Chef Edward Lee's 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Better Grilled Cheese

It makes all the delicious, cheesy flavors pop.

I call grilled cheese sandwiches "chameleon sandwiches" because you can completely transform their flavor with just one ingredient, and for me, that usually means something with a kick of heat. Taking a page from Chef Edward Lee’s playbook, I'm adding gochujang to upgrade my grilled cheese sandwiches with a spicy, umami punch.

If you don’t know Lee, he’s a Brooklyn-raised Korean American chef and restaurateur who rocks comfy blue jeans under his chef’s coat on Netflix’s hit show, Culinary Class Wars, and he has totally stolen hearts (well, at least mine) with his Kentucky drawl and calm demeanor. His approach to cooking is welcomed in the era of "The Bear" and chaotic kitchens.

I could talk all day about Lee (and thankfully, my husband wouldn’t be reading this otherwise, he’d be rolling his eyes and canceling his Netflix subscription), but let’s get back to gochujang, that fragrant, red, fermented chili paste from Korea.

Gochujang is one of the core three jangs or sauces in South Korean cooking, the other two being doenjang (or fermented soybean paste) and ganjang (or soy sauce). It is spicy, but it doesn’t numb the palate. It’s also subtly sweet and smoky, with hints of umami and caramel thanks to fermentation. When made with glutinous rice instead of barley malt, gochujang is gluten-free.

Gochujang added to grilled cheese doesn’t overpower. Instead, it enhances. Its umami depth makes all the cheesy flavors pop.

How To Make Gochujang Grilled Cheese

What you'll need for one sandwich:

• 2 slices of bread (sourdough, white, milk, or ciabatta as Lee recommends)

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, plus extra to spread over the outside of the bread, if using

• 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon gochujang

• 1 tablespoon butter to melt in the pan, plus extra to spread over the outside of the bread, if using

• Up to 2 ounces of cheese, like a mix of grated white cheddar, fontina, and Gruyère

Lee’s approach uses a 1:1 ratio of mayonnaise to gochujang as the base for a cheese spread. So, for every tablespoon of mayo, add an equal amount of gochujang.

If you’re new to gochujang, it can be a bit intense at first taste, so start with just a teaspoon mixed into a tablespoon of mayo per sandwich. Give the mix a taste, and if you're ready for more heat, gradually add more gochujang, up to a tablespoon in total.

Then, mix in grated cheese to create a vibrant, orangey, and aromatic cheese spread. Lee amps up the flavor of the spread with minced garlic, chopped red onion, and parsley, but for a simpler, unfussy grilled cheese, all you need are the cheeses, mayo, and gochujang. Gochujang, after all, already brings plenty of aroma and flavor to the mix.

Sandwich the gochujang-cheese spread between two slices of buttered or mayonnaised bread. Then, cook the sandwich as you normally would to make grilled cheese, be it in a skillet, frying pan, air fryer, toaster, or oven. Prepare for a tasty bite: crispy and crunchy on the outside with melty, gooey cheese amped with heat that won’t make you sweat. Each bite will be packed with unforgettable flavor.

So, the next time you make grilled cheese, mirror my idol, the incredible Edward Lee, and incorporate the bold and beautiful fermented chili condiment that is gochujang.

My Tips for the Best Grilled Cheese

While I love a good savory and spicy grilled cheese, I balance these flavors by adding a drizzle of honey, which can be added to the cheese spread or drizzled over the top of the just-cooked grilled cheese.

For another layer of texture, I recommend topping the cheese spread with a layer of drained kimchi. The kimchi will add crunch and complement the flavors of the gochujang beautifully.

Chef Lee’s gochujang grilled cheese is loaded with ingredients, including bean sprouts, okra, and pancetta. Feel free to load up your own grilled cheese with thin slices of SPAM, cut chicken, turkey, ham, tofu slices, mushroom slices, or bacon!