Early History
Sriracha Sauce originated in Thailand with a woman named Thanom Chakkapak that made the sauce in the town of Si Racha. Her husband who traveled in Thailand wanted to make the sauce and he found many varieties of hot pepper sauces in different towns and cities. He encouraged his wife to make the sauce at home and serve it with meals. This sauce was created over 80 years ago by this family.
She served the chili sauce with meals for her family and guests. Everyone loved the sauce and they decided to bottle and sell the sauce. Her granddaughter Saowait says she helped them mix all the ingredients they used for the sriraja panich sauce. Originally, they made the sauce just for the family.
Eventually the grandmother, sister, and brother made the sauce and sold it to locals and tourists in Thailand. It is called Sriraj Panich Chili Sauce sold in a glass bottle. It is sold by Whole Food Markets, Instacart, and through other vendors online,
Photo Source: Asco Foods
History in the United States
A Vietnam major in the South Vietnamese Army fled the country in 1978 with his family and other citizens. He made his living in Vietnam making hot chili sauce . In the US, David Tran started his company making a sauce called Pepper Sate. He bottled the sauce in recycled baby food jars and delivered the sauce to customers on a bicycle.
After he experimented with hot peppers and other ingredients, he made a sriracha sauce along with his other products. He used a logo of a Rooster that he never had trademarked. The produce was named after the coastal town of Si Racha in Thailand. His company is called Huy Fong meaning gathering prosperity.
Photo Source: HikiFood
He recognized a need for hot sauce among Southeast Asian immigrants in California. This was another reason he developed the sriracha sauce. David Tran experimented with local grown ingredients to make this sauce. He used jalapeno peppers, salt, garlic, vinegar, and sugar. Later he sold hot sauce from the back of a van he owned.
His business grew over the years, and he has a 650,000 square foot building in Irwindale, CA for manufacturing and storing the sauces. He makes his sauces from fresh chilies daily. His sauce is sold in many supermarkets, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, and Instacart.
Competition is stiff in this market and there are many other brands that he competes with. But his brand is one of the most popular in the US.
He says he never made the products to get rich but wanted to sell a quality product to consumers that liked spicy chili sauces. David has turned down many lucrative offers to buy out his company.
Due to a shortage in some areas some stores are carrying other brands and there are many to choose from. Some are Texas Pete, Shark Brand, and Ka Me Siracha Sauce.
How to Use Sriracha Sauce in Cooking and Recipes
Use the sauce in omelets or on them or in the egg mixture when cooking for an extra spicy flavor!
In chili recipes to add extra heat add 1 tablespoon or less.
Put on top of hotdogs, burgers, and sausage served on a bun or roll
Put on roasted or steamed vegetables for extra flavor
Mix with butter to cook meat, chicken, fish, and shellfish
Add to tacos as one of the toppings
Add to macaroni and cheese recipes
Mix in with mayonnaise or sour cream to make a spicy dip to serve with vegetables or whole wheat crackers
Added to French fries or hash browns or mix with ketchup for a spicy dip
Added to cooked rice
Add a tablespoon to pasta sauces for a hot spicy taste
Add to marinades for chicken wings, kebabs, meat, poultry, and seafood.
Animation: Giphy
Recipe For Making Your Own Sriracha Sauce
This sauce is thin and very spicy. You will need a small to medium pot, water, strainer, blender. food processor, and container or bottle to store it in. Habanero peppers are very hot, and you should use jalapeno peppers for less heat. Most recipes add sugar this recipe leaves it out. This is a small batch you can increase the amount by doubling recipe.
Habanero Pepper Source: Wikipedia
Habanero Sriracha Sauce
1/4 red cup dried or fresh habanero or jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup of apple cider or white vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil or avocado oil
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon minced garlic or fresh garlic chopped fine
Optional- Add one of two tablespoons of tomato sauce to thicken sauce.
Instructions:
In a small or medium sized pan add all the ingredients. You can chop peppers before boiling if you choose. Bring to a boil and lower heat and let cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add more water to keep it from drying out. Let the mixture thicken before removing from the stove.
Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor. Pour the mixture through a strainer to remove seeds and solid ingredients into a container or glass bottle. Press on mixture in strainer to get as much liquid as possible. Discard strained ingredients. Add one to two tablespoons tomato sauce to thicken. Store in refrigerator in container with lid or cap.
Use the sauce in chili, on meat, seafood, chicken and vegetables.
You will find fresh and dried habanero and jalapeno peppers at your local supermarket. Goodness Garden makes dried red habanero and jalapeno peppers sold in the produce section.
Jalapeno Peppers: Source Public Domain Pictures
Sources:
The Original Sriracha by Andrea Nuygen, March 2013, Bon Appetit
The Surprisingly Heartwarming Story of the Man that Invented Sriracha Sauce by Carl Smallwood, Today I Found Out, September 2017
The Spicy History of Sriracha Sauce, by Catlin Hitt, August 2020, Thrillist
The History of Sriracha Sauce , by Bethany Moncel, The Spruce Eats, September 2020
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