Taste test: momofuku ssäm sauce

THE PRODUCT: Momofuku Ssäm Sauce.

THE STORY: Since 2004, Ssäm Sauce has been a tried-and-true condiment on various dishes at chef David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants in New York: steamed buns, fried chicken and slow-roasted pork shoulder, to name a few. Now, it’s available for nationwide shipping, so home cooks can experiment with its spicy, sweet flavor from a base of Korean gochujang chile paste spiked with soy sauce, sake, miso and rice vinegar.

THE TASTE TEST: Sayonara, Sriracha. Ssäm Sauce is the new must-try addition for any dish that cries out for a little pep. The flavor is something like sweet hoisin plus hot sauce plus ketchup, full of umami and sweet, slow-building heat. There’s no need to limit it to Asian foods, although a glob added to stir-fried rice was the best thing to come out of my kitchen in recent days. It brings a new flavor dimension to pizza, burgers, grilled chicken, baked potatoes, braised meats, pasta sauces and more. If you like Sriracha, you’ll love Ssäm Sauce.