Sriracha Food Fight: Trader Joe’s vs. Huy Fong Foods
Tien Nguyen at the LA Weekly offers this helpful Venn Diagram comparing Trader Joe’s Sriracha—one of their newest private-label creations—with the almighty rooster sauce we all know and love from Huy Fong Foods.
Nguyen explains:
“Trader Joe’s version is tasty, though it smacks of garlic first and chilies second. Indeed, the heat level here is fairly tame; it was quite a bit easier to down a few spoonfuls of this than to take in a similar amount of Huy Fong’s sauce. Higher up on the Scoville scale, the Rooster sauce has has a dry heat and a sharp, appealing tang that lingers.”
While the folks at the Weekly ultimately chose Huy Fong Foods’ Sriracha as their favorite, I have to say that I love them both. I know, I know… I’m a fence-sitter, but here’s why. Huy Fong Foods’ version is incredible. I fell in love with it 15 years ago and I still love it today. When I started working on The Sriracha Cookbook and The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook, I began learning about the Thai versions of Sriracha and how different they were from our homegrown American interpretation. Sweeter, a little more focus on the garlic than the peppers, and a thinner consistency, almost like a dipping sauce rather than a squirting condiment. (Shark Brand and Sriraja Panich are highly recommended for those looking to try some of the authentic Thai Sriracha sauces.) Annnnyway, back to Trader Joe’s. Why do I love it? Because it’s like the best of both worlds! It’s got some of the punch of Huy Fong Foods with some of the aforementioned characteristics of its original Thai counterparts.
For me, I’ll be keeping ‘em all stocked in my cupboard… it’s always fun to play “Sriracha Sommelier” when friends come over for dinner.
