Actually, a very good question and I thank Wendy Haight Scribner, on FaceBook, for asking, “What is “sriracha” and how do you use it when you cook??I just saw a video for pork chops and I’m wondering what this is made of?”
Well, Wendy and others, generally speaking sriracha is a red, spicy sauce a lot like hot sauce, but not as hot as jalapeno or tobasco sauce, at least in my opinion. It really is a good one and we keep a jar in the refrigerator all the time. I’ll get you a better definition. Inquiring minds need to know, so from Wikipedia we learn,
Sriracha (Thai: ศรีราชา, Thai pronunciation: [sǐː rāː.t͡ɕʰāː]; English /sᵻˈrɑːtʃə/) is a type of hot sauce or chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal city of Si Racha, in Chonburi Province of eastern Thailand, where it may have been first produced for dishes served at local seafood restaurants.
Sriraja Paniche
Sriracha “Rooster Sauce”
Sriraja Panich chili sauce by Thai Theparos Food Products and Tương Ớt Sriracha (“Rooster Sauce”) by Huy Fong Foods.
In Thailand, sriracha is frequently used as a dipping sauce, particularly for seafood. In Vietnamese cuisine, sriracha appears as a condiment for phở, fried noodles, a topping for spring rolls (chả giò), and in sauces.
Sriracha is also eaten in soup, on eggs and burgers. Jams, lollipops, and cocktails have all been made using the sauce. and sriracha-flavored potato chips have been marketed.
Matt Bush, on FaceBook, tells us,
Amazing story of a Vietnamese refugee who fled South Vietnam when the communist took over. Became one of the boat people. Was rescued and picked up buy a Chinese ship named Huy Fong…He named his company after the ship that saved him. He and his family eventually made their way towards LA and started making his sauce for the local Asian market. He established a factory near Bakersfield. A truly great success story. I love the sauce, although spicy, it is really flavorful.
And from thrillist.com, more lessons on sriracha to contemplate,
1. You’re pronouncing it wrong
See-rotch-ah. Sriracha
2. Sriracha is the type of sauce; Huy Fong is the brand name
Accept no substitutes, even if they’re emblazoned with dragons.
3. It’s actually significantly less hot than a jalapeño
According to the benchmark of all things spicy, the Scoville scale, Sriracha scores 2,200 points. The red jalapeño peppers used in the sauce lose nearly half of their spiciness in processing, which puts the sauce on par with Fresno and Anaheim peppers — both of which are about as hot as their namesake cities.
4. They’re not just cocky
The rooster is the Chinese zodiac sign of the sauce’s founder.
5. Some dumbass drank 3lbs of the stuff
Spoiler alert: this video ends in a bathroom.
5a. Spice stack: Sriracha Pringles do not disappoint
6. The brand name comes from the ship that carried Huy Fong’s founder to the US
The founder, who was of Chinese descent, made the original version of Sriracha in Gerber baby food jars before immigrating to the US aboard the Huy Fong and restarting the business. (Yes, there is a Sriracha Cookbook!)
7. You can cook really good food with it. Bon Appetit came up with 25 delicious recipes, including Sriracha fried chicken. And there’s also a cookbook dedicated entirely to the condiment.
8. They produce over a ton of it every hour
The assembly line cranks out 3,000 bottles an hour, 24 hours a day, six days a week. That’s roughly 200 tons per week. They sell about 20 million bottles a year.
9. It totally got Lay’d
The rooster took an honorable mention in a Lay’s flavor design contest. Pringles and Kettle chips have also rolled out their own Sriracha flavors, and you can grab a Sriracha Quesarito from Taco Bell.
9a. Taste-Test: Sriracha Kettle chips
10. There is a documentary. No thanks to you. But luckily, 1,315 other people shelled out the money for a film via Kickstarter.
11. A hot sauce by any other name would smell as sweet
The name comes from the small coastal Thailand town Si Racha, population 19,221.
12. It is ranked the #1 hot sauce in the entire universe!
So after reading all of this, would you like to try Chef Michael Symon’s (The Chew) recipe for Twice Fried Chicken with Sriracha Honey? Aw be brave. The link is highlighted.