What is Sriracha?

(Prounounced: Sir-rach-a)

Sriracha is a type of hot sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It has a sweet and spicy flavor and was popularized by Huy Fong Foods (you know, the bottle with the big red rooster on it.) The sauce is colloquially known as “rooster sauce.” Despite United States’ recent upsurge in the distribution of Sriracha,  the sauce has a rich history and is named after a coastal city in central Thailand’s Chonburi Province “Si Racha”. It is mostly used in seafood dishes but can be used in many other ways. Summer is right around the corner and that means BBQ season. We thought of featuring this recipe to help keep the Sriracha shortage at bay!

Here is a DIY variation of the sauce you can make at home in your own kitchen. Be careful when working with hot chilies. It is important not to touch your eyes (you don’t want to find out why)! We recommend wearing gloves!  This particular version is not as spicy as the Huy Fong version, but it will give you major kudos in the restaurant industry — especially if you buy  one of these swing topper bottles. IKEA usually has them in large quantities in stock (and for cheap)

This sauce has a great, addicting flavor — hot, sweet and garlicky —  it tastes awesome on just about anything. Literally, this stuff tastes good on anything – on pasta, pizza, soups, and much more.

(original recipe: from The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens)

You Will Need:

**Gloves** – If you want to keep your eyes

• 1 3/4 pounds Fresno Chili Peppers, Red Jalapenos or Red Serrano ( I used Fresno)
• 3 Thai Chili Peppers
• 2 tbsp Garlic Powder + additional as needed
• 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar + more as needed
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar + more as needed
• Water as needed

You Will Need (Kitchen Equipment):

• 2lb Glass jar
• 1 bottle
• Funnel
• Metal Strainer
• Sauce pan
• Food Processor
• Wooden Spoon

Step 1.

Prep the chilies

Step 1 – Prep the chili’s

Step 2.

Remove stems from the chilies.

Step 3.

Half the chilies lengthwise

 Step 4.

Set aside stems (you do not need them).

Step 5.

Remove outer skin from cloves of garlic.

Step 6.

Measure sugar and garlic powder.

In your food processor, add peppers, salt, granulated sugar, garlic powder, garlic and brown sugar. Pulse until a coarse puree forms.

 

Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor:

 

Step 7.

Puree the mixture

Place it in a canning jar for (7) days stirring daily. Store jar at room temperature.

Step 8.

Boil & Simmer.

Pour pepper mixture into small saucepan over medium heat.

Step 9.

Add Vinegar.

Add 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar + more as needed (do a taste test).

 

Step 10.

Lower heat and simmer gently for five minutes.

 

Step 11.

Strain.

Line a bowl with a metal strainer and pour mixture into it.  Strain all the seeds out of the mixture! It is an  important aspect of the sauce’s texture.

Step 12.

Taste your Sriracha and adjust seasonings (you can add a bit of BBQ sauce to give it some edge). You can add fish sauce to your mixture for more flavor. Salt to taste.

Step 13.

Bottle and Enjoy!

 

*Tip*: You can make your own labels to impress your comrade’s!