You've seen it on the table at Asian restaurants forever. It's time you get to know Sriracha, named after the Thai seaside town Si Racha, where it was first produced as a local product, although the best-selling brand today is actually not an import, but made near Los Angeles.
Before you pick up that red bottle with the rooster on it, know that this stuff is for fans of high-octane heat. It's made from sun-ripened chilies which are ground with vinegar and salt then blended with garlic and sugar into a smooth paste. Aside from dipping your summer roll into it, you can put it on egg and buttered popcorn, whisk it into dipping sauces to lend an extra punch, or even squirt some into your beer. Think of it like you do Tabasco, except a tad sweeter.
David Tran, Vietnamese immigrant of Chinese descent, has been making the sauce from his family-run company, Huy Fong Foods in California, since 1980. Before that, he was making the sauce in Vietnam, however he and his family escaped in 1979 because the new Communist government was hostile to Chinese immigrants.
(Recipes using Sriracha from Huy Fong Foods)
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I like to call it "cock sauce". Sure, it's crass, but when you're sending someone to Chinatown to get it for the first time, they don't buy the wrong thing.
There are more varieties! For Christmas this year, my husband got the full package: onion, garlic, sour (lemon), galanga, ginger, extra hot, and something else i must be forgetting. My weak palate cannot discern much difference, beyond hot.
I love the garlic version, especially mixed in with some black beans and rice.
This is one of those "always in the fridge, even it's utterly bare of other more edible things" things.
A staple in my kitchen!!
I find it to be more garlicy than the average hot sauce.
Does it need to be refridgerated? I have some from a few months ago but kept it in the pantry-- should I toss it? Or are there enough preservatives for it to be ok?
I love this stuff! I put it on everything: eggs, cottage cheese, broccoli, tofu, sandwiches, it's killer.
maggie,
I leave mine out of the fridge, no problem
Michelle of Montreal, we refer to it as Hot Cock Sauce around my house, so . . . whatever!
Patrick? Reading The Kitchen?
LOVE this stuff, but some of the other brands - imports - are better. Look for one with a shark on the label.
After four years together and many gifts (including lots of clothes, an ipod, and well, telling him I'd marry him) the lovely bottle of extra-garlic flavor hot cock sauce is my guy's favorite gift from me, ever.
Go figure. But I can't blame him!
I love this stuff-we use it in alot of our cooking.There's alot of cool stuff in Asian markets.
People I know refer to it as chili-garlic sauce!
Add some(lots) to mayo, makes a quick dressing/dip for rotisserie chicken.
I love this hot sauce, and it is always present in my fridge! My favourite lazy dinner - white rice, mashed in avocado, drizzled with sriracha! I am also a huge fan of chili oil, which you can find in china town. Chili oil is usually what they give you at a chinese restaurant when you ask for hot sauce. Hot oil with chunks of chopped chilis. . mmmmm.
I love this stuff. First time I had it was when a Korean friend made us all bee-ben-bop (i can't remember how it's really spelled).
I didn't know there were different versions, going to have to get me some of those.
The ubiquitous red bottle of chili sauce! Yes, agree with everyone else above. It is a great kitchen staple.
(guido: Where've you been? Lost your email address when my computer was reset. Can you email me when you get a sec? I have some great (Mexican!) music suggestions for you...)
I am utterly addicted to this stuff. I love it on pizza, pasta, stirfry, curries, paninis, and pretty much everything. I often use it in place of salt and pepper.
My larder would not be complete without the rooster!!
Enrique and guido-hope this is not too intrusive:
Any chance I may get to see some of the great Mexican music suggestions too-pretty please?:o)
Enrique, I'm now addicted to emusic dot com, the site you suggested on another OT! thanks, discovering some great music!
My playlist at home this a.m.(trying to cheer myself up):
I Want To - Ty
Inner Love (Samba) - Ty
My Myself & I - Andy Fortuna Prod.
She's Hotter - Pitbull
The Nice Up - Rodney P
Papi Where U From - Bimbo
Bandolera Era (Reggaeton Remix)-Los Mocosos
Tres Deseos - Gloria Estefan
Da La Vuelta - Marc Anthony
Akoba (K-Klash Remix) - Awa Klash
Lady - Modjo (Acoustic)
How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?-Sharon Jones
i am absolutely addicted to it.
I also love another version of this that comes in a jar called "Sambal Olek" . I think it is made in Holland of all places.
I use it in a balsamic vinagret with lots of garlic and mint and toss chickpeas and cellery in it. mmmmmm.
I second the mayo combo suggestion - great for lettuce wraps, corn on the cob - it's very tempting just to eat the mayo with a spoon!
leeds: Email me and I'll break off some cool suggestions for you. enrique at enriquedamnit dot com. (Bear with me if it takes a minute to reply; I'm on the road quite a bit these days.)
Delicious.
I've used it to spice up egg whites when I'm on the go.
Also, with the mayo... great idea. I've mixed it up with mayo to replicate the spicy mayo they serve at sushi restaurants.
The spicy mayo served w/sushi is, I believe, Japanese mayo mixed with Japanese hot chile sauce. It's all delicious though, hard to go wrong! I now have a craving for chicken with mayo & sriracha sauce..
It's always on the shelf door of my fridge. The first time I tried this sauce I was in college and making a takeout-leftovers version my uncle's fried spaghetti recipe over at a friend's house. It was like sriracha to the rescue!
My dad can't get enough of this stuff. I've never tried it. Should I? Hmm...
Check out my spoof:
http://www.kocksauce.com
Trivia question: Why is it called Huy Fong Foods?
Answer: That was the name of the ship he came to the US on. (From an LA Times story)
staple.
It is funny though. IF you don't know it then you think it is quite exotic but once you know it you wonder how you lived without it.
blend cock sauce with ketchup and you have the best condiment available. I haven't found anything that beats it. It's a sweet sour spicy sauce... it goes extremely well with fried chicken as well.
I put too much 'rooster sauce' in my soup so how can I calm it down?