Korean Bulgogi Bolognese

I've investigated the matter of substituting gochujang for tomato paste. I have concluded that you can and you should.

Loved this with some adjustments to make it more Korean. I used 1/2 gochugang and 1/2 tomato paste and only about 2tbs of soy sauce, added a splash of mirin (and reduced sugar since mirin is sweet). I also used some of the pasta water to help make it more saucy. Finally, I garnished with some toasted sesame seeds.

We've made this about 5 times now, making little adjustments each time. Goldilocks for us was add a TBLof gochujang (replacing the tomato paste entirely with this was way to hot), reducing the sugar to 1 TBL (way too sweet with a 1/4 cup), cut the soy sauce to 1/2 cup, add about another cup of mushrooms, and a bit more of the celery and carrots just because we wanted a little more veggies in it. We also use ground turkey instead of beef. A real winner. This has become one of our regular meals!

Yum Change to 1 Tbl tomato paste and 1 Tbl Gochujang 1/2 cup soy sauce 2 Tbl coconut sugar

I used 1/2 the amount of soy sauce, 2 tbsp Gochugang and 1 tbsp of tomato paste, a glug of Mirin, a splash of sesame oil and garnished with toasted sesame seeds. It was a scrumptious balance of east and west. Will surely cook again and again.

I used "Too Hot" Gochujang paste (which isn't really that hot), and the flavor was good, but the sodium content per Tbsp is higher than regular soy, so even with low sodium soy, I found it to be saltier than I like. Next time I'll use half Gochujang, half tomato paste. I also threw in a couple small, very ripe garden tomatoes for additional liquid, and might add more next time to make it saucier. I only used half the sugar called for; I thought the sweetness level was fine.

We’ve been enjoying this dish on the regular for more than a year with the following changes: 2 tbsps gochugang 2 tbsp tomato paste 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce splash of mirin 2 tbsp sugar A tsp or do of toasted sesame oil pasta water to help make it more saucy Last night, I decided to add a butter toasted panko breadcrumb topping with some gochugaru and toasted sesame seeds and WOW. So good.

Any thoughts about substituting Gochujang for tomato paste?

I made this dish as written (couldn’t find tagliatelle or paperadelle but used other wide egg noodles). It was very easy and the ingredients are easily found. My people weren’t crazy about the sweetness but that’s a matter of preference and not a flaw of the recipe. If you like that sweet-salty dichotomy, this is a good and filling dish.

I added red pepper flakes after the sugar and the heat glanced the sweetness. We really liked the dish.

I think this is becoming my new go-to “Bolognese” recipe! I really enjoyed the special touch the soy sauce, ginger and scallions added. I did use a tablespoon of gochujang, which was a great complement. Since I like heat, I’ll use more next time.

The amount of soy sauce called for made this glaringly, overpoweringly salty for us. We liked this recipe overall, but if I make it again, I'll cut down on the soy sauce. Maybe replace some of it with water?

Use lower sodium soy. Kikkoman with the green top. That way you don’t dilute the “umami” flavor while reducing the overall salinity.

It would be best to cook the ground beef separately, drain off the fat, and then add the meat to the sautéed vegetables. Otherwise, all of that beef fat becomes part of your sauce! That’s what happened the first time I made this. My family liked the taste but remarked on the greasiness

Subs/ changes: 1T gochugang sauce (possibly more) 1T tomato paste Scallion-greens only Soy- 1/3c 1T brown sugar Add red pepper flakes to taste at end if not spicy enough