In season, local corn is juicy, sweet, and tender, perfect for grilling (why heat up the kitchen unnecessarily in August?). And the bit of smoky char grilling adds just seems like the starting point for even more exciting flavour. Mexican street corn (elotes) is a great example of this, but I decided to take the idea and run with a new flavour combination, and behold the birth of Gochujang Grilled Corn.

As always in a Flavourfull recipe, the choice of ingredients matters. I'm calling for CJ Haechandle's mild gochujang in the sauce, and a sprinkle of Épices de Cru gochugaru to finish.

CJ Haechandle is the No. 1 best-selling gochujang in South Korea, because it gets the balance right: sweet, savoury, a little funky from the fermentation, and the mild version is flavour first rather than spicy, perfect for our corn sauce.

Épices de Cru's gochugaru is especially high quality, which is why we stock it. Most gochugaru sold now comes out of China, but Épices de Cru still gets its chilis from the mountains of Eastern Korea, usually reserved for the Japanese market, and it shows up in both the colour and the flavour.

Once you have the right ingredients, the sauce itself is simple: mayo for richness and cling, a spoonful of gochujang, a little sesame oil, grated garlic, and a pinch of sugar to round it out. Brush it on, then hit it with gochugaru, toasted sesame seeds, and green onion while the sauce is still warm enough for everything to stick. Pass the napkins.

Gochujang Grilled Corn

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 cobs corn, shucked
1/3 cup mayo
1 tbsp mild CJ Haechandle gochujang
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 small clove garlic, grated
1/8 tsp sugar
1 green onion, finely minced
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp Épices de Cru gochugaru

Method:

1. Preheat grill on high. Grill corn, turning as needed, about 8 minutes, until cooked through and lightly charred in spots.
   
   
2. While the corn cooks, stir together mayo, gochujang, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar.
   
   
3. Remove corn from the grill and brush with the gochujang mixture. Sprinkle with green onion, sesame seeds, and gochugaru. Serve right away.