Wednesday, May 20, 2009

We All Sri for Sriracha

Once again, captivated by a food story in the New York Times.
Today it was about my favorite hot sauce, Sriracha. It's Asian, but it's made in Southern California. It's peppery but not too. It's garlicky, and yum.
Some people call it Rooster Sauce because of the image printed on the bottle, but the rooster simply happens to be the birth sign of its manufacturer, David Tran. (There are also shark, unicorn, and other logos on other brands; must try.)
Since I first discovered Sriracha, back in the 1980s, I've been putting it on tostadas, which are not Asian at all, though they happen to thrive under a squizzle of garlic-chile sauce.
But back in the 80s, Sriracha was hard to find. You might have wanted to resort to stealing a bottle of it off the table in a Vietnamese restaurant, but good manners prevented you. You remember visiting a friend who lived in a seamy South of Market loft, next door to an Asian market, and hoping it was still open so you could dash over and buy some. (It wasn't. Your friend tended to entertain rather late at night, past business hours.)
Eventually Sriracha became more widely available, and I've had some in the fridge ever since.
Yes. You actually do get to the bottom of a bottle now and then.
I do.
I did my best today, by drizzling some all over tostadas for lunch.
My lips are hot.

29 comments:

pea said...

i lurv sriracha and will put it on almost anything. i had to cut back last year because i thought i was becoming too fragrantly garlicky, though.

Greg said...

That article was really great. I just bought a new smaller bottle. the big ones last forever.

michael, claudia and sierra said...

never w/o a bottle - but then again, who isn't these days. it's a pantry must.

i am on my way to go eat a bowl of pho right now - there will be a bottle right on the table when i get there... will think of you.

Cyndi said...

Being a novice to the concept of eating things that I didn't grow up eating, I've been a scaredy cat about sriracha. But I finally bought a bottle-let's see-3 weeks ago. Still haven't opened it. But as soon as I get over this #$&* cold, and can taste things again, I'll try it. I never thought about eating it on Mexican food - but why not? As I get older I eat spicier and spicier - are my taste buds getting worn out? Thanks for the idea.

cookiecrumb said...

Pea: Can we make Sriracha ice cream? Didn't think so.

Greg: Good read, huh? I haven't discovered the smaller bottles! Shopping list!

ceFRET: Totally a must. You are making me hungry for pho. But... It's always TOO large a bowlful. xx

Cyndi: Good for you, trying some. Squeeze a little onto your finger and lick it. You'll be captivated.

pea said...

i dunno. i have had chili ice cream...a little smoky, a little hot, and creamy. not sure i would go out of my way for it again, but it wasnt terrible either. i wouldnt put sriracha prematurely on the 'do not do' list.

cookiecrumb said...

Pea: Holy What an Idea! Thank you.

Zoomie said...

Squizzle. Brilliant.

EB of SpiceDish said...

I read that piece too! And then I promptly pulled out one of our bottles of Sriracha (yes there are multiple)and squirted it into my black bean soup. Oh yes. bliss.

Nancy Ewart said...

One of my favorite condiments! I can't remember when I first started using it but now I always have a couple of bottles on hand so that when one bottle runs out, I have another one waiting. The thought of having no siracha to put on my food is just too awful to contemplate!

Cookie said...

We always have a bottle of Sriracha in our fridge and put it on everything from pasta to burgers! It's especially good on pizza if you haven't tried it yet. I grew up in a neighborhood with lots of Asian markets but was surprised to see it at even Target nowadays! I guess people couldn't get enough of it!

cookiecrumb said...

Zoomie: Language is fun. We haven't had that conversation, you and me, enough yet. I bet we could drive a roomful of partiers crazy.

EB: PERFECTION. Black bean soup and sriracha. Merci, or... gracias. (Oh, oh! I see a little splollup of sour cream mixed with sriracha, dropped right on top.)

Nancy: It's funny how something so (relatively) new becomes indispensable. I actually still know people who haven't eaten it yet. Party on.

Cookie: Cookie! :D
Pizza! :D
Target!!! :D Who knew?
xoxo

Zoomie said...

Dang, you did it again! Splollup. Just right.

cookiecrumb said...

Zooms: I was showing off for you. So flattered you noticed.

Sam said...

Hot Lips!

cookiecrumb said...

Sam: SMOOCH!

limoncello said...

Black bean soup! Love it, thanks.
Anyone remember the counterfeit Rooster Sauce scandal of a few years ago??
Wish I saw a smaller bottle. Like the Three Crabs fish sauce I bought today; I will have to live to be at LEAST 427 to go through it. More fruits and veggies, then.

cookiecrumb said...

Limoncello: My fish sauce is already 427 years old. Invented by the Romans. (I mean CDXXVII years old.)

Sweet Bird said...

hehe...squizzle

Zoomie said...

Went looking on your recommendation - didn't find it yet, but I persevere.

Janbo said...

Here's a method I copped from Molly Wizenberg's blog-she labels it "Cabbage with Hot Sauce". Shred/slice cabbage very thin and throw it in a HOT pan coated with oil. Cook briefly and quickly, making sure some browning occurs. Then glurge on some Sriracha and a drib of Tamari or Soy. That's it. Makes a great side, or you can add veggies, leftover meat, etc. Easy-schmeazy and quick. I normally just lurk around here-so let me add I really enjoy your blog, ma'am. (Cause that's how we talk down here in Texas.)

cookiecrumb said...

Zoomie: Oh, you'll find some. Not sure if you're the hot sauce type, but you're saucy. So keep trying.
(BTW, it's really just simple, basic stuff.)

Janbo: Howdy! So glad to hear from you. You are welcome to lurk all you want. xxx
Orangette's Cabbage! Yeah, isn't that the coolest recipe? Thanks for bringing the idea of it over here to my other lurkers... Hee.
"Glurge." Good word.

Anita (Married... with dinner) said...

Side-stepping the controversy over Sriracha's origins and pronunciation to wish you a happy 4th blogiversary. Are you doing anything fun to celebrate?! :)

Katie said...

Wow, tons of comments! My hubby loves it and makes his own, which he prefers to the "rooster sauce" squizzle. What an awesome word, I will steal it and use it too.

musingegret said...

I'm a lurker 'coming out' to also extoll the virtues and ubiquity of sriracha uses! I drizzle it on tacos (of all sorts and fillings), on fried eggs (instead of Tabasco), and mixed with mayo and lime juice for a dip with cold boiled shrimp. And here's a tip of the hat to the lovely couple in Southern Cal for the homemade SIR-rotch-a (per the NYT):

http://www.whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/sriracha-chili-garlic-hot-sauce-recipe/

also: http://tinyurl.com/qftr6h

cookiecrumb said...

Anita: Controversy aside (and I tried to come across neutral), what do you mean, celebrate? It's still Birthday Month! Whoo. Mebbe some new flowering plants for the patio tomorrow. :-)
Thanks.

Katie: I totally remember your husband making the sauce! He did a good job. But there's not really tomatoes in it. Still, yummz.
"Squizzle" is now officially a word in the blogosphere for all to use.
xoxo

MusingEgret: First, what a lovely name.
Second, wow, thanks for the link. I don't visit the Couple as often as I should.
I love your ideas, especially on shrimp. Mm.
Please lurk more! And de-lurk now and then.

cookiecrumb said...

Katie: I'm looking at White on Rice Couple's recipe, and indeed they use tomatoes. Sorry for being a wrong-headed boor. Even so, the Rooster bottle does not list tomatoes in the ingredients.
Yum. I love choices.

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous photo! The dripping sriracha totally makes it for me. Wish I could reach in and grab that for dinner.

cookiecrumb said...

Sandwich: Why, thank you! The drops of sauce were much cuter than the sloppy tostada.