Best Eats This Week: Yogiyo Cooking Sauces

Too often have we been set back by "exotic" recipes simply because of the long obscure list of ingredients.  Fresh turmeric? Dried kelp? Spices you can't even pronounce?  And when you finally do find that specialty shop that sells everything you need, you hesitate -- well, how many times will you use this?  Is it worth buying a whole jar of fermented tofu? What are you supposed to do with the rest of it?  Better to just go out for dinner and make pasta at home tomorrow.

Even me, a relatively adventurous cook, am faced with this annoyance.  I just don't like to waste, and my food cupboard is full enough as it is.  I don't want to squeeze in half-open packs of dried shrimp and palm sugar which I will just forget about until I move out.  One of my favorite cuisines is Korean, and I just never cook it at home for the aforementioned reasons.  But now, enter Yogiyo -- UK's first range of Korean cooking sauces that have just launched at a Sainbury's near you.

The creators are Ben Ansah and his partner Sue Youn -- a native South Korean coming from a family in the restaurant business.  They started off as a street food stall that then led to them appearing on Dragon's Den and actually getting a backing from Peter Jones.

These are their three sauces and descriptions

"Yogiyo Gochu Jang Cooking Sauce
This cooking paste adds a rich spiciness to stir fries, stews and can be used as a marinade. Try using it as a coating to create  a delicious Korean fried chicken or to make popular Korean side sauces.

Yogiyo Gochu Jang Dipping Sauce
Also packed with the sweet spicy notes of peppery Korean chilli, this dipping sauce is lighter than the paste making it perfect for dipping, dolloping and smattering onto dishes meals to give them aninstant zingy kick.

Yogiyo Galbi Sauce 
This is a classic Korean marinade that’s ideal for beef, pork or chicken. Simply coat your meat or vegetables in the sauce before grilling or stir-frying. It’s sweet, umami flavour is one of the best known and most loved rom Korean cuisine."

 With these and a range of easy to follow recipes featuring minimal ingredients, they have made Korean cooking at home feasible for the general public.  I have tried making a simple stir-fry with a base of spring onions, garlic and vegetables, then adding soy sauce and the Yogiyo Gochu Jang, had let it simmer, and voila -- delicious with rice.

Yogiyo also offers recipe ideas that are a bit more fun and alternative- like a Korean burger with a ketchup made with their Gochu Jang, and a meat patty enriched with a splash of Galbi Marinade. 

At £2.20 each, the Yogiyo range can be found at the specialty ingredient aisles at Sainsbury's.  You're welcome.