It’s been a while, I know. I spent most of 2013 focused on my tech blog over here. But I thought I’d kick off 2014 with a foodie post.
I use a lot of hot sauce but tend to be very boring in the ones I buy, mainly sticking to the supermarket reliables like Tabasco and Encona. I’ve got the odd Irish one too but many of them seem obsessed with heat and not flavour (Rebel Chilli being the worst culprit here).
One of my most spammed blogposts here is the one I did on Frank’s Hot Sauce back in 2006. However I’ve long given up on Franks due to the lack of kick and depth.
I recently read an article about the Sriracha obsession in the US. It lead me to believe that only one company in California was responsible for it and the distinct bottle. But their company name bears no resemblance to the one in my fridge, so I’m not sure how accurate anything they said was. I only use Sriracha in kebabs (I know, culture clash) as I find it a bit a too raw-garlic-smelly. Then I found this great piece on Pando daily, giving Sriracha a good kicking and recommending some alternatives.
The ones he mentioned that stood out for me were by El Yucateco and I found a bunch of places online selling them without too big a gouge to Ireland. So I ordered their Chipotle Hot Sauce and Green Chile Habanero Hot Sauce off eBay. And boy am I glad I did. The Chipotle is a bit too smokey straight out of the bottle on to your finger, but it does some sort of crazy transformation the second it hits food. Everything tastes better, everything! It must be packed with umami. It’s not very hot but adds depth and some heat to spruce up even the most boring of foods. The Habanero is very hot, but not madly so. It is lovely and fresh and adds a lot of zing. A great replacement for Tabasco or Encona everywhere.
Try them out. I’ll be ordering more soon as I’m nearly out already.
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