Sweet, spicy, tangy, creamy delicious comfort food with an addicting Korean kick.
I have a huge love for Korean food - I spend many Sundays watching Youtube videos of people wandering Korean markets eating tteokbokki and mandu. During the dreaded lockdown, my want for adventurous cooking pushed me to make my own rosé tteokbokki and invest in gochujang (a spicy red pepper paste) and gochugaru (a smoky, sweet chili powder).
One day I was making vegan spaghetti and meatballs and wanted a spicy kick, normally I'd make a sort of arrabiata sauce to satisfy my spice craving, but, this time I went for a rosé tteokbokki style sauce with Italian seasoning and Korean spice and it SO worked. It worked so well that this is now our normal way to have spaghetti.
Ingredients
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
1/2 tbsp tomato puree
1 white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced/crushed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
250ml vegan cream (I use Oatly)
1- 2 tbsp gochujang (depends on your spice level)
1/2 tbsp gochugaru
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste (if necessary)
Vegan meatballs (I use Aldi's plant menu meatballs and cook them in the air fryer)
Optional, for serving: Cooked pasta, vegan parmesan, chopped fresh basil
Method
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions for 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook until golden.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes, soy sauce, gochujang, gochugaru, herbs and sugar to the pan and bring to a simmer.
After the sauce has simmered and reduced (about 15 minutes) reduce the heat and add the vegan cream, stirring gently.
Add your cooked vegan meatballs to the pan and gently coat them in the sauce cooking for a further 2-3 minutes. Season to taste.
Serve on top of pasta of your choice (I always lean towards spaghetti or linguine, but tagliatelle would also be so much fun!)
Let me know if you try this Korean-Italian mash up, we enjoy this at least once a month!
Blessed be,