GOCHUJANG!!!

dudes!
i was on some other other sh!t last night.
i mean it.
as i've just recently mentioned
my homeboy, and close-quarters coworking companion, nate,
and i have both been watching those asian-food youtube videos,
and getting pretty psyched about red-stained spicy foods...
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but,
in a cultivated coincidence, and with the power of refined perception,
due, i'm sure, to newly increased awareness and high-intensity vanilla sky magnetics,
i spied, with my little honey-mango colored eye,
a small, red bottle of gochujang paste in my holiday shopping travels yesterday.
fermented soy, salt, and chili SAUCE, activated all korean-style,
is NOW on the menu at the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress ethnic culinary culture clubhouse.
well definitely be seeing much more of it, i can tell you that,
because it is some seriously expert sh!t.
word.
neighbors, when it's time to get fresh with the flavors,
all i need is a little bitty nudge, and inertia takes over,
creating a juggernaut of sauce-blasting gentleman-barbarian virtuosity.
i mean it.
this time around, it manifested as a hot, black noodoo bowl.
mmmmmmmmm. yeah, man-that's what's up.
check the teleport:

SPICY GOCHUJANG NOODZ!!!
oh man!
i used a few pots to prepare this meal, but, as i've got plenty of burners on the stove,
it still progressed fairly quickly.
it's sort of a main-stage three-parter, but there was a bit more going on behind the scenes.
yup.
it's tofu and chickpeas a la gochujang,
mae-ploy activated sweet potatoes and HOT peppers,
and black rice ramen noodles...
together, they make the world a better place.
...and that's no joke.
ok,
here's what happened, in case you're feeling the need to improve the world, too-
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SWEETS WITH THE HEAT!
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par-boil 2 cups of chunked sweet potato, drain, and set aside.
in a tablespoon of sesame oil,
pan-fry:
1 diced jalapeno;
1/2 chopped onion;
1 minced habanero;
1/3 cup sweet bell pepper
(i vastly prefer the minis, as they're thinner-walled,
and therefore more delicate in texture, which is pretty flippin' nice);
GPOP, black pepper, and 2 cloves crushed garlic.
when that begins to soften, add the sweetie 'tatoes,
and give 'em a good dose- 3-4 T mae ploy sweet chili sauce.
if you don't have that, you effed up, and you're fired.
sorry.
that's just sort of a thing.
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GOCHUJANG TOFU & CHICKS PEA-ING!
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in approximately 1 glug of sesame oil, plus two glugs of vegetable oil, on high heat,
fry up 1/2 bloc of superexxxtra firm tofu, until at least 4 out of 6 sides are browned a bit,
then add in 2/3 can drained and rinsed chick peas.
next, hit 'em with the 'JANG-
i used:
3 T gochujang paste;
1 tsp sesame oil;
1 T white vinegar;
2 T rice wine vinegar;
2 T soy sauce;
1 tsp garlic powder.
that all got slurried and dumped on all those beans  and bean-squares,
and sizzled up all over all of it.
...then i dolloped a nother 'nother tablespooon of 'JANG on top when it was all caramelized.
expert.
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i had a pot of water boiling for the noods, dudes.
and i dunked 2 cups of baby spinach in it to get blanched,
and then added that to the swee'tatoes.
the ramen took a total of five minutes, and was amazing, as always.
plus,
i toasted up those sossamon sesame jauns, which is always a good idea.
crAwnchy raw radish and rainbow carrots added the perfect bite to those chewy noodoodoos,
then, layers of tofu and 'tato, and seeds, and plenty of green onion sprankles.....
that's the combo, bro.
and that's the truth.
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you need some of this.
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i need MORE of this.
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this is all we need.
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***********
with XImas season in full swing, i have to say something:
i love presents.
have i ever told you that?
well, then let me reiterate:
i love presents.
wrapping paper is dope.
color-coordinated tissue paper is dope.
corresponding bows?
yup. they're dope.
and don't even get me started on stockings.
stockings are basically the defining moment in a true gift-giver's repertoire.
if your stuffed sock is for sh!t,
you did it all for nothing.
...and you're dead wrong for that.
on the ones,
there are plenty of folks who want to tell you that the meaning of the spirit of the thing
is NOT getting and giving......
and they can stay back in whatever hearthside bummer yule-hole they've crawled out of.
Xmas is for family, if that's your thing,
buuuuut,
too much is the right amount.
just sayin'- one louder, fresher, harder, bigger, and waaay better
is OBviously XImas.
duh.
and you cannot have that sort of hottness on hand without a big ol' stack of presents.
so don't sleep, and don't miss out,
and don't bother coming through if you don't love a well-presented heap
of metallic-foil-papered, crisp-edged, super-official elite gifts.
i apologize, kinda, because i'll be mentioning this often throught the month,
because i LOOOOVE presents.
hahaha.
oh, and before i prefer to GIVE 'em, for the record
i'm not a total A*-hole.
jeez;
never quiet, never soft.....