Sriracha's lovely. Harissa is a fiery punch in the mouth with flavor to match. But if you're looking for a sweeter, funkier flavor from your chiles, gochujang (pronounced go-choo-jong) is the thing for you. More

Welcome to my new obsession: gochujang. If you're a fan of that fermented taste of miso, this is the hot sauce condiment for you. It's salty and earthy with a side of heat. A Korean-American friend explained the condiment's use in terms this Southern gal could understand: "Gochujang is a definite staple in the Korean kitchen, like lard to a Southerner." Soon, I was using it in all my cooking needs. More

Growing up, there were tons of cucumbers growing in my mom's garden during the summer, so we never really bought them at the supermarket. Given these fortuitous circumstances, I was always a bit confused about the difference between the ones growing in the backyard and the ones at the store. Whereas the store's specimens were smooth and shiny, the ones I brought to the kitchen sink were rough and a bit prickly. I was going to chalk them up as some sort of weird variety of Korean cucumbers, but I did some research and realized that I'd been eating the pickling variety of cucumbers this whole time. Every cuke and pickle I've ever eaten flashed before my eyes as... More