It’s zucchini season and my little garden is absolutely overflowing right now! So lately I’ve been that unnie constantly asking myself, “okay, what’s the tastiest way to use up all this zucchini?” Lol.
Today I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to eat it — a spicy, gochujang-based zucchini rice bowl I’m calling “Gochujang Zucchini Deopbap.” Make it this way and trust me, you’ll wipe out a whole bowl of rice before you know it. Even total beginners can pull this off in 10 minutes flat, so stick with me till the end!
📌 What You’ll Need (Serves 1)
Main: 2 Korean zucchini (aehobak)*, green onion (white part), 1/2 onion, 1 tbsp minced garlic
Sauce: 1 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp tuna liquid seasoning (chamchi-aek)**, a pinch of black pepper
Extras: cooking oil, a fried egg, sesame seeds (※ Feel free to adjust the sauce slightly to taste depending on the size/amount of zucchini you’re using!)
*You can find Korean zucchini at Korean or Asian grocery stores. No store nearby? Regular zucchini works as a substitute too. They’re not exactly the same vegetable (Korean zucchini has thinner skin and a softer flesh), but they cook up similarly enough that you’ll still love the result.
**Tuna liquid seasoning is a concentrated liquid seasoning made from tuna, used to add savory depth (umami). If you don’t have it, fish sauce or a small amount of dasida makes a good substitute with a similar umami kick.
📌 Unnie’s Foolproof Gochujang Zucchini Deopbap
1. Julienne the zucchini and squeeze out the moisture (the key tip!)
Slice your zucchini too thin and it’ll turn to mush when you cook it, so julienne it into pieces with a little bite left to them — trust me, it’s so much better this way. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of salt evenly over the julienned zucchini and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Osmosis will pull all the moisture out, so after 10 minutes, squeeze the zucchini firmly with your hands to get it as dry as possible.
2. Sauté your aromatics
Thinly slice the white part of the green onion. Julienne the onion too, and have your minced garlic (about 1 tbsp) ready. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the green onion, onion, and garlic first. Once the onion turns translucent, you’ll get that irresistible savory aroma coming through!
3. Add the zucchini and sauté briefly
Toss in your squeezed-dry zucchini and give it a quick, light sauté together with the aromatics.
4. Add the sauce and stir-fry
Add in 1 tbsp gochujang and 1 tbsp tuna liquid seasoning, then sprinkle on a pinch of black pepper. Keep stir-frying over medium heat until that spicy red gochujang sauce coats every piece of zucchini evenly.
5. Pile it onto rice and you’re done!
Scoop warm rice into a bowl and pile on a generous heap of that spicy, slightly chewy zucchini stir-fry. Top it off with a fried egg and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for the finishing touch, and you’ve got yourself a real “Gochujang Zucchini Deopbap” — the kind of dish that makes you eat way more rice than you meant to.
💬 Unnie’s Wrap-Up
Whipping up a meal like this with fresh zucchini straight from the garden just makes you feel so good inside. Treat yourself to a warm, spicy bowl of gochujang zucchini deopbap tonight! And if you make it, come back and brag about it in the comments~ 😉
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