This is the tomato sauce recipe that changed how our kitchen uses gochugaru. It goes on everything.
Ingredients
1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp Hungry Korean Gochugaru Chili Flakes, 4 cloves garlic (minced), 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sugar, salt to taste, fresh basil if you have it.
Method
Fry garlic in olive oil over medium heat until fragrant — about 2 minutes. Add gochugaru and stir for 30 seconds to bloom. Add crushed tomatoes and sugar, season with salt. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the colour deepens.
Use over pasta, as a pizza base, with grilled fish or chicken, or as a dipping sauce for bread. The gochugaru brings a warmth that’s fundamentally different from black pepper or Italian chilli flakes — it opens up the sauce in a way that’s hard to define but immediately noticeable.
Make a Big Batch
This sauce freezes beautifully in portions. Make four times the recipe and you have a month of quick meals in your freezer.