Gochujang Potatoes

I made a homemade gochujang sauce and wanted something to try it on - so I used these cute baby potatoes! Delicious!

bowl of baby potatoes with gochujang sauce

For those of you who do not know me, I like a little spice!

And gochujang, a Korean chile pepper paste, is a relatively new condiment I found that is absolutely delicious. It's a little bit spicy, sweet, and tangy all at the same time. And like the famous hot sauce commercial says - "I put that sh$# on everything!"

One problem however is the amount of sodium in it. Of course, it varies from brand to brand, anywhere between 350mg to 450mg per tablespoon.

So I thought, why not try and make my own?

Gochujang & Gochugaru

All you need to make this very simple version is gochugaru, which is basically a Korean chile powder.

Now the brand I show here ALSO has sodium, so to make this as sodium-free as you can, I am going to recommend buying the powder in bulk, either from your local Asian market or Amazon. I'll provide an affiliate link here.

Another ingredient I am going to use to make my homemade gochujang is miso, for its saltiness. I know what you are thinking, why are you concerned about the sodium in the gochujang, and then use miso?!
Surprisingly, the sodium in miso does NOT affect your blood pressure according to both Dr. Michael Klaper and Dr. Michael Greger.

Why Less Sodium?

Why all this talk of lowering your sodium you ask?

A group of friends and I are doing a reboot to start the new year. And we are following the 4 basic principles outlined in Dr. Dean Ornish's book, UNDO IT.

Eat well
Move more
Stress Less
Love more

Personally, both my wife and I have had some blood pressure issues last year, so we are trying new things to see if it will help. We are exercising more, exploring new techniques for lowering stress, and of course, having any kind of social support or community is very important.

Anyone who has tried to change their diet and/or lifestyle knows, it is very hard to do by yourself.

And that is where my BNV Community comes in.

We livestream every morning, chat throughout the day, and are currently reading the book UNDO IT together. We are there to SUPPORT each other and to ensure everyone has all the love and support they need while making these seemingly impossible lifestyle changes,

As part of the EAT WELL challenge, to cover all my bases, I am also going to try to reduce my intake of sodium to Dr. McDougall's recommendations of 1500mg or less per day.

If any of this sounds interesting and you would like to join us - please do - we would love to have you. https://bmnvcommunity.com

Ingredients for Gochujang Potatoes

plate of baby potatoes covered in gochujang

¼ cup gochugaru (Korean red chile pepper flakes)
1 cup water (divided)
1 Tbs. miso
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. maple syrup
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. coconut aminos (if needed - has lower sodium than soy sauce)
1 Tbs. cold, cooked rice (optional)
24oz bag of baby potatoes

Mix all of the sauce ingredients with ½ cup of the water in a small bowl or saucepan. The rice will help thicken it if you need it. It will be chunky - but you can blend it if you want, or just use another thickener like cornstarch or potato starch.

The coconut aminos are only here if you need a little more salt. Out of all of the low-sodium soy sauces, liquid aminos, and tamaris - coconut aminos have the least amount of sodium.

Cut your potatoes in half, and air fry at 425° F for about 10 minutes or until they start to brown. Alternatively, you can also bake them or microwave them.

Then simply turn the potatoes out into a large skillet and add the sauce and remaining ½ cup water. Mix well and cook over medium until the sauce thickens.

Garnish with fresh black pepper and green onions.