Spicefreak

Hey folks, I’ve got another import sauce or two for you, this week, and they’re just as highly spoken of as the last. Despite the makers being a far younger company:

These are the Korean and Passion Fruit Korean sauces from Gods of Sauces. An australian company who popped up, like many, in response to covid precautions shutting down their in-person food business. So, like our good friend at Alkemio Kitchen, they’ve only been around for a year or two. And yet they’re already here in the UK, courtesy of Aussie Hot Sauces.

Today, I’m going to be trying out their mildest two. But there are plenty more available, if the company’s style catches your interest, like it did mine.

The labels of this pair look fairly similar. White text on black, with Poseiden, himself, in a light grey in the background, to match their trident logo. As well a strip of colour, near the bottom, to distinguish each flavour.

Pink, for the Korean, implying a milder take on a red chilli sauce, while the Passion Fruit Korean uses an acidic, greenish yellow to highlight its tart fruit.

It all seems quite straightforward and elegant, until I take another look at the company name. Oh god, that company name!

Two fonts, three typefaces and one complete mess to look at. And that’s before I even get to the rest of the text.

But I’ll skip over that, because I’m not here to bore you with a typography rant. I’m here to try some sauce.

In the spoon on the right, we see a yellowy-orange sauce with a silken sheen and a tonne of black specks – Each a tiny, crunchy piece of passion fruit seed.

Over on the left, however, we get to learn a little more, as the redder, plain korean version lets slip some of the chilli-infused sesame oil which makes these sauces so unique. Providing both that shiny, creamy, oil-blended texture and a real strong, rich, savoury and nutty undertone to the gods’ entire range. A bold undertone that most definitely doesn’t need to be supported by garlic, yet still very much is.

Along with korean gochujang chilli paste, red chillies and habaneros, that garlic and sesame oil make the standard version an incredibly rich, savoury, red chilli sauce with widespread, yet mostly front of the mouth heat that hits me much harder than I’d expected. A low

which seems a tad high for something labelled “mild”.

And, while it does manage to hit most of my mouth there are one or two little spots that it misses. Such as the mid tongue and the gums. The second of which I’ve mentioned, several times now, only ever seems to be touched by pubescens type peppers.

Well, guess what? That’s what the passion fruit version uses.

Fruity orange manƶanos, in place of the regular’s habs, to complement the namesake fruit and possibly even to hide its own black seeds, in with those of the passion fruit. All while maintaining the same

strength.

I love those weird, black-seeded peppers. I love their fruity flavours. I love that pubescens heat. And heck, I love passion fruit that they’ve been paired with, too. But this sauce? It’s strangely disappointing for me.

It tastes alright, on its own, but the fruit does nothing for the savoury sesame, gochujang and garlic base. And the same is true in reverse. The flavours don’t clash but they don’t work together, either, and they don’t go on many of the same foods.

I don’t enjoy large amounts of sesame on my desserts or over my mexican meals and I don’t appreciate how the bright tang of the passion fruit stands out against my noodle dishes.

I can see this sauce being great with chicken or fish – Perhaps in hawaiian-style sushi – but I’ve tried it in a tonne of other roles and every single one has left me wanting.

So I would have to say that the standard is a far more usable product. Able to act as a go to red chilli sauce for almost any savoury dish but really coming into its own over stir-fry. Where my sweet tooth normally makes me opt for something thai style but this sauce has been first pick every time, since its purchase.

Gods of Sauces clearly knew what they were doing when they made their Korean Hot Sauce, as it’s one of the most unique and delicious things that I’ve featured in a long time. So it’s no surprise that their whole range seems to be variations on the same idea, with different peppers.

Just rather more of one that swapping out habaneros for manƶanos didn’t work. And, for that matter, that such a minor change to the ingredients could affect the sauce so very much.

Here’s what goes into the original:

Sesame Oil, Garlic, Gochujang, Chillies, Habanero Chillies, Brown Sugar, Vinegar, Ginger, Tomatoes, Salt.

And here’s the Passion Fruit Korean’s list, for comparison:

Sesame Oil, Garlic, Gochujang, Chillies, Manzano Chillies, Brown Sugar, Vinegar, Ginger, Passion Fruit Pulp, Salt.

Still, I’d thoroughly recommend checking the company out because that original Korean Hot Sauce is utterly amazing and I’m sure that plenty of the other variations will be, as well.