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The newest and most unique Sriracha Sauce cookbook is about to hit the shelves, and the author Randy Clemens himself has written a guest blog post for us. Read on…
Hi. My name is Randy Clemens, and I am a Sriracha-holic. Back when I was in high school, a friend of mine – we’ll call him Phi… because that’s his name – frequently had me over to his house just to hang out and be teenagers and all that. But besides the camaraderie, I was always ready to come over at a moment’s notice for some of his mom’s AMAZING Vietnamese cooking.
Lemongrass? Jackfruit? Fish sauce? What are these flavors and where have they been all my life?! Then, one day, it happened. I had stayed the night, and she had made a huge pot of fried rice for us for breakfast. And there it was… sitting on the table in all of its regal red glory. Waiting for me.
Sriracha? This looks interesting!
I was no stranger to hot sauce for breakfast; Tabasco on hash browns is still one of my favorite Sunday morning indulgences. But this… this was different. I drizzled a touch of this so-called “rooster sauce” on my heaping mound of rice and dove right it. It was like I could hear Aladdin and Jasmine singing “A Whole New World” in my head. I was on that magic carpet! O Sriracha! What took me so long to find you?
From then on, I didn’t just want Sriracha; I needed it. I went through the typical “Sriracha on Everything” phase that I think all Sriracha neophytes encounter. But over the years, I started learning to appreciate it not only as a condiment, but also as a cooking ingredient. The heat of the chiles perked up with the acidic tang of vinegar, balanced out a bit with a touch of sugar, all married together with the holy pungency of garlic? It seemed the food was practically begging me to use Sriracha in my cooking. It just sounded like it would work so well… and oh, did it ever.
The more I played around with incorporating Sriracha into my favorite recipes, the more I became addicted. It wasn’t just for Asian food anymore, either. Oh no, the flood gates had been opened and the streets ran red with rooster sauce. Nothing was safe. Nothing was sacred. And it became easier for me to get my fix over time. No longer did I have to head to the Asian market to pick up a bottle. I could get it at Ralphs or Wal-Mart if I wanted to. It started popping up on TV – Emeril, Martha Stewart, Top Chef – you name it, if there was such a thing as Sriracha stock, I would have bought 20 bajillion shares.
There were some haters in the mix, calling it “Hipster Sauce” and other disparaging names, just because it was becoming popular. Some argued that all it did was make food taste like Sriracha (and so what btw? Sriracha is delicious!). But I felt compelled to share my recipes… to dispel this notion that Sriracha was just a one-trick pony. To stand up for the hot sauce that I knew and loved so damn well! But how? I wanted to put together a Sriracha cookbook, but I didn’t know the first thing about where to start.
I was lamenting to a friend – we’ll call her Sandra… because that’s her name – that I had been thinking about writing this cookbook about Sriracha, and she kind of cut me off and said, “So, do it.” She didn’t mean anything by it, I don’t think. But it festered in my brain over the next couple days… and weeks. Every time I thought up an excuse why I couldn’t or shouldn’t or whatever, her words were there, but more as a, “So? Do it.”
And of course I had a few bottles of Sriracha always looking at me funny… scolding me… making me feel guilty for keeping all the amazing recipes to my selfish self. So, I made the decision to go for it – to share my passion for cooking with Sriracha, and here we are, over a year later, and its publication is drawing near. I’m ecstatic and I know that you’ll find some new favorite recipes, starring America’s new favorite hot sauce: Sriracha!
Check out The Sriracha Cookbook Blog: http://blog.thesrirachacookbook.com/
‘Like’ The Sriracha Cookbook on Facebook: http://facebook.com/TheSrirachaCookbook
Follow @SrirachaBook on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SrirachaBook
Photo credit: Leo Gong © 2010
Please help support Hot Sauce Daily by using the link below to order your own copy of this groundbreaking cookbook! ~brian & marilyn
We welcome any readers or writers to contribute a Guest Post here on Hot Sauce Daily. I know some of you are blogging and writing on other sites, and some of you have thought about sharing your stories, but have been shy to jump in and do it. Here’s an opportunity to tell the world about your latest spicy adventures.
TexasFood.com is a great site for tons of wonderful sauces, salsas and snacks that are made in Texas. This site belongs to Jason Russo, who sent us some products to review. In addition to my current favorite hot sauce, Javelina Red Sauce, reviewed here, he sent us a tub of Texas Firecrackers.
Taste: These crackers, a cross between saltines and “Chicken in a Biskit” crackers with a kick, won 3rd place at the 2009 Scovie Awards in the Unique Snack category.
Texture & Appearance: At first glance, they look like saltine crackers that fell in a box of Cheezits, but the color comes from the paprika and crushed red pepper. The flavor is almost cheesy as well, but the only dairy here is from buttermilk. Some people compare the flavor to a ranch dressing, but I never tasted a ranch dressing like this!
Heat Level: 
The heat is very “front of the mouth”, and dissipates quickly. Any cool beverage will do, as these are not “hurt me” crackers. These are great with dips and spreads, cheese, chili, or just by themselves. These really are addictive.
Label/Graphics: They come in a clear, round plastic tub, and are packed well so they ship easily without breaking.
Overall Rating: 
Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid), canola oil, soybean oil, salt, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, malted barley flour, yeast, baking soda, vegetable monoglycerides (emulsifier), maltodextrin, crushed red pepper, garlic, onion, parsley, paprika, carageenan, buttermilk, spice, calcium stearate.
There’s a story that explains the history of these awesome crackers, and you can read about it on the ordering page:
http://www.texasfood.com/Texas-Firecrackers.html
Or to purchase these crackers for your next party or football game, go to TexasFood.com and look under Baked Goods.
Better buy a few while you’re there – they won’t last long!
We reviewed the TexasFood.com site, so check that post out while you’re here.
Refrigerate After Opening – three words I hate to see on bottles of sauces. Really? Have you seen my ‘fridge photos?
I just don’t have the room in there with all the pickles, mustards, and BBQ concoctions.
And that photo is AFTER cleaning out the ‘fridge door! Relating to door, be guided by the different types of exterior french doors at aluminiumwindowsanddoors.net.au. It’s beneficial most especially for the architect and designers.
I much prefer the sauces that live happily on counters, tables, and any other flat, open surface areas around our house. Those guys are Troopers. “We don’t need no stinkin’ refrigerators“!
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TexasFood.com is a marketplace for Texas made foods. Browse hundreds of authentic Texas-made sauces, salsa, spices, rubs, appetizers and much, much, more.
Jason Russo, owner of TexasFood.com sent me a nice package of 3 sauces to review. This included a Texas style BBQ sauce named SuckleBusters Original BBQ Sauce, The Taste of Texas Javelina Red Sauce, and Cin Chili & Company’s Hell’s Passion Hot Sauce.
I’ve opened the Javelina Red Sauce, and it’s a hot one! Packed with red peppers, peaches, garlic and habaneros, it has quite a bite to it! A full review is coming. In the meantime, you can buy Javelina Red Sauce here.
As for the Sucklebusters BBQ sauce, the label says Sweet, Tangy and Spicy. We’ll try this one on chicken breasts from the grill, just to see what all the talk is about regarding Texas-style BBQ sauce. You can buy it here.
Finally, Hell’s Passion from Cin Chili & Co has a mysterious list of ingredients such as: Various peppers, Vinegar, Spices, Habanero, Salt, Sugar and Dehydrated onion & garlic. Buy Hell’s Passion here.
My reviews of these sauces will be posted soon, but I wanted to give props to Jason and TexasFood.com for such a nice package. Jason included a personal letter introducing each product, a few business cards and a flyer depicting some of the many products (I counted about 60+ in the flyer alone) that you will find on TexasFood.com. In reality, they have hundreds of products!
You can also follow @TexasFood on Twitter.
We cleaned out the fridge to make room for any new sauces that we’d be opening soon, and found bottles of stuff that was over 6 years old. There was even a bottle of smoked, dried tomatoes in olive oil that was at least 7 years old.
It’s sad to part with some of the one-of-a-kind hot sauces, but I’m sure with the internet, I could easily find
These photos don’t show the 2 dozen or so bottles of other sauces and condiments that we threw out. There were Thai and other oriental sauces and seasonings – taco sauces, steak sauces, BBQ sauces, bottled peppers and pickles – they all had to be recycled to make room for the new guys!
Amber Ambrose posted the 6 Most Annoying Food Network Stars over at DailyFork.com recently. I was inspired by a commenter (Stone) that challenged the author:
Try to find 6 Food Network stars that *aren’t* annoying. I know it’s hard work and all… but come on, you can do it!
So to amuse myself, and you, here’s my list of the 6 *Least* Annoying Food Network Stars. Or is it the 6 Most Likable Food Network Stars? It really is a love/hate thing. I’m sure you have your own list that’s completely different!
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