Sriracha Chili Sauce Condiment or Crack?!

[bubbles4me]

I've recently started using Sriracha and fear that I may be addicted. The smell makes my mouth water and I crave it while I'm eating it trying to think what my next snack or meal may be so I can have more! When I have consumed half a bottle I run out and get more for fear that I will run out and have seriously considered keeping a bottle in my purse just in case some place I might be eating may not have it.....I think I have a problem.
Right now I'm using it on pizza, mixed in ketchup for fries and rings and on my eggs. Anyone else share my addiction?? If so how do you get your fix?

[Dinsdale45]

Has anyone ever tried the Flying Goose brand? It's not available in the US. Apparently, there are different flavors, like ginger, lemongrass, etc. I'd love to get my hands on some.

[njmarshall55]

Just picked up a small container of the chili-garlic sauce by Huy Fong. I think I like this better than traditional Sriracha. I like the garlic overtones in it.

[Ruth Lafler]

Mixed with melted butter and drizzled over popcorn!

[MsMaryMc]

Five Signs You May Have a Sriracha Problem
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforki...

[eclecticsynergy]

I thought this was humorous:

[Guerrilladistilla]

Sriracha in your purse?!....

I think I'm in love.

[gregsamsa]

As a recovering Sriracha addict, I have calmed down from the days when I put it in everything except my contact solution. It's nice to know other people have had my "problem."

Previous manifestations of my addiction:

*Try a tablespoon of good (real) curry powder and blanched spinach stirred into sour cream with a mega-squirt of sriracha as a dip. People will kill you for the recipe and somehow the curry/Sriracha disguise each other and blend into a fantastic enigma.

*Punch up the worst (e.g. Campbell's) tomato soup

*Whip with cream cheese, smear on tortillas, roll'em up, and slice with a very sharp knife to make pretty little swirly appetizers or party snax.

*Put some real devil in deviled eggs.

*Mix with mayo for fries and tots. So much better than it sounds.

*Two words: Bloody Mary

I eventually got over my addiction (but not my love) for Sriracha when I discovered that the massive Vietnamese Grocery here (in OKC, go figure) has an enormous selection of chilli sauces. I'm currently on a smokey beany Korean version, Sunchang Gochujang.

[MysticYoYo]

I felt the same way, until I discovered smoked chipotle. I make mayo and dips from the stuff, and the flavor profile is far superior to Sriracha .

[huiray]

Interesting thread. It seems to me, on first impression, that most (but maybe not all) folks here equate the term "sriracha" sauce with "chili sauce". That is, of course, incorrect. "Sriracha sauce", especially when it refers to the Huy Fong "Rooster" brand, is an American style chili sauce, one of many, many types of chili sauces. Any decent East Asian/Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai grocery should have an entire shelf or two full of all sorts of chili sauces from different regions of China to SE Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc), out of which only a very few (including the American "Rooster" brand) would be "Sriracha sauce".
;-)

[southernitalian]

We actually go through more Huy Fong Sriracha "hot chili sauce" than ketchup at my house but my favorite Asian condiment is currently Lee Kum Lee chili garlic sauce. Once I started eating it, I couldn't help but notice a weird chemical taste in siriacha. Still good, but not as good as chili garlic. The sriracha is available at my local supermarket but the chili garlics sauce requires a 25 minute trip across town to the Asian market.

This thread sadly reminded me that I didn't even plant cucumbers this summer, let alone make tzaziki. There was a huge Greek festival in Charlotte a few weeks ago and as I was scarfing down my gyro, I kept thinking, damn, I wish I had some sriracha! The two really go well together!

[wiigina]

I love it, but it makes you smell like a korean restaurant!

[Rmis32]

Love at first sight, sigh.

[tracylee]

And I just discovered the first "r" in the name of this condiment/crack after reading through most of this thread. I'm not usually so dense. And yes, the bottle of "cock sauce" in my fridge is spelled the same way. I feel dumb now.

[collardman]

I haven't read every word in this long thread but I'm surprised to see no mention of sambals.

I don't consider sriracha an addiction but certainly use sambal or, occasionally, sriracha, probably twice a week. Most often it is used for a lunch preparation to kick up leftovers or as part of a spread on a sandwich.

Having small jars of sambal oelek (ulek), badjak, trassi (terasi) on the shelf gives you a wider palette of flavors and heat than a single bottle of sriracha will.

[Solstice444]

I definitely enjoy sambal, I use both sambal oelek and sriracha if I'm making a stir fry to kick up the spice.

[Dinsdale45]

The Sriracha Cookbook

http://www.amazon.com/Sriracha-Cookbo...

[jester99]

Sriracha and ranch or blue cheese is awesome with anything. actually, Sriracha on its own is amazing and my constant use of it has built up my spiciness tolerance.

shopsin's bbq sauce is mix of sriracha and random hot sauce, it is just awesome

[Liveitloud]

I was at a sushi place the other day and ordered a sally roll and much to my surprise there was a drop of it on top of each roll. It was amazing!

[Zereh]

I know this is way old ... but I've read each comment! Love love all the ideas and have scribbled the tomato soup recipe down since that is what I was searching for when I found this thread. That is definitely something I will be making.

Here is my ultimate favorite comfort food:

Make brown rice in rice cooker. As soon as it dings place some into a bowl. Add a nice thick slice of Muenster cheese. Place more rice on top. Let it sit just long enough for the cheese to get gooey. Douse liberally with Sriracha and stir. Insert face into bowl and consume.

I've never tried the other brands but I'll be trying them soon as I find 'em.

[a.bot]

YUM.

I especially love it with bbq sauce or sweet/sour sauce. So good. BTW - it's taken me years to pronounce it properly. Before that it was lovingly known in my household as 'cock sauce'.

[duckdown]

OK so my local supermarket only had the huge bottles (although on sale for only 2.99, no tax, so who really cares)... anyway, what the hell else do i use this on besides mixing with ranch or tzatziki or on top of pizza? "putting it in chili" well who the heck has chili prepared out of the ordinary..

Let's say you have a basic pantry with the basic staples.. what else can you do with it? It's not that great literally as a condiment as I tried dipping french fries in it, and it sucked. Need some more ideas here

cheers

[BeaN]

In 195 replies you didn't find any ideas?

[alkapal]

only on chowhound, bea! ;-)).

[Solstice444]

I love it mixed with ketchup, try that with fries...if not, can't help you!

[Davwud]

It's hot sauce. Use it as you would hot sauce.

The thing I like about it is it doesn't add a lot of acidity to stuff I add it to.

DT

[duckdown]

It's OK.

Would rather find another sauce, even if it means ordering online.

Vinegar, blech..

[lyn]

ok time to bump one of our favorite threads. I can't recall if the Symon tomato soup has made this thread yet. good stuff.

Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup
paraphrased from "Michael Symon's Live To Cook" by Cleve food hero Michael Symon

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 28-oz can San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice (really a good idea if you can get this brand)
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
3/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue cheese (my-Lyn- note: if you cannot find this, find something else creamy and blue. I have also used goat cheese)

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and a three-fingered pinch of salt and sweat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sweat for 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juice and the stock and bring to a simmer. Add sriracha sauce, and oregano and simmer for 35 or so minutes. add cream and blue cheese simmer 10 minutes.
promise. it is good.

[Scrapironchef]

Take a good look at this photo from the ISS....

[Ruth Lafler]

Love it!!!!!!!!

[alkapal]

i've heard of "rocket man," but now we have "rocket rooster"! LOL!

also noted, the bottle of no-name bbq sauce above the sriracha....

here is more information about food on the space station: http://www.papawow.com/blog/space-foo...

[pianoboy]

My favorite: make a batch of stovetop popcorn - I usually use 2 tsp or so of coconut oil to do so. In a ketchup-like-squeeze bottle (the kind with the thin, cone-shaped nozzle) I put tamari, cider vinegar and Sriracha to taste. Apply liberally while popcorn is devoured.

[mrbigshotno.1]

Wanna try something good? I call them "Rooster Bombs" , prepare your favorite deviled eggs then stick the nozzle of sriracha down in the yolk filling and squeeze about 1/4 tsp into it, yeah baby! (of course take off the nozzle afterwards and wash it)

[bigjeff]

anyone catch today's dining section?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/din...

[goodhealthgourmet]

yep...the part about the answering machine messages was pretty entertaining :)

[Ruth Lafler]

Too bad they didn't mention this "condiment or crack" thread!

[goodhealthgourmet]

you know, i thought about this thread when i saw the paper this morning, and i was actually reading through the article expecting to stumble across a CH mention!

[JanRan]

After reading the article yesterday, I came across the product in a store where I was shopping, but after reading the ingredient list, decided not to purchase. Doesn't anyone care that it contains sulphites and preservatives:
Ingredient list: Chili, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Distilled Vinegar, Potassium Sorbate, Contains Sodium Bisulfite as Preservatives, and Xanthan Gum.
Is there another comparable product that's natural?

[Humbucker]

If you drink wine, you consume sodium bisulfite. It's not an ingredient I'd worry about unless you are allergic.

[goodhealthgourmet]

"Doesn't anyone care that it contains sulphites and preservatives"
~~~~~~
umm, have you read any of the threads on CH about favorite junk foods and guilty pleasures?

anyway, i'm with Humbucker. i'm sensitive to sulfites, but the amount in an occasional teaspoon of sriracha isn't going to stop me!

[huiray]

The first article had two paragraphs that I found telling...

"The lure of Asian authenticity is part of the appeal. Some American consumers believe sriracha (properly pronounced SIR-rotch-ah) to be a Thai sauce. Others think it is Vietnamese. The truth is that sriracha, as manufactured by Huy Fong Foods, may be best understood as an American sauce, a polyglot purée with roots in different places and peoples."

and...

"What Mr. Tran developed in Los Angeles in the early 1980s was his own take on a traditional Asian chili sauce. In Sriracha, a town in Chonburi Province, Thailand, where homemade chili pastes are favored, natives do not recognize Mr. Tran’s purée as their own."

[Dinsdale45]

Does anyone else find some sticky amber resin-like stuff oozing from their bottles (Huy Fong brand) over time? I don't remember this happening with sauce I used to buy 5 years ago.

[pie22]

yes i know exactly what your talking about - i think it has something to do with pressure building inside the turn part of the cap....i wipe it off and forget about it...its crack, you need more!

[ConOrama]

Oh, youve saved my life. Ive had that explode all over my fridge shelf twice and had no idea where it came from.

[MattInNJ]

It is crack, wonderful wonderful crack!

[Shiro]

mix sriracha with mayonaisse for french fries. fucking excellent

[ekammin]

There's a difference in srirachas.

Like, I suppose most people, I used to use the stuiff from California, bright orange-red, in a squeeze bottle. Then, one day, in a local Sieu Tai, I found a different brand, same bottle, but labelled "Product of Viet-Nam". Twice as good at half the price!

[mellycooks]

Siracha mixed with Red Shell Miso Dressing , over cold noodles = Heaven!! OR you can dip veggies in it, or pour over lentils or rice or.....

Seriously, it's one of those magical combinations. BTW, Red Shell is a brand name creamy miso dressing found with refrigerated dressings.

[juliachancey]

Well, after years of forgetting about Sriracha I discovered an unopened bottle at the back of my pantry. Not remember anything about it I opened it and -POW- the addiction was on. Since last night i have eaten almost 1/2 bottle of the stuff on popcorn, potato chips and hamburgers. Yum

[green56]

Hehehehehe! I do the same with my Rooster Chile Garlic Sauce.

And most recently with the jarred, unprocessed horseradish (red & white label) from WI, downing the entire jar in about 3-4 days. I ate it on EVERYTHING!

[Simon]

i love it too, and use it liberally...it's particularly good when making Asian fried noodle dishes at home (e.g. sometime try frying up some noodles, smoked oysters, green veggie of your choice, garlic, onion, and Sriracha)...or add it to any left-over Asian food along w/ some rice and fry the whole mess up, and you're likely to have a better meal that if you'd order something delivered fresh...

but: i recommend keeping at least 2 or 3 other options on hand: some Middle Eastern harissa, some Cholula or Tapitio, some dried chili peppers, and/or good ol' Tabasco, so that you don't wear it out...i find that Sri fairs less well in Mediterranean dishes...for example, if i am making pan-scrambled eggs&feta w/ a tomato/cucumber salad w/ lemon&olive-oil, a little Tabasco or harissa works a lot better...

[Dax]

Good call except I can't abide the Tabasco anymore. I keep sriracha, chili garlic, Cholula, harissa and even Pete's Insanity (VERY rarely used) on hand.

[stangoldsmith]

Nice posting.

I like to mix sriracha rooster with plain yogurt and use it as a dipping sauce for rotisserie chicken and also mix it with plain rice.

Also - try adding some to Italian dressing and stirring it for a spicy salad dressing.

- SG
San Diego Food Blog
http://www.sandiegofoodblog.com

[HotSauceDaily]

I found a supplier in the U.K. that ships Flying Goose Brand Sriracha to the U.S. I ordered 2 small bottles, cost was reasonable with shipping.

I wrote 2 posts about it here: http://tinyurl.com/8fnhwh
that also compares 3 other sriracha sauces made in Thailand.

[ginael]

Ah yes, I am also quite fond of Siracha. Not only is it good on sushi rolls, but it is also the perfect compliment for tuna nachos. Blue corn chips, tuna, Monterey Jack cheese, and a very thick spread of Siracha. Mmmmm...

[vtnewbie]

Don't forget the sugar content of sriracha. Beyond that the fermented garlic and chilis are just adjuncts.

Those of you who denigrate ketchup but praise sriracha are really hypocrites. They're both just sugary condiments. I don't want to be a diabetic in 20 years, so I cut down on the hidden sugar and save it for dessert.

And yes, I love sriracha too, but try to keep my garlic intake low. What I satisfy my sriracha jones with is a simple chili paste with no sugar and no garlic. Just salt, vinegar, and chilis. Not as good, but oh well.

[alkapal]

my sriracha is far from sweet. hmmm, i wonder if there is lots of variation in brands?

[alkapal]

mine is made in the usa by d& d gold product corp., santa ana, california. it has three bells in a circle under the overarching words: "tuong ot an pho sriracha." the bottle has a yellow squirt top, and states that it is the "hottest sriracha chili sauce." ingredients: chili, garlic, vinegar, water, sugar, salt, sodium bisulfate and potassium sulfate as preservatives.

[Ruth Lafler]

There is some -- not a lot -- of variation in brands. They basically all have the same ingredients, just in slightly different proportions. I haven't tried a lot of them, but I treasure my bottle of Uncle Chen, which is a lot darker and more vinegary then "rooster" brand.

Rooster brand, I suspect, has become popular in the US precisely because it is the sweetest. And yeah, I looked at the nutritional info and my bottle of rooster has more sugar per 5 gram serving than my Trader Joe's organic ketchup. However, you don't use nearly as much sriracha as you do ketchup per application (or at least, I don't), so the total amount of sugar consumed is probably less.

[ThaiNut]

Eating sugar does not cause diabetes. See:
http://www.healthcastle.com/sugar-dia...

[vtnewbie]

Tell that to the Pima Indians.

[Ruth Lafler]

Even if it did cause diabetes in the Pima Indians, that doesn't mean it would have the same effect on other population groups.

[vtnewbie]

But doesn't that suggest that consumption of sugar is a factor in development of diabetes?

[Ruth Lafler]

There are lots of factors involved with diabetes, and whether something will or will not be a factor in diabetes varies hugely from person to person.

Besides, association is not the same as causation. Even if the presence of something is associated with the presence of the other, it doesn't mean that one causes the other -- it could be, for example, that they are both caused by some other third factor.

[vtnewbie]

Well, call me crazy, but I'll avoid spiking my blood sugar. Works for me.

[meatn3]

The day this post was started, I read it. Then I went out and bought some...I've debated the condiment/crack issue for over a year now.

Crack. No other possibility!

[bitsubeats]

I recently had some pho at a local Vietnamese restaurant. I noticed a Korean couple around the same age as me (mid to late 20s) order huge bowls of pho with a plate of sliced onions on the side. They then took some sriracha and squeezed it ALL over the sliced onions. When I say all over, I mean doused. Anyways they were eating the sriracha covered onions in between bites/slurps of pho. I think it was their version of kimchi.

On the other hand, my sister loves to put sriracha in her pho broth, but I think it masks the flavor of good pho broth. There are times I want to douse everything in sriracha and times I want to leave it out.

The other day I dipped dark russet potato chips in sriracha <3

[green56]

Crack.

I don't do the Huy Fong 'red capped' Rooster Sauce; I do the 'green capped' garlic/chili paste. My fav thing is mac & cheese with the stuff. Oh! Yeah, man! Eggs! Roast, fish, chicken, salads...

Try it with cottage cheese. TO DIE FOR!

[Kenois]

Crack. Definitely.

The best application of sriracha, in my opinion, is mixing it into the cheese sauce of homemade baked macaroni & cheese (preferably made with sharp cheddar). It is unbelievable this way. You may even put an extra little bit on top when you eat it.

[pookiefatcat]

Had it on eggs with polenta this am. And on toast with peanut buter. And grilled cheese too..... Even the baby likes a bit on the end of my finger. she makes a face but goes back for more every time.

[Ruth Lafler]

Yup. I use it instead of mustard to give the mac n cheese some kick. I especially like to use the more vinegary Uncle Chen brand of sriracha (which I'm hoarding since I haven't seen it again).

[KentonBrown]

Well, it is a very serious problem. Check out SrirachaAnonymous.org

This stuff reminds me of the old promo: "Make Friends with Kool-Aid!" I have bottles of various brands at my desk at work, and my coworkers are always experimenting with Sriracha - along with our regional habanero and Sonoron chile salsas.

What's worse is that some of the best sauce is no longer available to Americans in the domestic market! Huy Fong rooster sauce as produced in California is okay, but it's hot and heavy on the ripe serrano chile flavor, with little garlic or sugar. I've encountered a Vietnamese version at some local "dollar" store which is good.

The DISASTER is that "Flying Goose Brand" is no longer imported by Whalong Marketing, Inc., of Buena Park CA, allegedly due to poor sales numbers. I chalk it up to poor marketing and product placement by Whalong - certainly not the quality or range of the Thai product. See the FGB product lineup here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha. We can only hope someone picks up the line.

I have a few ounces of the REGULAR and GALANGA versions ensconsed on my kitchen counter - like Lenin's body in the Kremlin - there to use as a flavor reference when making my own knock-offs of these no-longer-available FGB flavors! I could eat the FGB sriracha alone, by the spoonful, but not the FH model. The Galanga (Galangal) version is incredible on Bánh mì.

This loss is a recent development, and I spoke with the former importer. I have been comiserating with a coworker who can't get his garlic-infused version of FGB. We don't know how to proceed, short of doctoring the FH basic model. YIKES!

[alkapal]

ooooh, galanga version???!!!

now, i miss it even though i never had it and (apparently) never will. ;-(

any other galanga-type sauces, anyone? (fwiw, i live in arlington, va, not far from eden center....)

[HotSauceDaily]

@kenton - There's a "period" at the end of your link, rendering it broken. Actual link is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha The six versions of Flying Goose are pictured about halfway down. I am on a quest to find a way to order some of those!

[southernitalian]

I actually made a sriracha discovery this week. My cucumbers are amazing this summer and I've been making batches of tzaziki for weeks. I was having some the other night with grilled chicken and was craving something hotter. I squirted a blob of sriracha into the tzaziki and it was amazing! By the time I was done, it was a 50/50 mix. The heat of the sriracha and the cool tzaziki was amazing!

[fallingup]

I just made some tzatziki to go with kebabs for lunch...Sriracha is now going into the mix.

[Davwud]

That's a hell of an idea.

Care to share your tzaziki recipe??

DT

[southernitalian]

http://greekfood.about.com/od/appetiz...

Here's the recipe I use. I use regular cucumbers. This is really good on chicken skewers.

[kattyeyes]

I'll second that recipe recommendation. I found it last week and made it to go with lamburgers. Never thought to add sriracha. Cool (and hot!). ;)

[gmk1322]

CRACK! I read this thread while sitting at my desk and couldn't wait till lunch so I could run home and have some. I wound up steaming carrots and broccoli with a little cheese and then added my red crack, it was great!!! I also love Sriracha on veggie burgers, eggs, pizza, friend rice, too many things to name.

[jbyoga]

My god - Both I think....Viva Sriracha!

[dmadibug]

PLEASE HELP lol i need to know where in the united states i can buy Flying Goose Brand Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce. my boyfriend is in love with the stuff and yes it was like crack. he ate it on everything everyday all the time. he lives in washington and they stopped selling it. the only place i can find is on this site here http://www.scorchio.co.uk/flying-goos... but the one he fell in love with had a red top. i just don't know what to do i don't want to pay $30 a bottle and most of it shipping for his birthday present just for him to finish off the whole thing in a day and can't get anymore ><

[KentonBrown]

Sorry, FGB is dead in the U.S for now. It really is a disaster! I spoke with the importer - WAHLONG Marketing, Inc. Allegedly due to poor sales(?) (!), the line has been discontinued, leaving us only with the monotoously generic FH domestic product and a few other other rare imports from Thailand & VN. FGB was a broad product line, and the oferings were over-the-top excellent. Please see my other post this morning.

[Morticia]

I became addicted to the stuff while working at a Chinese restaurant during college - every day, I had to douse everything I consumed there (egg rolls, noodles, veggies, tofu, and my absolute favorite, the scallion pancake) with massive amounts. The owner of the restaurant always laughed at me - he wasn't fond of spicy food, and thought it bizarre the quantity of sriracha that I ate. Nowadays, I usually only eat it on my vegetarian Vietnamese food - and I can't eat the food without the sauce (my husband once got the regular hot sauce instead of the sriracha, and it just didn't work for me!)

[beelzebozo]

you know it's a sign that you've got a good condiment when you're making dishes to accommodate your condiment and not the adverse.

[Solstice444]

I have been really wanting to try this. My local supermarket has a fairly thorough "ethnic food" aisle, but I could not find it among the Asian sauces. Instead I bought some other Thai chili sauce, but I was disappointed. (side note: after I got home from shopping yesterday, I realized that I had bought jalapenos (fresh and canned), Thai chili sauce, 2 prepackaged spicy Indian vegetarian meals, habanero cheddar cheese, pepperjack cheese, spicy nacho Doritos, and extra hot Italian sausage...I think my spicy food problem is growing more serious!)

[fallingup]

Haha that's hilarious. And sounds very much like my family's shopping cart. My younger sister is the only one among us who doesn't love spicy food but we are more than happy to throw her under the bus. She's a good sport though.

[Lemur King]

Step 1: Admit that you have a problem.
Step 2: Ignore Step 1 and milk it for all it's worth.

Seriously, I am welded to my bottle of Dave's Insanity Sauce. When the wife makes peanut butter cookies, I have her make two batches. One is the batch for poor helpless mortals, and the other is for those who need their endorphines and they need them now.

To a batch of PB cookies add:

- Red Food Coloring - Folks need to be able to identify that which might hurt them, especially kids. Kill too many mortals by fire and you have a lynch mob on your hands
- 1 tsp of D.I.S. - Too little and the cookies seem anemic, like you expect more. Too much and it kind of spoils the party, the PB gets drowned out. 1 tsp is just about right (I'm sure Goldilocks would agree).

First you enjoy the PB and sweetness, and then the heat builds slowly to a wonderful climax and slowly subsides into what I call the "Fireside Chat Level".

Embrace your chili of choice - life is too short to live in fear.

- LK

[bubbles4me]

Thanks for understanding my addiction! Your cookies sound sooooo good, think I will have to give those a try. My newest favorite thing is to use the "crack" as a dip for fruit....sweet, salty, spicy...perfect.

[madgreek]

I've had some of the Huy Fong (rooster) version in the past, and really liked it. This thread inspired me to pick up a bottle a week or so ago. In an effort to avoid the preservatives in the Huy Fong version, I bought a bottle made by KA-ME Foods, which was preservative free. Ingredient list: good. Taste: Not so good. I think it was imported, as well. Oh well. Looks like I'm going to get some "cock sauce" today-lol. I'm craving it now, and the "impostor's" brand isn't cutting it. I'd rather have the American ketchup-like stuff.

[midwestside]

Its THE gateway drug of chili heads.

[FoodieKat]

I love Srirarcha chili sauce too. On scrambled eggs, in stir frys, on wasabi crackers for extra bang, on noodles (especially in chow mein) and mixed with ketchup. Oh yeah, and it also makes a fabulous substitute for the Tabasco normally used in a Bloody Mary. I love the tangy, garlicky burn.

[Ruth Lafler]

New use for it today: I had some ham for lunch that needed a little something, so looking at what I had on hand in the office, I made a sweet-spicy glaze by mixing some black cherry preserves with some sriracha. Yummy!

[Dinsdale45]

I've been loving this stuff since I found it on the tables in 3 Dollar Dewey's bar in Portland Maine back in the early 80s. I'm so hooked I have 4 bottles of the "Rooster" going right now. One in the kitchen, one by my chair in the family room, one in my car, and one in my office.

[MaineRed]

I had to buy a bottle for the office...it makes *every* take out order a thousand times better. Heck, it makes everything better: if you put salt and pepper on something, then you should put this on it -- pizza especially! If you ask for a "spicy falafel" sandwich at the local Greek place, they'll douse it with cock sauce...oh so good.

[dty]

"Cock sauce"? The 12-year-old in me is so tempted to use that term one of these days when I have to rummage through the company fridge for that communal bottle of Sriracha...

[Eat_Nopal]

I guess I never mentioned it on this thread... a few months ago I found a bottle sauce named Tonitas Salsa Especial that has a similar flavor profile as Sriracha but is a bit more balanced & elegant easier to "sip"... for anyone that is interested.

[currymouth]

Ok, you got my attention. Where is it made and where can I get it?

[Eat_Nopal]

Its made in Yahualica, Jalisco from a regional variation of Arbol Chiles known as Chile Yahualica (the dried red peppers used in China & India are also regional variations of the Arbol Chile... so its all the same family).

I purchased it at Lola's Market in Santa Rosa, CA (Petaluma Hill Rd.)... not sure where else its available... although I did see it online somewhere.

[currymouth]

Thanks, we have a large Mexican population in New Brunswick, so I'll check some of the shops there

[CookforFun]

I do that too!!! I put it in my eggs, my stirfry, eat it on pizza, but it in burritos! There are very few things that I dont put it on! I got addicted in college with a local bakery made a bread called a "cheese round" which was essentially a mini pizza with no tomato sauce. Sometimes they had veggies on them, some times they were plain. But they had a dipping sauce that you could get, and it was olive oil, cracked pepper and Sriracha sauce. I had dreams about that stuff!!!! Eventually one dipping sauce wasn't enough, had to get two! You are not alone.

[hooliganyouth]

If you like Sriracha then I wholeheartedly recommend the Bell & Flower chili sauce - it's a little more ferocious on the heat end. Sometimes I need something that isn't as...I don't want to use the word "tropical"...flowery? fruity? I need some serious fire and brimstone heat.

That being said:

Sriracha also makes for a tasty addition to tuna fish sandwiches. I also add quite a bit to stir fried noodles...and eggrolls...and hardboiled eggs...mac & cheese...

I do think my favorite is onion rings. Dang I just made my stomch growl.

[currymouth]

Never heard of it , where can I get it

[lyn]

I am not sure where you live, but every Asian market has several varietes. For what ever reason the "rooster" kind is most popular (at least in in US) it has a- suprise, rooster, on the bottle.

[ThaiNut]

If you ever get to Thailand and want to go right to the source of your addiction, the city of Si Racha is about an hour's drive south of Bangkok on Rt-3 on the east side of the Gulf (on the route to Pattaya Beach). My (Thai) wife went to a convent in Si Racha when she was little. A good diversion is to pass through the big city of Chonburi and then about 5 Kms further on on the right will be a road leading to the fishing village of Ang Sila. Go down this road and just about right away you come to dozens of shops/stalls where the locals hand carve the local granite into everything imaginable. Every Thai kitchen has one or more granite mortar and pestle sets made in Ang Sila. These are awfully heavy but I could not possibly make Thai food without mine. Then go back out to Rt-3 and continue south and in about 20 minutes you'll enter Si Racha. 30 years ago when I was first there they did offer factory tours.

[currymouth]

But unless I'm mistaken, Tuong ot Sriracha. The one we all love has always been made in California. I remember a report I saw several years ago, perhaps even on FN. that profiled the Thai expat, and his adventure over the years to source the right peppers, The right fermentation process, seasonings, and the fight to get every chinese, vietnamese, and thai reasturant in cali to carry his sauce.I have tried just about all the competitors, and in my opinion Siriracha is still the best

[ThaiNut]

I'm a Thai linguist and when I just saw the name 'Tuong Ot Sriracha' I got curious because the first two words are certainly not Thai but look very Vietnamese. A search on the INTERNET turned up the following quote, which was echoed over several web sites: "Tuong ot Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce - this is the sauce now sweeping the country in Asian restaurants with the famous taste of Viet Nam." So, good as this brand might be, it looks like it was designed to mimic a Vietnamese sauce. Perhaps the producer decided to call it Siracha sauce because it is so close to Thailand's Siracha sauce and also to cash in on the familiarity of existing Siracha sauces.

[currymouth]

Come to think of it , that report I saw did mention that expat was escaping from the Vietnam war. Thanks ThaiNut.

[ThaiNut]

That was my suspicion. There have been tons of Vietnamese who have come to the U.S. via the Orderly Departure Program or as boat refugees and who staged through Thailand. Most of them spent long periods of time in Thai refugee camps before they got out. There is at least one very popular Thai cookbook that was actually written by one of these expat Vietnamese and in Honolulu, where there were some 15 Thai restaurants when I lived there 15 years ago, the most popular was a chain of about 2-3 Thai restaurants all owned by a man named 'Keo' who was actually Vietnamese. He's published some Thai cookbooks too. It's curious who easily the Vietnamese adapt to Thai cookery as the two cuisines are not at all similar.

[srr]

I think there was a profile of the sauce and the guy who makes it in Saveur a couple of years ago. Might have been in their "100 Favorite Things" issue. I'll have to look through my magazines.

[currymouth]

Your quite right.It was saveur.

[Miss Needle]

It was not in the 100 things issue, but it was indeed in an issue of Saveur one to two years ago.

I love Huy Fong Sriracha. I had different types of sriracha sauces in Thailand and Vietnam, but the Huy Fong is my favorite.

[torty]

I saw a link the other day to a recent article and the founder is Vietnamese , had experience there making chili sauce, and developed the Huy Fong Sriracha when he got to the US after time in refugee camps (maybe Thai). He supposedly saw it as SEAsian catsup; a squeeze to put into pho. They still target mostly to the Asian audience and are amazed by the cult thing.

[alkapal]

the article actually said he wanted to reach beyond the asian audience with his blend -- to be used on burgers and the like.

[kattyeyes]

I put it on a steamed cheeseburger that I made at home. It was excellent!

[alkapal]

ha! a steamed burger. were you perhaps influenced by watching diners, drive-ins and dives? ;-)).

[kattyeyes]

Nope, steamed cheeseburgers are native to my hometown (and my uncle's restaurant). I grew up eating them and just learned to make them at home last year (see home cooking board). In fact, I made them last night again...with ketchup mixed with Sriracha! Yum!

[currymouth]

Sorry, I was asking about the "Bell and Flower"chili sauce, hooliganyouth refered to.

[jujuthomas]

crack - I don't eat it straight, but I believe it's what they use to make spicy mayo for sushi... and I'm totally addicted! :-D

[link_930]

Crack. Crack. Crack. A roommate once bought me a boxful of sriracha as a present because I was always running out, and take out places never gave enough.

Love it on, or mixed with:
pizza (I use it as the base instead of tomato sauce if homemade)
kare
cornbread (ooohhhh it's tasty!)
vanilla ice cream (also awesome with jalapenos)
hummus
mac and cheese

Gee thanks. My mouth is watering now.

[lyn]

I have not tried these yet but they look killer (your welcome!)
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sp...

[currymouth]

You are not alone! just had the $4.00 buffet lunch at Hong Kong super market in East Brunswick, NJ, Smothered in Sriracha. with a side of shrimp chips dipped in..... You guessed it.

[cee]

Has anyone ever seen Sriracha Panich brand in the US? It's made by Golden Mountain, but it's not the same as Golden Mountain's Sriracha sauce. Here's what it looks like:

http://www.goldenmountainsauce.com/Sr...

I live in Thailand, and have tried every major brand (there's a lot of brands here) and this is my favorite so far. I sent a bottle of this to my brother for Christmas.

[KikiCalifornia]

I've seen it at the Bangkok Center Grocery in Chinatown, in NYC, but no where else...

[kdawn]

OH MY GOSH. i'm so excited i found someone that was addicted too. it is kind of scary. i freak out when my cafe at work doesn't have it. i swear i almost start crying. i put it on EVERYTHING. i am actually so frustrated right now, because safeway doesn't carry it anymore!! (at least the ones next to me....) i'm not sure where you are from, but i just did some web research, and Ranch 99 (an asian chain market) sells it. FYI, here is the website of the company that makes it: www.huyfong.com. You can buy it from them by the CASE!

[lebelage]

If you get the chance buy Shark Brand sriracha.... I thought Rooster was great until I tried Shark.

http://importfood.com/sriracha_sauce....

[Davwud]

I can attest for the Sambal Olek as well.

DT

[eastcoastgirl_westcoastlife]

'nother addict here. There's not much I DON'T like it on, but I have 3 faves:

* Mixed with ketchup to have with scrambled eggs/omelettes
* Made up into my own spicy tartar sauce for fish cakes, crab cakes or cocktail sauce
* Mixed with a little soya, sesame oil and sweet rice vinegar for a dipping sauce for green onion cakes.

Now I want some. And I'm at work. Thanks alot lol!

[Honey Bee]

Wanted something spicy on my salad and mixed up the following:
sriracha, sour cream, dark sesame oil, honey, lime juice, and fish sauce.
Currently eating this on a spinach salad with grilled chicken. Hit the spot! I only hope I can replicate it tomorrow.

[bigjeff]

sounds like good ol' pantry cooking! those are usually the most sublime combinations and for one-time-use only!

[missfunkysoul]

one of my favorite things in the world is scrambled eggs with caramelized onions and fresh basil from my garden, on a slice of buttered toast (homemade bread), a giant squirt of sriracha on top and a giant latte on the side...

[crosby_p]

My first taste of sushi was in a little Lake Worth Florida restaurant. The roll I ordered came with a "spicy sauce". CRACK. I asked the waitress, and it was Sriracha mixed with ponzu...fabulous. I never eat wasabi with sushi anymore. I also mix it with Trader Joe's gyoza dipping sauce...great with dumplings! After reading this post, I am going to try in in tuna, mac and cheese,and lots of other dishes...don't know if I could do the peanut butter or not but I am going to give it a try!!!

[Rogsmom]

CRACK!!!

I seriously love the stuff and I add Sriracha on pretty much everything I eat. I even converted my hot sauce hating husband into a Sriracha addict.

[revsharkie]

I even mixed some into some rather bland spaghetti sauce I made a couple days ago.

[revsharkie]

Yesterday I made some sausage, biscuits & gravy for breakfast after church. Our local store makes their own bulk sausage, but I find it a little bland. I'm always mixing something in. This time it was a couple of tablespoons of Sriracha. Oh, man.

[sizzlnchef]

Dont feel bad I put it on everything except chocolate cake!!!! Hmmmmmmmmm....................The other night my wife made chipped beef on toast and put it on mmm mmmmmmm but the wife went ballistic and said I ruined that too not to my taste. Was excellent

[Petitpois]

I was embarassed to post this, but then I saw the Sriracha and peanut butter toast suggestion -- sounds delish, but how can you get weirder than that? So, here goes: I like Sriracha in my oatmeal, with grated cheese. Or sometimes a slice of chopped up processed cheese stirred in until everything is melty. I don't think I've ever admitted this combo to anyone, not even my husband.

[Uncle Ira]

I love, love, love the stuff. Great balance of flavor with heat. Among many other uses, it turns mac and cheese into a food for grown-ups. Great on pizza too. Must be something special about the way it works with cheese...

One big question I have though. I live alone and it takes me a long time to get through a bottle. I hate keeping it in the refrigerator, but i worry a little bit about leaving it out for weeks or even months. Sometimes I’ll toss half a bottle and get a new one rather then risk problems. What do other hounds do? Is there a way to tell if it’s gone bad?

Uncle Ira

[Davwud]

I'm not expert but it should be fine. I don't refrigerate mine either. It'll last at least a couple three months.
Are you buying the smallest bottle you can??

DT

[Miss Needle]

It definitely can go bad. It turns into a darker red and tastes a bit of -- not as fresh. When I used to work in Washington Heights in NYC, I kept a bottle of Sriracha at work. Pretty soon, everybody in the office was using it. We all ended up taking turns buying it. As Washington Heights is predominantly a Dominican neighborhood, most of my officemates ended up ordering in Dominican food. Sriracha is a perfect complement to chicarrones.

[bitsubeats]

oh my god I love you...pork rinds and sirracha?

almost as good as kimchi and pork...almost (:

[pie22]

i also keep a bottle at work and haven't had a problem - i think my current bottle is hitting the 6 month mark (i could only find a huge one) but tastes just fine to me. i think the vinegar keeps it from turning too quickly.

[mojoeater]

Why do you hate keeping it in the fridge? We do and it keeps for months!

[Avalondaughter]

How funny! I just started using it myself a couple of weeks ago (thanks to a recipe in "Eating Well" that required it).

I mixed it up with fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, scallions and sesame oil last night and threw in some shredded chicken. Rolled up in lettuce wraps it was hyper yummy.

Sriracha wings would be awesome now that I think of it.

I'd say the stuff is good on anything but dessert.

[jamesm]

Very weird. I was thinking sriracha today and decided to make -- literally -- the exact same thing you mentioned there avalondaughter. Lettuce wraps and all. My dinner is fateful.

[starlady]

That sounds yummy!

I totally put sriracha in the hot sauce I make for my wings!

And I put some in blue cheese dressing too :)

[holy chow]

Crack.

In fits of passion while in the kitchen I'll rub this stuff all over my body. I know that when I find a woman who will love me for me, she will also love Sriracha rub downs too!

Seriously, there is nothing better on a quesadilla then sliced chilies and Sriracha.

I heart you Sriracha makers.

[bitsubeats]

I like making kimbap with canned tuna mixed w/siracha and mayo (instead of just mayo) or slices of spam dipped in siracha in kimbap. yummmmmmmmmmm

[reannd]

I've never made kimbap. Can you give me a little more info on how you do this.. just make tuna salad w. sriracha and mayo then rice & wrap it, or is there more?

[bitsubeats]

whoops...... just canned tuna (in oil please...not in water) mixed with kewpie mayo and a little siracha. I put this in my kimbap by itself....you can add the other usual kimbap add-ins if you like, but it would probably taste weird

so basically you lay down some seaweed, add rice, then your tuna mixed with mayo and siracha. You can add sesame seeds if you like or after making your kimbap, you can rub the outside of the roll with sesame oil. You can also add vinegar and mirin or sugar to the rice, but I usually like it plain

[bigjeff]

ya I like sriracha alright but the original O.G. all-purpose sauce for me will always be Lee Kum Kee's Chili Garlic Sauce; like sriracha can be used for any application, but best exemplified with fried dumplings; a mound of chili garlic sauce surrounded by a moat of soy sauce, and just dip away! the best and the chunkiness is great as well.

[Chocolatechipkt]

I love it too!

[avena]

Speaking of condiment crack, I absolutely love Jufran Hot Banana Ketchup!!! Its so good with lumpia, dumplings, french fries,....probably almost everything Sriracha is good on! Its also red, a little spicy, and irresistable. It doesn't taste anything like bananas. Its just good.

[duckdown]

@ avena : old thread but thanks about the hot banana sauce tip!! it's awesome.

[avena]

Yea, Sriracha is like crack. I've seen t-shirts with a picture of the bottle in the front! In college they had big bottles of it out in the cafeteria, and they seemed to go through tons of the stuff everyday. Students (including me) were putting it on EVERYTHING. It helped make the cafeteria food edible.

[revsharkie]

I like it on tater tots. And I was drinking a lot of low sodium V-8 awhile back, which has some serious lack in flavor. So I added a little sriracha to it and that made it all better. Might have undid all the good I was doing, low sodium-wise, I don't know.

[tinymango]

i personally love sriracha for mixing in with my cup ramen noodles.

also a fan of mixing it with good quality mayo for a dipping sauce for catfish fingers or chicken fingers. yums.

[Davwud]

CRACK!!!

I've told Mrs. Sippi on a few occasions when we've walked into a restaurant and seen it on the table that it's gonna be good food. It's never failed me.

DT

[janethepain]

I just added sriracha to some boxed mac and cheese - god that was good. Kicked up the cheesiness a notch while adding some dimension. Otherwise, sriracha is always good in soups and mixed with ketchup.

[Ruth Lafler]

I like curry powder in my boxed mac and cheese (which I no longer make, now that I've been indoctrinated into the fabulousness of the Alton Brown stovetop version, which, come to think of it, I usually add a squirt of sriracha to instead of the called-for Tabasco).

[eating out]

Nothing goes better with sriracha than mac n cheese. but it is true, it goes with everything (close second is pizza, third is dumplings). sriracha is crack. also love the chili garlic sauce, use it to make burgers. delish.

[Ela0427]

OH MAAAN..i am pregnant and tomorrow morning I am having PB and Sriracha on toast. i love it too!!

[mrbozo]

Sriracha loves peanut butter. A PBS on toasted whole wheat.

[klieglight2]

Wow, I thought I was the only one who loved Sriracha and Peanut Butter sandwiches! A lot of people look at me in disgust when I do this, but the flavour of the chilies, garlic and subtle sweetness of the Sriracha go so well with PB. I have also been known to make a PB and Korean gochujang (not exactly sure of the spelling) sandwich. Another great combination if you are careful with the gochujang.

[mariekeac]

my dad always eats peanut butter with Sambal! and my hubby etas PB with sweet chilli sauce

[ctscorp]

I grew up watching my dad eat scrambled eggs with hot sauce and wheat (or rye) toast with melty peanut butter. He'd take a bite of the saucy eggs, then a bite of toast. The first time I tried it, I knew my dad was on to something... and then I tried it with sriracha. The student surpassed the master. Also good with Huy Fong's plain chili garlic paste, which is hotter and not as sweet.

[darcyjean66]

AHA!!! Ive been looking for Sriracha after having "spicy scallop" sushi roll at the SkyBar at Atlantis in Reno, but cant for the life of me find it at the Grocery, but i did find the chili garlic paste. I fell in love when i had hole-in-the-toast-egg toped with that chunky red sauce from heaven!!! Still cant find my Sriracha..any suggestions???

[bitsubeats]

hi, Ive seen sriracha at any asian grocery store and sometimes at my local grocery store. I dont know if you are in the military or not (chances you're not), but I see it at the commissary all the time.

I don't understand how you found the rooster chili garlic paste, but not the sriracha? So strange!

where do you live btw? If you live next to a good sized asian population then you will more than likely find some

[southernitalian]

Since I first tasted it while eating Pho, I add it to almost every soup. I also love it on chicken. Also good on burgers.

[huiray]

Hmm. Don't you find that the taste profile of the soups is often destroyed - or at least heavily altered - when you add "sriracha" / chili sauce ? Squirting chili sauce (especially if one also adds hoisin as well) to a good bowl of delicate, aromatic, phở completely wrecks the taste of the dish for me.

[southernitalian]

It's been 4 long years and I still love sriracha and I still eat pho frequently but I don't have them together anymore. The Vietnamese place where we go for pho also has chili garlic sauce on the table. I wrote in another post a while back that I've become addicted to that, even worse than I ever was with siracha. I usually get pho with brisket. I take a small dish and put the sauce in it and then I take us slices of brisket and dunk it in the sauce. The pho itselfs stays pure and delicate. Well, I still squirt limes in it and added jalapenos.

[swsidejim]

My list of items I use Sriacha sauce on is too long. Lets just say it is good on everything.

[swsidejim]

I have just switched to a different brand sriracha sauce. I was using the Huy Fong(rooster) sriracha sauce for years, but recently after a visit to a Thai grocery store purchased some Shark Brand Sriracha sauce made in Thailand instead of the USA. Subtle diferences make it my new sriracha of choice, although I still kepp a bottle of Huy Fong around.

[ArikaDawn]

I only just recently got my first bottle, but I can see how addiction is possible. Thus far it has found its way into scrambled egs, meat marinades, mixed with teriyaki sauce and tossed with wings, and for lunch over the weekend I added just enough to a bowl of Tom Yum to make my eyes water. Perfection!

[ArikaDawn]

Can't beleive I forgot this earlier. Sriracha and strawberry jam as a sweet/hot dip for pretzels or basically anything else you want to dip. Soooooo good.

[ArikaDawn]

Discovered tonight it makes a great addition to mashed potatoes.

[ipsedixit]

I used to really like sriracha, put it in oatmeal, clam chowder, eggs, tuna salad, rice, McD's Filet-o-Fish, onion rings, etc.

But then one day someone "spiked" a bloody mary of mine with sriracha and then my addiction went the way of the Edsel ...

[atheorist]

Sorry, I think it makes a fine bloody mary.

[wayne keyser]

My quick-and-dirty BBQ sauce:

Catsup
Moderate amount of Dark Molasses
Good-sized amount of Sriracha
Garlic powder
Worcestershire sauce (real Lea & Perrins, please, not French's)
Sugar to taste

[kobetobiko]

I mix it with fish sauce and lime juice and use it as dressing for spicy "fruit" salad: usually with papaya (green not too ripe) or mango, jicama. You can also drizzle sweet soy sauce (kecup manis (sp?)) to add some sweetness. It is great for summer! It makes me sweat sometimes!

[septocaine_queen]

try it with sushi instead of soy sauce. yum.

[ilovegobo]

I thought I was the only one!!!
Of course, in addition to sushi (and everything else), I found that it worked particularly well on Stoned Wheat Thins.
In fact, I spent about a year when I first discovered the sauce putting it on those crackers for DINNER many nights when I would get home from work late. This concoction would be washed down with scotch and soda. Maybe not a healthy dinner, but an awfully tasty one! Thank goodness for this stuff. Sauce from the heavens, I tell you.

[lhb78]

i love sirracha mixed with mayo for my sushi. I always thought they should sell it and then I found it on the shelf of my grocery store... haven't tried it since making myself is easy.

[ktown378]

i think that's what that spicy mayo sauce that most sushi places put on rolls is. except when i make it at home, i use kewpie mayo :)

[kobetobiko]

By the way, the "spicy sauce" (e.g. spicy tuna roll, spicy salmon roll) that were served in most fusion rolls is usually just sriracha sauce with mayo (plus may be a little sugar to balance the vinegary srirarcha sauce).

[ilovegobo]

Gosh, I never even thought about that! Interesting.
Sriracha really is the wonder food.
I got into an argument once years ago with someone who insisted it was only a condiment. I felt that sold it way, way short.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i started making my own, more complex version of that "dynamite" sauce at home once a sushi chef clued me in...but i use lowfat sour cream instead of mayo. i started with a few ingredients, and it just evolved from there. so it's not really dynamite sauce anymore, but it tastes delicious!

[septocaine_queen]

lobster hand roll on soy paper with a squirt of sriracha sounds so good or a thick layer on Korean shortribs with rice and kimchee.

[dinner belle]

On the sushi note, I know hot sake is the low grade crap, but a touch of Sriracha gives it a nice kick.

[jhuston]

Simple lentil soup no longer tastes complete to me without a good squirt of sriracha or spoonful of huy fong chili garlic sauce. Perfectly perks up the mellow-rich lentils.

[bubbles4me]

That chili garlic sauce is another one of my favorites, I love to mix it with mayo and serve it with artichokes....yumm

[pescatarian]

I'm addicted too. I use it in many ways already mentioned. One different way that I don't think has been mentioned is to make popcorn and then pour a little white sugar on a plate. Sprinkle daps of sriacha all over the sugar. While the popcorn is still warm dip a couple kernels at a time in both the sriracha and sugar. MMMM.
I even like to just eat the sriracha by itself...

[vvvindaloo]

Wow, this reminds me of a dive bar we used to hang out in when I was in college- they always had bowls of popcorn and bottles of condiments on the bar, and we would always grab a bowl and a bottle of sriracha and go to town. I had forgotten about that until this very moment... thanks!

[Ruth Lafler]

Crack. Definitely. The next step: how many different brands of sriracha are there in your fridge?

I like to make a dip of sriracha and sour cream -- I put some out at a party and everyone raved and wanted to know what it was, and you can't get much easier than squirting sriracha into a bowl of sour cream.

[revsharkie]

what proportion of each did you use?

[Ruth Lafler]

Good question. I just squirt the sriracha into the sour cream until I get what I want. I'm guessing about a tablespoon of sriracha to a cup of sour cream. It really depends on what kind of dip you're looking for, though -- whether you're looking for a dip that's basically flavored sour cream, or whether you want something that you're going to use more sparingly like a condiment, in which case you could use a lot more sriracha.

BTW, I know that the "rooster" sriracha is the one that is most available and is generally considered the best, but for dip I really like another brand I bought that is darker, hotter and a little bit more vinegary (the vinegar is higher up the list of ingredients: Chile, vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt vs. chile, sugar, garlic, salt, vinegar) . It has a symbol on the label that looks like a cross between a Santa Claus head and a tulip.

[goodhealthgourmet]

the "rooster" sauce is huy fong, which is actually an american company. it sounds like the one you prefer is thai, not american - the thai ones are better, imo...tangier from the higher proportion of vinegar. do you still have the bottle? i'd love to know the brand.

[revsharkie]

The bottle I have now is "Grand Mountain" brand. Says "Product of Thailand" on the label. The last one was a different brand; it had a picture of a flying goose on the label. They were pretty different in flavor. The Grand Mountain is definitely more vinegary.

[Ruth Lafler]

It doesn't have anything on it that looks like a brand name. It says "Tuong ot ngot sriracha" across the top of the logo, and "Sriracha chili sauce" under the logo. The only other identifying info is that it says "Union International Food Co, Hayward, CA" on the side, but it doesn't say whether that's the producer, bottler, importer, distributor, or whatever, nor does it specify the country of origin.

Okay, I google Union International Food and eventually found their website(s) -- looks like the brand is "Uncle Chen" and it's made by UIF in the US:

http://www.chiliciouslyhot.com/index.swf
http://www.ufunionfood.com/en/profile...

For you sriracha freaks, it looks like you can buy it by the bucket!

[goodhealthgourmet]

thanks for going to all that trouble to find & post the links...unfortunately the ridiculous head shots of young girls in bikinis on that first one made me close the window without bothering to enter the site to look for the product. somehow i can't bring myself to research or buy products from a web site when the opening page makes me think i somehow accidentally clicked my way to "girls gone wild." :)

i'll keep an eye out for uncle chen's when i go shopping, and hopefully unlike other american brands it'll be vinegary enough for me.

and the quest continues...

[njmarshall55]

Agreed!!! I put out three versions...mild, hot, and Oh S---T!.

[mariekeac]

I absolutely love Sriracha!!! yes put it on a lot a things but I'm not as bad as my brother. he puts it on absolutely everything!!!! he even brings a small bottle when he goes to a restaurant!! haha! ever tried to mix it with Ranch and put it on salad?! yum!

[Feed Me]

I used to be a Sriracha addict and now my drug of choice is Aunt May's Bajan Pepper Sauce. That beautiful hot, tasty elixir goes on everything. Right now, I'm eating with yellow split-pea dahl, rice and lamb chops. it is grazing everything -- hmm, can't seem to stop myself...

[mollyomormon]

I share your addiction. Here's a post of mine from a while back when I was posting on the old board under the name DB.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/301976

[bubbles4me]

As a fellow LA chow I read your posts all the time and find myself nodding my head as I do so it is not shocking that you posted the same thing a year ago! Tons of great tips from that thread...thanks so much.

[mollyomormon]

Ha! That's great! I loved that thread because people posted some of the coolest ideas for sriracha. I forgot to mention that I've actually gone so far at points to keep bottles in my purse, glove box and desk at work. Currently, the addiction is in check but we'll see what happens after this thread...

[Cathy]

One sandwich place in San Diego has Sriracha in packets (like ketchup). I alwasy grb a few extra, but can't figure out where the supplier is from (it isn't Smart 'n Final)

[bethanyj]

One of My favorite uses of Srirarcha is a white fish sandwich on an everything bagel dipping each bite into some Srirarcha. So good! I too put on noodles-pizza-meats-fish-sandwiches.. pretty much everything...

[phneale]

On grilled grouper, in black beans and rice, in coleslaw. Even tried it in mashed potatoes for a twist on wasabi mashed, awfully good with pork. It is crack, but better.

[bubbles4me]

Ohhhh potatoes, I used to love Tabasco on baked potatoes with sour cream....but Sriracha would be even better...guess what I'm having for dinner tonight!

[mojoeater]

What could be better than garlic and chilies? We add it to stir fries and sauces. Season ground meat for burritos/tacos/etc. Mix with mayo for a spicy sandwich spread. Squirt it onto a hot dog and add cheddar. Also makes an attractive and tasty red swirl as a plate garnish.

[Eatin in Woostah]

It's hard to find something that isn't made better by the addition of Sriracha.
A cracker, cream cheese, and chili sauce.
Srirarcha instead of salsa with chips
Diced firm tofu tossed in sriracha
Breakfast burrito (scrambled eggs and cheese) with sriracha
Frozen chicken puck sandwich with sriracha

This season they tried to make sriracha ice cream on Top Chef - they said it was unsuccessful, but I'd like to try it. Off to the kitchen...

Back after the only mildly unsuccessful addition of sriracha to Chubby Hubby. I don't think I'll do it again (the garlic notes were not great with the ice cream) but the heat was a good addition. Fun experiment.

[ctscorp]

Ooh, but Chubby Hubby might be the only food that's as delicious as sriracha! I'm surprised the combo didn't spontaneously combust out of sheer awesomeness!

[FoodieKat]

You can still get Chubby Hubby? Where, please?!? That was always my favorite Ben n' jerry's flavor, but I thought it was discontinued.

[LabRat]

Here is their flavor locator...

http://www.benandjerrys.com/our_produ...

[Eat_Nopal]

"Srirarcha instead of salsa with chips"

That one made my stomach turn. You must live in a place with really crappy salsas to prefer a bottled Sriracha!

[ipsedixit]

When you think about it, Srirarcha with chips isn't that different than chips with salt and vinegar.

[Eat_Nopal]

Maybe but Sriracha has a very rough flavor that benefits from a little bit of cooking. I agree that Sriracha could be good on Potato Chips or Fries... but when you think of Corn Chips its really alot more about very fresh (non bottled) flavors etc.,

BTW... this topic inspired me to blend a little bit Yoshida's teriyaki sauce with Sriracha, Tamari & Vanilla extract... mixed & nuked it for 30 seconds then used it as a dipping sauce for microwaved Rocky (organic) chicken tenders... and French greens with Miso Dressing... it was quite delicious for a 5 minute lunch.

[tinymango]

MMMM huy fong needs to make some sriracha flavoured tater crisps! i would be big as a house.

that recipe sounds delicious eat nopal. i am writing it down for later. it might be good cooked down a bit in a saucepan, as well or used to marinate steaks. yum.

[alkapal]

Eat Nopal, vanilla extract? Is that a flavor combo that is traditional, fusion, or your creation? Doesn't make too flowery? Good in other hot/savory combos? Please 'splain this intriguing concept further!

[Eat_Nopal]

Vanilla was used in savory pre-hispanic dishes.... for example the traditional Shrimp in Vanilla Sauce dish from Northern Veracruz.

I just bought a bottle of great Vanilla from Veracruz (extremely floral compared to French, Tahitian etc.,) and so I have been experimenting with it... and trying to find other recipes / ideas.

Unfortunately I can't find a whole lot written about it (maybe Dianne Kennedy has something) but if you google "Camarones Xanath" you will find restaurants & recipes for that Shrimp in Vanilla Sauce.

[Cinnamon]

I've had a lobster vanilla curry appetizer before that was great too... no deep curry colors. It was at a Thai place, not sure what they used for the curry-taste part, could've been just white peppercorns, lemongrass etc.

[mamaciita]

I had a treat at Asiatique in Louisville--a tiny dish of coconut ice with sriracha. Heavenly!!

[TeganZ]

My friend actually does put it on ice cream. I would be worried about addiction if you get to that point. I put it in soups and eat it with crackers. I also put it on sandwiched and add a little to my salads. Great with ranch dressing!

[clint1245]

I make a dark chocolate ice cream and add chipotle powder and it is awesome I think Ill try sirachi next time. Best condiment every is, which I'm sure there is a variation somewhere on this thread, is mayo, sirachi, sesame oil, I add a splash of ponzu instead of salt. I literally put that on everything when a batch is made.