Can I Use A Substitute For Gochujang In The Korean Keema Recipe?

Our answer

Nigella's Korean Keema (from KITCHEN) is an East Asian version of the spiced ground meat dish called keema. It uses a mixture of turkey mince, honey, rice wine, soy sauce and gochujang paste. Gochujang is a Korean chilli paste that is usually made with powdered chillies, glutinous rice, fermented soy beans and salt and it has a spicy, sweet and savoury flavour. The paste lasts quite a long time in the fridge and is a useful condiment to have as it can be used in marinades, sauces and dips, or stirred into soups and stews.

It is quite difficult to suggest an exact replacement for gochujang, but siracha sauce is easily available in most supermarkets now and is made from fermented chillies. Or you could use your favourite hot sauce. However, bear in mind that the heat levels of the sauces are different to gochujang and vary amongst themselves. So you may need to use less initially in the sauce, then taste and add extra hot sauce at the end of step 5 if needed (make sure that you have let the meat and sauce simmer properly before tasting). The hot sauces are not as sweet as gochujang, so you may also need to add a little extra honey at the same point. But let your own tastebuds be your guide.