What is hidden under the name “Sriracha”, unusual for our ear? Unfortunately, many have not heard such words. This sauce can not be called too popular. But in vain ...
Shriracha hot sauce came to us from Thai cuisine relatively recently, however, having managed, however, to conquer half the world by then. Today it is served in restaurants of oriental cuisine for meat, fish and seafood. And we will take it and prepare it ourselves. Moreover, the necessary ingredients can be found in every kitchen, although this spicy sauce was born on the other side of the earth.
Success Story Multiplied By 2
Sriracha sauce appeared about 80 years ago in a small Thai village called Si Racha. And the secret Thanom Chakkapak cooked for his friends. They liked her new sauce so much that they persuaded her to cook it for sale. This idea inspired Thanom and two years later the new sauce broke all the records of popularity in the country. In 1984, Thai Theparos bought Madame Chakkapak the rights to this seasoning and began to produce it on an industrial scale. The technology, however, remained the same, and only natural products were used for cooking.
It is noteworthy that this story repeated word-for-word on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. David Tran, a Sino-Vietnamese expat, reproduced this sauce almost verbatim and began selling it in his tavern. People just fell in love with a new product! Soon it began to be mass-produced in the States.
Technology basis
The main ingredients are unchanged. The recipe is based on garlic, red hot peppers, salt, sugar, white vinegar. In the original, the natural fermentation process lasts three months. But are we not going to wait so long? Therefore, we accelerate the process, trying to keep within 10 days.
So, the most important ingredient that we need is chili pepper. Professionals advise starting with less spicy varieties. For example, jalapenos or serranos. After, when you feel the pungency, it will be possible to continue experiments, including with more burning varieties. We also need a capacious container in which the fermentation process will take place. Even an ordinary glass jar will do. In addition, you can not do without a blender - do not you want to crush the ingredients in a mortar?
Product proportions
To prepare about half a liter of sauce, we need the following products:
- hot pepper - 350 g;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- sugar (brown) - 2 tbsp. l .;
- salt - 0.5 tbsp. l .;
- natural white vinegar - 65 ml.
Cooking Sriracha Sauce
The recipe involves fermentation, so that the pathogenic microflora does not interfere with the process, thoroughly wash all the ingredients. After washing, remove the pepper legs (leave the seeds), peel the garlic, grind with salt and sugar to a paste-like state. We put the paste in a jar so that it fills no more than half the volume. We cover the throat of the can with gauze or cloth so as not to block the access of air. Sriracha sauce during fermentation will increase significantly in volume.
The very next day, the mass in the bank will begin to “play”, you will immediately notice the bubbles. During fermentation, the hot sauce must be mixed daily with a wooden spatula. The process will last about a week, and then it will slow down very much. This suggests that the time has come for the next stage.
Now we must completely block the fermentation, and white vinegar will help us in this. We divide it into 3 parts and add one per day. You can add immediately all the necessary volume of vinegar, but in this case it will clog the aromas of pepper and garlic.
After the last portion of vinegar has been added, we wait another day and proceed to the final phase. Once again, we interrupt the pasta with a blender, and then pass it through a fine sieve, helping with a silicone spatula.
It remains to boil a little sauce in a saucepan - 10 minutes are enough. This will get rid of the remains of vinegar notes and bring the consistency to perfection.
How chili sauce (sriracha) is used in cooking
The sweet and sour taste of the sauce goes well with seafood and fried fish. It goes well with meat, especially fried and baked on charcoal. Sriracha can also be used as an ingredient for more complex sauces, gravy, fruit drinks.
And, of course, one cannot fail to mention that this sauce is used to make alcoholic cocktails. It will add unusual sharp notes to the drink. For example, they can be replaced with Tabasco in the “Bloody Mary” cocktail.