Korean fried chicken is almost as revered for its complex sauces as its bold, crunchy exterior. But you don't always need a pantry full of ingredients to whip up a dipping sauce worthy of such a beautiful crust. Daily Meal spoke with Ji Hye Kim, the owner and chef of Korean restaurant Miss Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to get her ideas for using store-bought sauces and minimal ingredients to jazz up your home-cooked Korean fried chicken .
And there's one option you can make with ingredients you already have in your pantry — or should have if you don't. Kim recommends mixing barbecue sauce and ketchup with a little (or a lot of) gochujang paste for a dipping sauce that she describes as, "a balance of sweet, savory, a little spice, and a hint of acidity." If you don't have it, there are plenty of substitutes for gochujang paste .
You could probably use Tabasco, sriracha, or even harissa, but it cannot be stressed enough how much you need gochujang in your life (especially if you make Korean food a lot or you're a ketchup-on-eggs person). More easy homemade sauce ideas If you've got a few more ingredients at your disposal, Ji Hye Kim recommends trying a couple of other sauces you might like even better than the first. For example, mix mayonnaise, soy sauce, and as much grated garlic as you can handle.
"It is like an amped-up Korean aioli, except you don't have to make it entirely from scratch," she notes, suggesting, "If you want a bit of a kick, stir in a dollop of srirac.