SsamJang, Dipping Sauce for Lettuce Wrap and Vegetables

쌈장

Ssamjang is a dipping sauce for “ssam” (make-your-own lettuce wrap filled with grilled meat, vegetables and rice). Ssam is usually enjoyed with a meal featuring grilled meat (e.g., galbi, Bulgogi) or boiled meat (e.g., suyuk). For ssam, lettuce leaves, perilla leaves, kimchi leaves (uncut and rinsed with water), green chili peppers, and sliced garlic are served. To make ssam, you take a leaf of lettuce and place it on your palm then layer it with a perilla leave (optional), add meat, rice, sliced green chili peppers and garlic, and place a dab of ssamjang. Close the wrap and enjoy!

Ssamjang is a great way to take advantage of beneficial bacteria in doenjang (soybean paste) and gochujang (hot pepper paste). To do so, you need to purchase unpasteurized hot pepper paste and unpasteurized soy bean paste.

Ssam has been part of Korean cuisine since the Three Kingdoms (57 BC – 668 AD) era. Farmers during work hours used to enjoy wraps with the leafy vegetables from their field. Eating ssam with namul (vegetables side dish) was a tradition on Jeongwal Daeboreum ("Full Moon in January," January 15 in lunar calendar, one of the 4 major Korean traditional holidays). They believed that opening one's mouth wide and eating a big wrap was a symbol of luck coming into their household. Even today, some people believe that the big ssam should be eaten in one bite for good luck.

Buy Ssam Jang ingredients online here.

Ssamjang is a dipping sauce for “ssam” (make-your-own lettuce wrap filled with grilled meat, vegetables and rice). Ssam is usually enjoyed with a meal featuring grilled meat (e.g., galbi, Bulgogi) or boiled meat (e.g., suyuk). For ssam, lettuce leaves, perilla leaves, kimchi leaves (uncut and rinsed with water), green chili peppers, and sliced garlic are served. To make ssam, you take a leaf of lettuce and place it on your palm then layer it with a perilla leave (optional), add meat, rice, sliced green chili peppers and garlic, and place a dab of ssamjang. Close the wrap and enjoy!

Ssamjang is a great way to take advantage of beneficial bacteria in doenjang (soybean paste) and gochujang (hot pepper paste). To do so, you need to purchase unpasteurized hot pepper paste and unpasteurized soy bean paste.

Ssam has been part of Korean cuisine since the Three Kingdoms (57 BC – 668 AD) era. Farmers during work hours used to enjoy wraps with the leafy vegetables from their field. Eating ssam with namul (vegetables side dish) was a tradition on Jeongwal Daeboreum ("Full Moon in January," January 15 in lunar calendar, one of the 4 major Korean traditional holidays). They believed that opening one's mouth wide and eating a big wrap was a symbol of luck coming into their household. Even today, some people believe that the big ssam should be eaten in one bite for good luck.

Buy Ssam Jang ingredients online here.