How to use Sriracha (and five favorite recipes)

Everything about the Sriracha hot sauce bottle screams "heat alert!", yet I'm here to tell you that there's more to this complex sauce than pure pepper power. Think garlic, vinegar, and sugar -- and, yes, ripe Thai chile peppers -- and you begin to get an inkling of what's in that squeeze bottle with the bright green top and the rooster on the front.

Once a well-kept secret of restaurant chefs and Asian cooks, Sriracha is a thicker, sweeter version of the more familiar American hot sauce. After it's opened, it keeps in the refrigerator forever. A drop or two will warm up salads, sauces, scrambled eggs, and stir-fries. You can learn more about Sriracha in my original ingredient post.

Here are five of my favorite ways to use Sriracha:

Quick and easy Asian pickled cole slaw makes an ideal side dish with grilled chicken or fish.

Kick off your July 4 barbecue with these Sriracha avocado deviled eggs.

Nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) takes comfort food to a new level, with a bit of kick from Sriracha.

Make a drizzly sauce with Sriracha, and try it on perfectly roasted asparagus.

You might just lick the plate clean when you make this miso-Sriracha glazed salmon. (My husband Ted and I did!)

What are some of your favorite ways to use Sriracha?

Once a well-kept secret of restaurant chefs and Asian cooks, Sriracha is a thicker, sweeter version of the more familiar American hot sauce. After it's opened, it keeps in the refrigerator forever. A drop or two will warm up salads, sauces, scrambled eggs, and stir-fries. You can learn more about Sriracha in my original ingredient post.

Here are five of my favorite ways to use Sriracha:

Quick and easy Asian pickled cole slaw makes an ideal side dish with grilled chicken or fish.

Kick off your July 4 barbecue with these Sriracha avocado deviled eggs.

Nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) takes comfort food to a new level, with a bit of kick from Sriracha.

Make a drizzly sauce with Sriracha, and try it on perfectly roasted asparagus.

You might just lick the plate clean when you make this miso-Sriracha glazed salmon. (My husband Ted and I did!)

What are some of your favorite ways to use Sriracha?

Comments

Asian slaw, just what I need! Nasi goreng, tonight? I was afraid of sriracha when it first became known, but now it's a friend... Recently in Hoboken NJ, we went into an Italian deli with a few tables -- with srirach with the salt, pepper, etc. Good ol' melting pot?

Susan, I love the notion of Sriracha in an Italian deli. I guess it has truly arrived as an "American" ingredient now.

Love Sriracha, and I love all these ideas!

Kalyn, I've graduated to the very large size bottle in my fridge! I love it, too.

Lydia,
You're right, the bottle in the fridge never turns! I previously thought it was like Tigger thinks about thistles "too hot" but I've come around to appreciate the complex flavor there.
Thanks!

I always tend to add just a tad more Sriracha then I should.

Kristen, Kristi: there's nothing that isn't improved by a bit of hot sauce!

I predict Sriracha surpasses salsa as America's favorite condiment soon!
I have some, I love it, but it is HOT for me and I can handle some heat. Any Egg dish is my favorite use of it! or in glazes for meat on the grill!

Wonderful!

Carol, you might be right, as Sriracha is available everywhere now. I think it's like any hot sauce; the more you eat, the more you can tolerate.

Arthur, thanks! Hope you like these recipes.

Just to confirm: Made both Nasi Goreng and Asian Slaw -- happy with both!

Susan, wish I'd been in your neighborhood for dinner last night! Thanks for the feedback. I do love both of those recipes, and yet would never have thought to serve them together.