This dip is a pleasantly salty umami bomb. It's made specifically for a Korean dish called ssam, which is basically meat and kimchi wrapped in lettuce. I’ve put this on a crudité platter as a dip. I’ve eaten them with deviled eggs. Really, you can put this on just about anything.

Just like with most home cooking, every family makes it differently, with theirs being the best of course. When I’m using ssamjang for lettuce wraps, I like to bundle it together with a little bit of rice, fried pork belly, and kimchi. And if you're really down for the full Korean experience, a slice of raw garlic on top for good measure.

Ssamjang 쌈장 Fermented Bean and Chili Dip

Ingredients
Makes about 1 cup

½ cup doenjang
3 TBSP gochujang
3-5 green onions
2 garlic cloves
1 TBSP sesame seed oil
1 TBSP fish sauce
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1 tsp gochugaru
Pinch of sesame seeds

Steps
1. Mince the garlic cloves and rough chop all of the green onions into small pieces.

2. In a bowl, mix the doenjang, gochujang, sesame seed oil, fish sauce, rice vinegar, gochugaru and sesame seeds together.

3. Fold in the garlic and green onions into the dip until evenly incorporated. Garnish with more sesame seeds or green onions.

Notes
- Serve at room temperature.- This can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for months. If you’re planning on storing for a long time, omit the green onions and mix in when you’re serving.