15:58 +0000

Interesting post...I've only ever tried the Wang brand. Does price factor into this survey? Do the more expensive brands taste any better? Next time I am at the Super H-Mart I'll have to look out for the brands. Thanks for the input!

unchienne on "It's a gochuchang smackdown!!"

unchienne — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:59:15 +0000

Cool article. Thaks for posting the link to it. I normally buy whichever one seems popular...which is usually the one on sale. ;) Which in most cases is the Wang or Chung Jong Won brand. Wwang is a bit sweet for my tastes though. Gochujang can be doctored in most cases...add a bit of garlic, sugar, vinegar, etc...to fit your tastes What I want to know is which is the best Tangjang. Here lately I've been getting tangjang that's too dark and bitter. Makes my tangjangjigae taste not too good. What's your personal favorite?

GraceM on "It's a gochuchang smackdown!!"

GraceM — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 01:31:59 +0000

Thanks, Stanford! I should have been more careful. The Chung Jung Won O'Food Organic was the worst, for sure. The two Wang types we tried were the next worst. But then the Chung Jung Won Sunchang was one of the best. All these companies make so many kinds!

stanford on "It's a gochuchang smackdown!!"

stanford — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:44:05 +0000

Great blog, Grace! Really interesting for people like me. But I thought Chung Jung Won was #6 (worst) and Wang was #5 (second worst)? Anyway I don't know if everyone is reading your blog now, but if they aren't I saw you had another interesting post about visiting Sunchang, which is famous for making gochujang: <a href="http://oneforkonespoon.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/the-gochujang-village-of-sunchang/" rel="nofollow">http://oneforkonespoon.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/the-gochujang-village-of-sunchang/</a>

LuccaQ on "It's a gochuchang smackdown!!"

LuccaQ — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:39:29 +0000

I'd have to agree with Grace on the Chung Jung Won. It's full of flavor and well balanced.

GraceM on "It's a gochuchang smackdown!!"

GraceM — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:11:36 +0000

No, the worst was Wang! But thanks for posting this, I'd love to hear what other people think, especially because we didn't try Sempio or Haioreum.

stanford on "It's a gochuchang smackdown!!"

stanford — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:34:23 +0000

Which is the best commercially-available gochuchang? These 2 picked Haechandle, but they admit they may have been swayed by the picture on the front. <a href="http://oneforkonespoon.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/the-best-gochujang/" rel="nofollow">http://oneforkonespoon.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/the-best-gochujang/</a> The worst? Chung Jung Won.