To be precise, which dishes should be put more and which dishes should not be put?
Bean paste originated in Sichuan and has a history of more than 200 years. I won't say the specific source, I can search for it myself.
Bean paste is the soul seasoning of Sichuan cuisine. The classic series of boiled vegetables, boiled beef and boiled meat slices are all based on bean paste.
The same is true of Sichuan cuisine. It can be said that bean paste holds up half the sky of Sichuan cuisine. You can imagine that if there is no bean paste one day, Sichuan food will not be Sichuan food, and mala Tang and hot pot will be gone. The result is a little unimaginable.
However, with the rapid development of social logistics and population migration, eight Chinese cuisines have become more and more integrated, and bean paste can be seen everywhere. For example, many families in Jiangsu and Zhejiang can accept bean paste. As for what to put and what not to put in cooking, it depends on personal taste, and there is nothing to keep. As long as you like, bean paste can be eaten as a meal. These are some experiences I have gained from the kitchen over the years, and I hope they will be useful to you.
You can use bean paste when cooking meat dishes, such as fish-flavored shredded pork, stir-fried pork and so on. China people will use thick oil red sauce. Bean paste itself has a salty taste. I usually put the sauce without salt. You can't put bean paste in the cold salad, because if you want to choose a fresh salad, the sauce will cover up the umami flavor.
Bean paste is mostly used for all kinds of stir-fry, stir-fry and boiled vegetables, such as Sichuan pork, kung pao chicken, Mapo tofu, fish-flavored shredded pork, boiled pork slices and so on. Generally, you will put some bean paste in cooking. Without bean paste, you really can't make authentic Sichuan style. Bean paste is used in Sichuan and Chongqing hot pots.
Kung pao chicken's opinion is personal. Don't spray if you don't like it. Thank you for your attention.