CHAMCHAM - Honey Pepper Ganjang | All-Purpose Korean Soy Glaze | 265g

The gateway bottle

Every range has one bottle that does the most work, and for ChamCham this is it. No heat, no fuss, no learning curve — just a sticky, peppery Korean soy glaze that turns a weeknight into something you'd serve guests. It's the one to hand someone who says they don't like spicy food, right before they get hooked on the rest of the shelf.

Gluten free, made in Melbourne with Australian pure honey and Korean pear. Marinate with it, glaze with it, stir-fry with it, dip in it.

The flavour

Rich soy first — rounded, not salty-sharp, because gluten-free soy does the base and the honey immediately softens the edges. Then pear and plum syrup bring a clean fruit sweetness, with mirin and garlic humming underneath. The finish is all cracked black pepper: aromatic, warming, faintly floral. Sticky enough to lacquer, balanced enough to drink. (Don't.)

Perfect on

Galbi and bulgogi — this is what it was born for. Chicken thighs on the grill. Pork belly. Steak. Lamb. Brushed onto salmon in the last few minutes so it caramelises without burning. Japchae. Fried rice. Noodles. Tofu. Dumplings. Roast veg. Tteokgalbi.

In the bottle

Dark mahogany, glossy, thickened just enough to cling to a brush and coat the back of a spoon. Fine black pepper specks throughout. Heat is Cool As · 0/11 — this is peppery warmth, not chilli. Nobody at the table will complain.

Why it's on our shelf

Because a gluten-free glaze that's this good is genuinely hard to find, and because it's made with real honey and real pear instead of caramel colour and a wish. Handmade in Port Melbourne by a chef who used to supply his parents' sushi shop with the same standard of sauce.

See the full range at ChamCham Sauce.

Ingredients: Gluten free soy sauce [water, soybeans, rice, salt, alcohol], Australian pure honey, pear juice, mirin, plum syrup, garlic, ginger, spring onion, black pepper, xanthan gum, L-glutamine sodium salt.

Allergens: Contains soybean. Manufactured on equipment that also processes products containing eggs, nuts, milk, wheat, sesame, sulphites, shellfish and fish.

Dietary: Gluten-free. Vegetarian. Nut-free. (Contains honey — not vegan.)

Heat: No heat — just peppery (Cool As · 0/11)

Size: 265g

Origin: Handmade in Melbourne, Australia.

Ingredients and allergen information can change — always check the physical label before eating.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

The gateway bottle: rich soy, pear and plum sweetness, and a cracked-pepper finish with zero chilli. Season beef short ribs with Chuds BBQ SPG, marinate them in this for galbi, then grill hot and brush on more as they caramelise. For the chilli crowd, put a jar of DC Cartel Crispy Chilli Oil on the table. Easy money.