I think it’s safe to say that Sriracha has become as American as Tabasco. In fact, that iconic red rooster bottle is one of the most successful food products in history. So much so that the Huy Fong factory in California makes over 20 million bottles of the stuff a year. And what’s not to love? A heat that’s not too hot, a little tangy and a little sweet, with a thick texture more like ketchup than a runny hot sauce….Sriracha is pretty much perfect.

But knowing that anything can be improved upon, and that homemade almost always tastes better, I set out to make my own. And wow! Homemade Sriracha is amazing! In just 15 minutes you can have your own homemade sriracha, and it is more vibrant than anything you could ever buy at the store.

Some Like It Hot!

For one of the world’s most famous hot sauces, Sriracha is surprisingly not that spicy. It actually clocks in pretty low on the Scoville scale, which is a way to measure heat level. Sriracha is at around 2200 Scoville units. For comparison, tabasco is almost twice as hot, at 3800 Scoville units. This may be one of the reasons why Sriracha is so versatile. It’s got more going for it than just heat.

One reason I like making my own homemade sriracha is that I can control the heat level. I can use peppers that I know to pack more heat, or I can remove the seeds if I want it a little less hot. You do you-if you want more flavor than heat, seek out milder red peppers like Anaheim chilis and remove their seeds. If you want real tongue tingling spice, throw in a scotch bonnet or two, and leave in the seeds.

One thing I would definitely recommend is that you use gloves while handling the peppers. You don’t want to find out why the hard way…

Let’s Get Cooking!

Now it’s time to take your homemade sriracha off the heat, and blend. You can do this one of two ways. You can either use an immersion blender; in which case be certain not to turn it on until is submerged in the liquid, or you and your kitchen will be covered in sriracha. Regular standing blenders work great too, though here again you need to be careful.  Make sure you don’t fill it over the max fill line, or the steam could blow the lid off, and again you will be covered in hot sriracha. Personally I love immersion blenders, but I find a high powdered blender better here at pulverizing the mixture. And I take out the cover for the feed hole (which reduces the pressure of the steam) and put a kitchen towel on top of the hole for extra precaution.

Time To Strain Out the Seeds

Once it’s blended, I strain it through a medium sieve to ensure it’s as smooth as possible. Do not use very fine sieves as the sauce is quite thick and you will trap most of the sauce. Just put a mesh strainer over a bowl, and push the sauce through. The strainer will catch any unblended seeds or chunks of chili. And then it’s ready to be jarred, where it can last in the fridge up to three weeks.

I Put This on Everything!

Seriously, everything. It’s great in Sriracha Honey Wings. Or to add a jolt of flavorful heat to Perfect Fried eggs. Pour some all over a noodle bowl, like our Lemongrass Chicken one or add zing to a Salmon Poke. Any place you’d like some sweet, tangy heat!

Can’t wait to see all the ways you find to use Homemade Sriracha. Leave a comment below and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen.

Homemade Sriracha

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients

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• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 large cloves garlic
• medium shallot
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 cup fresh whole red chilies stemmed and coarsely chopped, use whatever chile you like from medium to extra spicy 
• ⅓ cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

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Instructions

1. Heat garlic and shallot in oil over medium heat until light brown and softened, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add ketchup and chilies and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium low, partially cover with a lid, and simmer for 3 mins. Stir once in a while to keep the thick sauce from burning.
3. Add vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and salt and simmer, again covering with the lid, for another 5 mins. Again stir a couple of times to keep the sauce cooking evenly.
4. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender or very carefully in a standard blender. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
5. If using a standard blender, remove the cover of the feed tube and put a damp kitchen towel on top. Start at low and blend for 30 seconds, moving up to high to get a completely smooth mixture. 
6. Push the sauce through a medium sieve to remove any fine particles and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

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Notes

* I recommend using a standard blender, especially if it is high powered, like a vitamix or a blendtec. If you use an immersion blender, blend the sauce well, taking extra time to make sure the sauce is as smooth as possible.

*Use a medium mesh sieve. Do not use a strainer with a very fine mesh as it will be almost impossible to push through the sauce. If you don’t mind the slightly coarse texture and the seeds, you could also just use the sauce as is without straining out the seeds.