CHAMCHAM - Smoky Gochujang | Sweet & Smoky Korean Chilli Sauce | 265g

Gochujang that's already done the hard work

Here's the dirty secret about the gochujang tub in your local Asian grocer: it isn't food yet. It's an ingredient. Straight out of the tub it's a salt bomb — you're meant to cut it with sugar, vinegar, sesame oil and a bit of patience before it tastes like anything you'd want to eat. Every single time.

ChamCham did that step for you, then kept going. Jake Park built this one in Melbourne with natural hickory smoke folded through it, and it took 1st Place at the International Flavor Award in 2025. Open it, spoon it, done.

The flavour

Sweet up front — plum syrup and a whisper of strawberry doing the lifting, not sugar. Then the fermented chilli paste rolls in with that deep, savoury funk that only comes from proper gochujang. The finish is where it gets interesting: hickory smoke, slow and lingering, with a warm chilli glow that builds rather than bites. Sticky, glossy, and the kind of thing you keep going back for "one more taste" of.

Perfect on

Fried chicken and dakganjeong. Pork ribs, glazed on in the last twenty minutes. Tacos. Charred eggplant. Salmon. Sausage rolls and pies — trust us. Grilled greens. A bacon and egg roll at 8am that suddenly has ambitions. Mixed through mayo it becomes an instant spicy aioli.

In the bottle

Deep brick red, thick and glossy — pourable but it'll sit on a rib without running off. Smooth bodied with a faint sesame grain. Heat sits around 4/10: medium, warm and rounded, more campfire than knife fight.

Why it's on our shelf

We stock a lot of chilli. Most of it shouts. This one's a proper chef's sauce — balanced, smoky, and quietly excellent — made by hand in Port Melbourne by people who genuinely give a stuff. It's the sauce we reach for when plain food needs rescuing, which is most days.

See the full range at ChamCham Sauce.

Ingredients: Red pepper paste [corn syrup, red pepper powder, water, salt, onion, garlic, wheat flour, soybean powder, alcohol, glutinous rice, soybean], mirin, ginger, spring onion, plum syrup, red chilli, vinegar (sulphite), tomato concentrate, spices, sesame seeds, soy sauce, strawberry, L-glutamine sodium salt, natural hickory smoke, xanthan gum.

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

Dietary: Vegan and nut-free (brand-stated) — always check the physical label.

Heat: Medium (4/10)

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

Gochujang that's already done its homework: sweet plum up front, fermented chilli funk, then slow hickory smoke on the finish. Rub pork ribs with Coast n Smoke K-Pop Dust, smoke them, and glaze with this for the last twenty minutes. Some Acide Bread & Butter Zucchini Pickles on the side cut through the sticky. Melbourne-made contraband, worth the risk.