Post by Kimberly Beck

Ever since I joined the Sriracha Cookbook team back in April, I have been exposed to a whole new subculture of people that I never even knew existed - Sriracha enthusiasts! I suppose I’d seen a Sriracha bottle here or there, but I never really took note. Now I am intimately involved in a world of festivals and swag and all kinds of hoopla over this spicy red sauce. And it is, I have discovered, a most delicious condiment that I whole-heartedly welcome into my life - and my kitchen! The more I use it, the more I think, how did I ever live without it?

Although I understand there to be many Sriracha purists out there who are loyal and monogamous to the Huy Fong Foods “Rooster Sauce” that started it all, the Sriracha Cookbook Team loves to explore new Sriracha horizons. There are, after all, so many interesting brands out there creating their own flavor profile for this beloved sauce. That’s why we were delighted to see a spanking new product just released from Oso Pepper Company at the Electronic Sriracha Festival in San Jose this past August.

Vincent and Myra Verret, owners of Oso Pepper Company, are proud of their latest offering, Cry Out! Sriracha Chili Sauce. And for good reason. Their sauce has approximately 1/5th of the sugar content compared to other Sriracha brands on the market with its sweetness coming from a base of pureed red bell peppers. Not only that, it contains about 1/3rd of the salt content, making it a great hot alternative for people on a low-sodium diet.

The Verrets aren’t all about the heat, though. In fact, Vincent says, “We are not fans of the vinegar and salt blast one has to endure with most hot sauces on the market today. Nor are we fans of the heat (insanely hot) for heat’s sake. So, we worked to develop products which keep within our market’s accepted flavor profiles. Plain and simply, flavors we enjoy without the salt, the vinegar blast, or the insane heat.”

Oso Pepper Company started as a “humble backyard garden” producing fruits and veggies for the Verret family table in 2008. Since then, it has grown into a family owned operation producing several varieties of sauces and pickled products. And there is more to come!  Expect to see their Surf Sauce coming soon with mango, pineapple, habanero, and red jalapeno. In the meantime, Cry Out! Sriracha Chili Sauce is available now for online ordering at the Oso Pepper Company website.

Check it out!

Keep reading

Seattle Mariners: “Salute to Sriracha Night” (5/22)

The Seattle Mariners are hosting a “Salute to Sriracha Night” on May 22!! $25 gets you a ticket, this rad shirt, and a choice of a Sriracha Cream Cheese Hot Dog, Sriracha Garlic Fries, or a Sriracha Milkshake! They’re 2nd place in the AL West, but 1st place in my heart!

More info: “Salute to Sriracha Night” at Safeco Field

SRIRACHA CHOCOLATE EASTER BUNNY!!

It’s like Christmas came early or something…

Made with Sriracha and 72% dark chocolate (yep! vegan friendly!) by Sugar Plum Chocolates in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania. (They make other chocolate treats with Sriracha as well!)

Sriracha Chocolate Easter Bunny (via SrirachaChocolates.com)

RECIPE: Sriracha Shrimp and Noodle Soup 

Doesn’t this recipe look divine? Rich with shiitake mushrooms, fresh ginger, sesame, cilantro, tomatoes, peanuts, and our belovèd Sriracha… I just found it on the Stonewall Kitchen web site and I have to say: it sounds absolutely delicious!

For anyone looking to make this vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, feel free to swap in vegetable broth (or water) for the chicken stock and sub broccoli/cauliflower florets or cubes of tofu for the shrimp, but be sure to sauté them with the other chopped veggies and mushrooms so they can cook through.

Get the recipe here:
Sriracha Shrimp and Noodle Soup – Serves 4-6 [via Stonewall Kitchen]

“Actually Tastes Like Sriracha” — VOTE for my Lay’s “Do Us A Flavor” submission 

Was anybody else EXTREMELY disappointed with the Lay’s Sriracha potato chips that came from the last “Do Us A Flavor” contest? Formulated with sour cream, whey, cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, and Swiss cheese—among other mystery ingredients that aren’t in real Sriracha—it’s no wonder they missed the mark.

Well, here’s my solution: submitting “Actually Tastes Like Sriracha” as a flavor. But I NEED your votes to make this a possibility! There’s this whole rule thingy on the contest that says that new potential flavors must not “be the same or substantially similar to the original Do Us a Flavor finalists (Cheesy Garlic Bread, Chicken & Waffles and Sriracha)”… but my argument is that they were so far from a recognizable Sriracha flavor, that making something that does actually taste like Sriracha will be completely new!

But even if it’s disqualified on this little technicality, I’d love to send a strong message to Lay’s to let them know, “We who love Sriracha most thought your Sriracha chips were OK, but they tasted NOTHING like Sriracha!!” And the more votes I can get, the stronger that message is! And who could pass up an opportunity to win $1,000,000? Oh… did I forget to mention there’s a fatty prize for the winner?!? ;)

VOTE for “Actually Tastes Like Sriracha” in the Lay’s Do Us A Flavor competition [DoUsAFlavor.com]