David Chang wants to change the way you think about canned tuna. In an April 2020 Facebook post the Momofuku chef and host of Netflix’s “Ugly Delicious” took a stand for canned tuna writing “Canned and canned foods are loved in Europe and Asia but not so much in America. I hope that changes.” In an effort to help spark that change Chang put in a good word for his favorite brand of canned tuna.
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Tuna is one of those must-have canned foods a practical base for sandwiches salads rice bowls and more. But by itself canned tuna can be a bit boring verging on bland except for a generous dose of salt… at least that's true of most canned tuna in the U.S. For a more flavorful canned tuna experience Chang recommends Korean brand Dongwon (which also happens to own Starkist). Dongwon Tuna With Hot Pepper Sauce comes in a can with potatoes and carrots. Chang calls it "extraordinarily delicious" but the real thing that sets Dongwon's tuna apart is the addition of one very special spicy ingredient: gochujang.
David Chang’s favorite tuna refers to a “hot pepper sauce” that sets it apart from other canned tuna. The sauce in question is made with chili peppers and gochujang and if you haven’t tried gochujang yet it’s high time you did. Gochujang is a fermented chili paste made from gochugaru chili flakes glutinous rice soybeans and salt. It’s fermented for months or even years breaking down the starches in the rice into sugars.
Gochugaru can have varying levels of spiciness from mild to hot but what really sets it apart from other spicy seasonings is the flavor of the rice and soybeans. The sugars produced by the rice give gochujang a subtle sweetness while the fermented soybeans give it a strong umami base. By combining spicy salty sweet and savory flavors gochujang is the ultimate flavor bomb and the perfect ingredient to elevate something as seemingly mundane as canned tuna to a new culinary dimension.
