Magma Gochujang
Traditional gochujang ferments gochugaru chili flakes with glutinous rice and soybeans. This version substitutes dehydrated, ground Magma tomato — creating a paste with the umami depth of Korean fermentation and the fruity heat of an engineered Solanaceae.
Prep
30 min
Cook
3 months
Total
3 months
Servings
48
Peak SHU
50K
Featured Organisms
Ingredients
- 1 cup dehydrated Magma tomato (SS-TOM-02), ground to powder
- 1½ cups glutinous rice flour
- ½ cup fermented soybean powder (meju)
- ¼ cup salt
- ½ cup malt syrup
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- 1
Cook rice flour and water into a thick porridge. Cool to room temp.
- 2
Mix tomato powder, soybean powder, salt, and malt syrup into the porridge.
- 3
Transfer to a clay pot or glass jar. Cover with cheesecloth.
- 4
Ferment in a warm place (60–70°F) for 2–3 months, stirring weekly.
- 5
The paste darkens and develops deep umami. Transfer to fridge when ready.
Tips
- This is a long-term project. Mark your calendar.
- Use as you would regular gochujang in any Korean recipe.
Meju's Aspergillus and Bacillus cultures produce proteases that break down soy protein into glutamic acid (umami). Capsaicinoids from the Magma tomato are stable through the entire fermentation — they don't participate in microbial metabolism.