Gochujang Crunchy Nuts
To avoid eating too many salty snacks, I have been trying to eat more nuts. I roast raw, unsalted nuts, and really enjoy them, but sometimes I want something with a little more zing. I love gochujang, the Korean fermented pepper paste, and wanted to see if I could create a crunchy snack with nuts and gochujang. The sugar creates a hard coating. This seems to work and I’ll continue to refine it.
Gochujang crunchy nuts
Roasted nuts
4 cups Nuts of your choice - I typically have almonds, pecans, and walnuts.
Gochujang coating
4 Tbsp gochujang
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp sugar or honey
2 Tbsp +/- of sweet mirin (or enough to thin the sauce)
Extras
Sesame seeds
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 (convention)
Roast nut selection 15-20 minutes (until lightly browned)
Mix sauce ingredients
Toss nuts warm nuts in the sauce
Spread nuts onto a parchment paper lined and try to distribute them evenly
Roast 10-15 minutes until the sauce caramelizes — when the sauce on the parchment show evidence of starting to darken remove them before they burn. They should be bubbling on the surface.
(optional) Sprinkle with sesame seeds a couple minutes before removing from oven
Allow to cool and separate. They will be quite crunchy.
6/12 update
I adjusted some quantities and added a big splash of sesame oil. I realized this amount of coating covered much more than 2 cups of nuts. I just add enough coating to generously coat the nuts. Any leftover coating makes a great dipping or barbecue sauce.