Glad you enjoyed it. Gochujang is an ingredient that always seems to be in my fridge but not used enough. I do like it. I almost made Korean wings for Super Bowl but then got lazy and went with Frank’s. (Not even Frank’s and butter, just their premixed sauce!)

Your picture has me wondering though. Any gochujang I’ve ever come across has been in a tub, with the product too thick for a squeeze bottle. Your bottle says sauce, my tub says paste. Maybe it’s just thinned a little? No big deal, just an observation.

I think as these products are becoming more mainstream, they are becoming easier to find and manufacturers are also finding it worthwhile to offer different options. There’s many brands of sriracha sauce now, wasabi mayo, etc. (just to be clear, it’s a great thing, IMO)

we have just got into Szechuan peppercorns in our household and they are a great addition freshly ground, for Mapo.

FOAS, my local grocery store doesn't carry the tubs, and I didn't want to make the drive to Ranch 99 Market. The sauce came out like thick ketchup.

HB, thanks for the suggestion about using Szechuan peppercorns!

The container of gochujang in my fridge has been there for some time. The harissa, on the other hand, is now the third jar. I'm addicted to the stuff. Spread it on a slice of bread over the mayonnaise as a sandwich base--OMG! Or on an omelet. Or mix into grains. Or....

I *think* that's the same recipe as is found in the NYTimes, but I don't have a subscription and cannot say for sure. When I follow the link, I can't access the recipe--I don't have FB and I read here somewhere that they are charging a fee for access.

I must have purchased the hottest harissa in the world! It was way too hot for me and I do like things hot and/or spicy!

sooz, I won't pay for it either, although I greatly enjoyed the NYT food section while it was still free.

I think the heat of various sauces like gochujang and harissa depends on the brands. I remember going to an Asian market and Elery and I were the only people in the place speaking English. A very kind lady was standing by a shelf of some type of sauce and Elery asked "Is this very hot". She tilted her head, said "Hot?" and started laughing like crazy. I took that to mean it was...

Your Mapo looks very nice and fresh, BTW.

Annie

How hot is hot? Well, it really depends. I like good and spicy, but I don't want to be assaulted by my food. Many years ago I was traveling in New Mexico, in the middle of nowhere, and was very, very hungry. I stopped at the first place I saw in a small town and ordered green chili. It was so hot that as hungry as I was, I couldn't eat it. On the other hand, a friend once asked me at a party what made a certain dish so hot. I tasted it and could find no heat in it at all. The brand of harissa that my Kroger carries is Mina, and I like the one labeled "spicy."

I suspect that people taste "hot" differently -- there are some kinds of hot my kids just love, and its waaay too hot for me. OTOH, there are some I really enjoy (and don't taste it as super hot) that the kids say, "too hot!" And definitely very different flavors between all the peppers and chiles, etc.

It's more than just the "hot" factor that determines how spicy a sauce is perceived. While I can eat Scotch Bonnet based sauces like ketchup, Jalapenos tear up my guts. I have no problem with kimchee, but give me some salsa and chips, and you better hand me a 2-liter bottle of pop as well.

The Korean restaurant we frequented in South Florida had Gochujang on every table. Maybe it was just the brand, but there's had way too much salt for me.

I don’t know enough about Korean cooking, but we suspect that the gochuchang in the glass jar...that’s for cooking, while the thick sauce that is served with dishes, has been doctored up just a bit, but we can’t figure out with what. And yes, its very salty, doesn’t take much!

Every brand of gochujang is different, just as every brand of soy sauce is different. Experiment until you find one you prefer, if your markets offer a choice.

Here's the Times mapo ragu recipe:

3 tablespoons neutral
oil, like canola
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
Pinch of kosher salt, or to taste
1 pound ground pork
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
10-15 frozen cylindrical rice cakes
(optional), or rice noodles, or pasta, or steamed rice
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean
chili-bean paste)
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
(optional)
1 bunch kale or any hearty cooking
greens, roughly chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Heat the oil in a wok set over medium-high heat. When it
shimmers, add the onions and the pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally,
until the onions have released their moisture and are starting to brown,
approximately 10 minutes. Then turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook,
stirring every few minutes, until they have turned golden brown and sweet, an
additional 20 minutes or so.

Tip the onions into a bowl, and return the wok to high heat
over the stove. Add remaining tablespoon of oil, then the pork, and cook,
breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it is just cooked, but not yet
browning, approximately 10 minutes. Add the cooked meat to the reserved onions.

If using the rice cakes, put a large pot of salted water
over high heat, and bring to a boil.

Return wok to stove over medium heat and cook the garlic and
ginger in fat remaining from pork (add an extra splash of neutral oil if
necessary). When the garlic and ginger soften, add gochujang, soy sauce, brown
sugar and, if using, the Sichuan
peppercorns. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water, enough to loosen the gochujang and
make a sauce, then return pork and onions to the wok and stir to combine.
Adjust seasonings.

Bring sauce to a simmer, and add the chopped greens, then
stir to combine and cook until they have started to soften, approximately 5
minutes.

If using rice cakes, place them in the boiling water for 3
to 5 minutes to soften, then drain and add to the sauce. (If not, serve the
ragù with steamed rice, rice noodles or pasta.) Garnish with the sliced
scallions.