Flavor-packed, spicy-sweet gochujang elevates a couldn’t-be-simpler, 30-minute chicken stir-fry.

Gochujang is a fermented chili paste used widely in Korean cooking.

Made the traditional way, it ferments in clay pots for months or years to create a concentrated paste with tremendous depth and complex chili heat.

In this recipe from our cookbook “Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” the complexly-flavored Korean refrigerator staple is balanced by the pepperiness and pungency of ginger and garlic, plus a splash of salty soy sauce and a spoonful of sugar to round everything out.

Many brands of gochujang are available in the U.S., though quality varies widely.

When shopping, start by reading the ingredient list.

Traditional gochujang should contain little

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