Tapatio, Chilli paste, crushed red pepper and cayenne pepper, Piri piri, mustard, tabasco, fish sauce, Jerk sause, Wasabi, Balsamic Vinegar, Tapatio Salsa Picante, El Yucateco are the best substitutes for Sriracha.

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What is Sriracha?

19 Amazing Substitutes for Sriracha

What is Sriracha?

Sriracha is a type of chilli sauce made from chilli peppers, garlic, sugar, salt and vinegar, and has originated from Thailand. Sriracha is often found in pasta dishes, as well as in the form of a dipping sauce for seafood. However, as its popularity has grown, it is now used on eggs, hamburgers, pizzas, cocktails and now as a flavouring for snack foods and potato chips.  Knowing the best sriracha substitutes when you’re in the kitchen will help you pull off any spicy meal you’re preparing.

19 Amazing Substitutes for Sriracha

There are so many options to consider if you’re sick of the sriracha rooster, such as:

Tapatio

Tapatio offers the right amount of zesty zing accentuated by a full flavour. A little spicier than Sriracha, you can apply less to accomplish requisite peppery flavour accents.

Chilli Paste (Harissa)

Tunisian harissa paste can be very unassuming. It may look mild for a chilli paste, but it’s actually a world of exotic flavours, from coriander to cumin and mint. It’s a chilli paste that’s wide open for experimentation. You can opt for mild and smoky and choose ancho peppers as a chilli base or go for super spicy and pick up dried Thai chilies.

Crushed Red Pepper and Cayenne Pepper

If you are all out of any hot sauce and you simply need spice, you can opt for the spice rack staples. Crushed red pepper and cayenne pepper powder obviously aren’t hot sauces; these are no doubt culinary emergency options and as simple as it gets. But when a recipe doesn’t really need hot sauce, just the heat, these work flawlessly.

Piri Piri

Piri Piri is a hot sauce of Portuguese origin, though made with an African type of bird’s eye pepper of the same name. It goes particularly well with seafood.

Mustard

This yellow-brown sauce has been transmuted into everything from braising meat or dipping bread. It’ll give you an earthier kick than Sriracha, especially if you go for a spicy brown mustard. Artisanal mustards offer more variety in flavours if you’re interested.

Tabasco

Tabasco, since the mid-1800s, is the original in the hot sauce market. There are seven different varietals of Tabasco, ranging from all-American pepper sauce, including buffalo, garlic and jalapeño.

Fish Sauce

Fish sauce is a staple in Thailand, and in Thai dishes like curries or salad dressings. The Thai basically use it like we would salt and pepper, but it adds a touch more savoury stoic-ness to your meals.

Jerk Sauce

This Jamaican sauce rocks on chicken, fish, and pork. This sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce works with anything from pasta to just dipping bread in it.

Wasabi

With a spicy character that differentiates itself from peppers, punching you in the nasal passages rather than exploding on your tongue, wasabi has spawned a cult following like that of Sriracha. This is most famously known for being consumed with sushi, but it works with dried peas to crackers to ice cream.

Balsamic Vinegar

Traditionally made from a reduction of white grapes and infused with just about anything, though usually fruits or spices, Balsamic is the ultimate Italian condiment. You can cook with it, dip things in it, spread it on bread and dribble it on sandwiches

Tapatio Salsa Picante

Tapatío is a bright, citrus-y condiment and pairs not just with Mexican food, but also with Mediterranean food and any form of eggs you favour.

Homemade Sriracha

If you’re looking for a little culinary adventure, cooking up a homemade Sriracha sauce is easier than you may think.

El Yucateco

The classic El Yucateco sauces, red and green, are made from spicy and delicious habanero peppers, which give them a nice kick. They make this extra insanely spicy habanero very hot. It’s quite delicious on eggs and, if necessary, you can dilute the effect with lots of tortillas.

Yuzu Kosho

Yuzu is a citrus fruit cultivated widely in Japan, but you’ll find it all over East Asia. It tastes unique — sort of a mix of orange, meyer lemon and grapefruit. Mix yuzu with a few chillies and salt and you get one of the best condiments in the world: Yuzo kosho. It’ll brighten up a boring rice bowl, and is great for dipping fish in too. Yuzu kosho is a little tougher to find than other condiments.

Marmite

While super intense and rocking a salty, powerful flavour, this British concoction also works great with sandwiches or very sparingly in omelette. Remember, moderation is key with marmite.

Lingham’s Chilli Sauce

Lingham’s Chilli Sauce is both sweet and spicy. The sauce boomed in popularity during the ‘50s and is now found worldwide. Made from a secret recipe of red peppers, sugar and vinegar, it is an extremely versatile sauce. Use it in dipping spring rolls, but also as a marinade for meat, or if you’re feeling adventurous, mix up a cocktail with it.

Gochujang

Originating from Korea, this super-thick paste acts less as a condiment and more as a flavour component central in your meals. This sauce comes in a large variety, unlike sriracha. Gochujang works best with rice vinegar, soy sauce or sesame oil. Try all three in veggie-heavy stir-fries or as a barbecue sauce to marinade meat in.

Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce

This Thai light sauce is the ideal condiment for pork, summer rolls and even sandwich wraps. The sauce is swimming with chillies, but vinegar, garlic and sugar make it tangy and sweet. This sauce acts as a great marinade for fish, or even as a base for Asian-inspired salad dressings.

Sambal Oelek

Sambal oelek is thicker and simpler in terms of ingredients, but it packs a similar punch in the heat department. You won’t get the garlic undertones as you do with Sriracha and Sriracha’s mild sweetness is rivaled by a very mild vinegar tang in the sambal oelek.

While many of the listed substitutes may have a similar spicy bite to them, they vary widely in terms of their potency, “their heat” and overall flavour. Some will have more of a vinegar base and can be included in sauces, while those with thicker consistencies, such as mustard or wasabi, can be used as a spread or glaze on protein-centric dishes. However, personal preference will always play an important role when it comes to hot sauce.

Sources

https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2013/07/23/best-hot-sauce_n_3636107.html

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