A quintessential Korean staple, bulgogi is a sweet, salty sauce typically used to marinate thin cuts of beef or pork before being grilled. Comprised of mostly fruit puree and soy sauce, its natural sugars caramelize into a savory glaze for a dish by the same name. While there are some versions of bulgogi sauce on the market, most are overly sweet, unbalanced or filled with fake ingredients. Tory Food’s Bulgogi Sauce, however, contains natural ingredients mostly sourced from Korea, combining sweet, fruity and umami flavors into one powerful mixture. We especially love that Tory Food uses only Asian pear in their blend instead of pineapple, which can sometimes be too strong and turn your meat mushy. The enzymes in the fruit help tenderize tougher cuts of meat while also pairing beautifully with the other ingredients like shiitake mushrooms, Korean kelp, soy and apple puree. And with absolutely zero stabilizers and additives, this bulgogi sauce is as high-quality as it gets—it will be a perfect complement to any cut of meat you marinate it with.

For those looking for a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce, we have found it. This onion-based sauce from Chorokdang is the world’s first fermented soy free sauce made from the juice of fresh Korean onions. With no artificial ingredients, preservatives or MSG, this fragrant sauce adds a pure, salty and funky flavor with a hint of sweet onion. While most soy sauce alternatives contain tamari, coconut aminos or liquid aminos, this one is simply fermented onion and salt, which means its light amber color won’t darken the color of your dish. Use in place of soy sauce to season soup, stew, vegetables, meat or as a dipping sauce.

This fermented soybean paste is made by steeping barley in water for 10 hours before it’s steamed, mixed with soy beans and aged for three years in earthenware pots exposed to the changing seasons. The resulting paste is rich in umami, with a deep nutty-cocoa powder-like taste and incredible clean, clear savory flavor. The thick paste is punctuated with tender flecks of soy or barley grains and has a creamy, yet firm character. It’s a relative of Japanese miso, as both are fermented soybean pastes, but miso is made with koji and rice, which results in more sweetness and an overall lighter character (while still being umami-rich and salty). Doenjang is generally just salt and soy (this one includes barley), which yields a deeper and more intense flavor that we love.

Made from chili pepper, sweet rice, malt and malt syrup and fermented for at least six months months in traditional crocks, Gochujang is basically a household name at this point. You can buy (crappy) bottles and jars of it at Walmart. But the important thing is to differentiate between the cheap, mass-produced versions and these top-quality versions. While most gochujangs on the market are thick, but will drip off your spoon, this one is more like a glossy ganache—spreadable and scoopable, yet decadently thick. It's clean and complex—a wonderful fruity chili flavor is the star, while it's rounded out with funky fermentation notes and a pleasant tingly heat. There's also a hint of effervescence akin to sake, or even a sparkling wine. Its sweetness is round and balanced, not sticky like most brands.

A Korean iteration of soy sauce, this condiment originating from the Gyeongsang Province is crafted with exceptional care using traditional techniques. It’s simmered in a gamasot (large iron pot) for six hours with kelp and jujube, which gives the sauce a slightly more decadent consistency. It has soy sauce’s signature hit of umami nuttiness, yet there is a rounder, more distinct depth. There’s also a slight lingering sweetness akin to dark chocolate, which is brought out by the more salty and savory notes. The overall effect is exceptional richness of flavor and intriguing complexity. While cheaper brands generally all taste the same: flat, salty, savory, and one-note, the subtleties of this ganjang really stand-out as especially beautiful.

This traditional earthenware bowl (or ddukbaegi) is incredibly multifunctional, used in Korean cooking for simmering stews or making dolsot bibimbap, a popular sizzling rice dish. Safe for stovetop, microwave and oven use, the cookware is made from fine, porous clay that retains heat well but doesn't absorb soaps, chemicals or any off-flavors—plus, it doesn't require seasoning before first use. Korean stoneware has such excellent heat retention that the bowl is actually meant to double as a serving dish, since it keeps food warm as you're eating. A matching lid and heat-insulating trivet with handles make for easy transport to the table, while the double-fired glaze looks sleek and elegant.

This cast-iron Korean-made grill pan’s concave shape comes from a Korean cooking practice of inverting the domed lids of rice pots and using them for cooking: Drippings and liquids would collect in the center well, allowing the meat to sear properly. And once the fat and flavorful juices have pooled into the center, you can use it to lightly fry aromatics, vegetables, kimchi and more. This grill pan is lighter than other similar models, but still retains and distributes heat well—making it perfect for sliced meats and vegetables, tofu and mushrooms. And its hand-poured enamel coating makes it easy to clean and doesn’t require seasoning, so you can get cooking even faster.

K-Mama is a rich, mildly spicy and savory-sweet sauce that will add instant Korean flavor to almost any dish. Featuring a base of the Korean red pepper paste gochujang, K-Mama's Original Sauce has a mild, lingering chili heat balanced by brown sugar, umami-rich soy sauce and the fermented soybean paste used to make gochujang. Aromatic sesame oil gives the sauce a silky richness. The company also makes a Gluten-Free Sauce that's slightly tangier, brighter and lighter-bodied, but with all of the same complexity.

Minnesota resident and Korean American K.C. Kye developed K-Mama Sauce out of nostalgia for his mother's homemade Korean cooking. The award-winning condiment is ideal for making bibimbap, a classic Korean rice dish, as well as marinating meat, drizzling over rice or noodle dishes or using as a flavor base for stir-fry.

Gochujang is a Korean hot pepper paste that has a savoriness similar to Japanese miso and is fermented with glutinous rice, which gives it a slightly sticky texture and subtle sweetness. It’s a real powerhouse ingredient that we’ve come to rely on and consider an essential element of the Milk Street pantry. Chung Jung One's version has an approachable, mild heat level for adding to everything from tofu stew to barbecue meats.

We love this finely ground Gochugaru Powder, which has a bright aroma similar to cayenne and can be used as a milder alternative to hot paprika. Made from sun-dried and deseeded Korean hot peppers, gochugaru is essential for Korean staples like kimchi and the hot pepper paste gochujang, not to mention a wide array of marinades, stews and side dishes. Its fruity, earthy flavor and approachable medium heat make it well rounded and adaptable to all manner of recipes in place of store-bought chili powder or chili flakes.

Made from sun-dried and deseeded Korean hot peppers, gochugaru is essential for Korean staples like kimchi and the hot pepper paste gochujang, not to mention a wide array of marinades, stews and side dishes. Its fruity, earthy flavor and approachable medium heat make it well rounded and adaptable to all manner of recipes in place of store-bought chili powder or chili flakes. These coarsely ground Gochugaru Flakes have a crunchy—not papery—texture and earthy flavor that's perfect for garnishing; try substituting them for regular hot pepper flakes.

Handcrafted by a master noodle maker, these multicolored guksu, or Korean noodles, are infused with clean vegetable flavor. Guksu Master Kim Hyun Kyu started his noodle operation in 1987, wanting to add flavor to basic, bland wheat noodles that only supplemented other recipe components. After years of experimenting with ratios, recipes and aging, Kyu developed vibrant, vegetable-forward twists on the classic noodle. These guksu get their distinctive color-true hues and flavor from garlic chives, sweet pumpkin, beets, and white and black rice. And the ingredients are more than natural food coloring; when cooked, the aromatic noodles impart a subtle but noticeable flavor to dishes and retain a pleasant chew. Try them in pasta dishes, Korean preparations—like bibim-guksu, a spicy noodle stir-fry, or kong-guksu, a cold soy milk soup—or boiled and tossed with oil and sea salt.

A donabe is an essential piece of cooking equipment in the Japanese kitchen. Made from thick earthenware, these traditional pots maintain a gentle, even heat. It’s the best way to make fluffy, evenly cooked rice. Hario’s ceramic products are known as Banko ware, a regional form of pottery from Mie Prefecture that are perfect for making rice dishes or other filling one-pot meals. Equipped with a glass lid with a silicone handle, you’ll be able to keep an eye on your ingredients without losing steam by opening the lid. Try it to make koge (scorched rice), in which the lower bits of rice become crunchy and nutty as they overcook, which is difficult to make in a typical electric rice cooker.

Even basic gochujang, the Korean hot pepper paste that has a savoriness similar to Japanese miso, is a real powerhouse ingredient that we consider an essential element of the Milk Street pantry. But this version from Fromwell builds on gochujang’s typical complexity, adding earthy stir-fried shiitake mushrooms locally harvested in the Korean forest. The result is perfectly balanced, funky, rich and earthy with a light sweetness, punch of spice and appropriate hit of salt. And unlike other gochujangs which are smooth, the addition of mushrooms provides an interesting level of texture and nuance that we loved. Fromwell’s gochujang is also lower in sodium than other brands and contains no added sugar. Use as a base to stews and sauces for an extra boost of savory flavor, in place of regular gochujang in any recipe that calls for it or add right to vegetables or meat like a marinade.