For starters, the sauce is actually called sriracha, and my first introduction to the stuff was through a fiery redheaded roommate in college. If I hadn’t known any better, I might have been convinced she dyed her hair with it. She was that obsessed. While most students (not me, of course) survived on steaming, salty cups of ramen and boxed mac and cheese, my roommate would feast on a modest bowl of minute-white rice drenched in “rooster sauce”, as she called it. It was her comfort food, and she’d go through at least three bottles a month. That rate of consumption is essentially an endorsement, so I broke down and tried it her way. Immediately I understood its allure, bought my own stash (at the local Asian market—it wasn’t quite mainstream yet), and ate way too much white rice that month. Fast forward to 2022, and this spicy sauce is now easily found on grocery store shelves, there are cookbooks dedicated to Sriracha, and it’s steadily making its way onto the tabletops of trendy restaurants as a condiment. In 2013, news of American sriracha manufacturer Huy Fong Foods’ factory troubles in California and the hysteria over a possible shortage piqued the interest of everyone unfamiliar with the fiery sauce. If you’re in this camp, below is a quick primer to get you up to speed on the spicy, love-it-or-leave-it Sriracha sauce.
So what is sriracha?
Sriracha is a Thai hot sauce named after the city in which it was first made over 80 years ago, Si Racha, an eastern city on the coast of Thailand. It was first created and manufactured by Ms. Thanom Chakkapak, who initially only shared it with her friends and family. After its success among friends, Chakkapak began manufacturing the sauce commercially under the label Sriraja Panich, and it quickly became the best selling sauce in Thailand. Previously, the sauce was nearly impossible to find in the United States, but you can purchase it online here. Sriracha was virtually unknown to those in America until 1980 when Vietnamese immigrant David Tran founded Huy Fong Foods and began marketing his own version of the sauce famously packaged in a clear, green-capped squirt bottle with a rooster logo printed on its front. Though the Huy Fong brand is most widely known and associated with the sauce, there are several other makers of sriracha on the market. See a more extensive list of other manufacturers below.
How do you pronounce sriracha?
“See-rah-jah”, pronounced with three distinct syllables. Click here to hear the pronunciation.
What is is made of?
Sriracha is made of chili peppers, sugar, garlic, distilled vinegar, and salt. Its consistency varies between brands- Huy Fong’s sauce is similar in consistency to ketchup, and the original Sriraja Panich has a thinner, more liquid consistency.
How does sriracha taste?
The taste varies by brand, but generally it’s tangy-sweet with a kick of garlic. Also, it’s spicy. (It’s a hot sauce afterall!)
What is it used for?
In Thailand and across Southeast Asia, sriracha is commonly used in seafood dishes, in omelets, and it’s added to sauces for pad Thai dishes. In the U.S., it’s often used like ketchup and fans use the condiment with just about everything—adding kick to stir-fries, soups, burgers, and more. Of course, you could always use it to spice up a bowl of rice. You can also get creative with sriracha, using it in sweets, like a Chocolate Sriracha Brownie Brittle, or as a seasoning on a tasty Sriracha Basil Popcorn.
Can I make homemade sriracha?
Yes! Careful handling of chiles aside, it’s actually quite simple to make. This recipe from the test kitchen of the LA Times requires only 5 ingredients and comes together in about 25 minutes.
Wait, sriracha is not a brand?
So wait, there’s more than one brand of sriracha? The “rooster sauce” is not THE sriracha? Yes, there’s more than one brand. Sriracha just refers to the type of sauce, and like ketchup, there are many manufacturers. Here’s a taste test of these top brands you can check out:
Shark Brand Sriracha Chili Sauce (Thailand) (A personal favorite of PokPok’s Andy Ricker)Kikkoman Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (USA)Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (USA)Trader Joe’s Sriracha Sauce (USA)Dragonfly Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (Thailand)Sriraja Panich (Thailand)Thai Kitchen (Thailand)Polar Sriracha Chili Sauce (Thailand)Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Chili Sauce (USA)
Like things hot? Here are the World’s Hottest Hot Sauces.
