Homemade Sriracha- Recipe
Sriracha shortage what? This homemade Sriracha recipe hits all the notes: tangy, savory, and spicy-sweet.
Iāve been perfecting my sriracha recipe since 2021 and after carefully researching how Huy Fong makes their famous sauce, Iāve finally perfected mine. This has that same super addicting Rooster sauce flavor š„ā¤ļø.
This process/recipe below is to make a similar bottle of sriracha like the Huy Fong Rooster sriracha as photographed above. This means weāll ferment peppers, then add vinegar/garlic/sugar and then simmer it off to get a nice stable tasting and longer lasting sriracha. Please see my other posts for100% fermented and probiotic sriracha.
A little history on sriracha- There are hundreds of stories on the internet about how David Chan (owner of Huy Fong Foods) created Sriracha sauce in the USA in the 1980s. What you might not know is the true origin story, the story of Ms. Thanom Chakkapak, a resident of Si Racha, Thailand. She made her own hot sauce, the original āsrirachaā sauce in the 1930s and named it Sriraja Panich, which is still around today.
If youāre interested more about the history of sriracha be sure to check out this cool video, ā130 year saga of sriracha chili sauce, everything you know about sriracha is a lieā, see video -here-.
The famous Huy Fong rooster sriracha has just 8 ingredients: jalapeƱo peppers, sugar, salt, garlic powder, 2 preservatives, vinegar (acetic acid), xanthan gum (a thickener).
Here are my top 5 tips that make this better than any other copycat recipe!
1ļøā£ Sriraja Panich uses Thai red chili peppers which has a spicier kick to it, unlike HF, that uses garlic powder, they use pickled garlic instead which gives that signature garlicāy tang that I love!
2ļøā£ Use red jalapeƱos. Red jalapeƱos tend to taste sweeter than green jalapeƱos which make them perfect for this copycat Sriracha recipe.
David Chan first used Serrano peppers for his sriracha, the company formerly used serrano peppers, but found them difficult to harvest -Wikipediaā, but then switched to either red jalapeƱo peppers or a hybrid jalapeno, aji piquillo, which is like a fresno/red JalapeƱo. Originally David Chan purchased their peppers from Underwood Ranches from 1988-2016 (nbc news). After that he switched to red jalapeƱos until 2022 where we all witnessed the great sriracha shortage.
With that all said, I like to use a blend of jalapeno with some fresno, and/or serrano peppers because I love the heat of the Huy Fong sriracha before they made it more āketchupāyā and mild. So depending on whatās in stock, I like to blend red jalapeno's with some hotter peppers (just be sure to know the heat level of the peppers you are using if youāre sensitive to heat/hotness).
What if you canāt find red jalapenos? You can use a mix of green jalapeƱos with some red hot chili peppers like fresno, serrano, or other red chili peppers (make sure not to use super hot peppers like habaneros unless you like it super hot). You can also add a drop of natural red food coloring when blending your sriracha with vinegar & honey if you want it the iconic red color (thereās nothing wrong an orange colored sriracha as well).
3ļøā£ Use kosher salt. Iodine tends to inhibit the beneficial bacteria so I donāt recommend using it for any fermented recipes.
4ļøā£ Fermenting is key! You need the right fermenting time. Fermentation helps mellow out the hot š„µ and adds a nice zippy tang!
FIVE: In addition to pickled garlic, the original Thai Thanom sriracha uses a little apple cider vinegar for its signature tang so weāll be adding a little of that as well.
PLEASE NOTE: Ripeness of peppers, type of red peppers, the color of peppers, and fermentation time can and will affect the final taste and color of your sriracha.
Depending on your temperature in your home this will also affect your fermenting time (shorter or longer). If youāre afraid of fermenting, just leave it out 3 days.
Find the right blend of peppers that works for you. Red jalapeno peppers are hard to find so I use a blend of red & green jalapeno/fresno/serrano and a few Thai red chili peppers. You can use all red jalapenoās (if you can find them), or a mix of red peppers above depending on the heat/spice level you want. The original Thai sriracha āSriraja Panichā uses Thai red chili peppers.
*A note about heat/spice level: If youāre using hot peppers like birdās eye chiliās / Thai chiliās, serranno or other super hot peppers etc, itās important to blend them with sweeter/less spicy peppers so your sriracha isnāt too hot and fiery. You can also slice your peppers in half and shake off a good portion of the seeds in a bowl to remove a little of that heat as well.
Find your perfect blend and consistency that works for you by trying different peppers and pepper blends.
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*BEFORE YOU START: Hereās just a little tid bit about sanitized equipment & surfaces:
I like to sterilize any glass jars or utensils Iāll be using including: any lids, metal strainers, cutting boards etc.
For plastic bottles wash bottles with hot water and soap, then I like to spray the inside of the empty bottles and caps with white vinegar (add white vinegar to bottle and twist cap on and shake bottle, then rinse with water, and let dry. The reason why you want to rinse the bottles with vinegar is to remove any lingering soap residue as it can inhibit the fermentation and good bacteria to form).
For you surface areas/counters: Keeping your surfaces clean of bacteria will keep it away from your ferment. You can clean your surfaces with a solution of 50/50 water to vinegar ratio before diving into recipe.
If you need any help finding any ingredients for my recipes, you can find links to all my pantry staples / seasonings / kitchen gear as well as photo gear -here-.
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 lb Red JalapeƱos, fresno and/or serrano red peppers (you can use all of one pepper, or a mix of the 3, you can also sub with some green jalapenos as well but the final color of your sriracha wonāt be as red)
**Again, a note about heat/spice level: If youāre using hot peppers like birdās eye chiliās / Thai chiliās, serranno or other super hot peppers etc, itās worth noting to blend them with sweeter/less spicy peppers so your sriracha isnāt too fiery. You can also slice your peppers in half and shake off a good portion of the seeds in a bowl to remove a little of that heat as well.
5 large garlic cloves (if you want to go the extra mile you can pickle them in a solution of 50/50 white vinegar and water for 3 days in the fridge)
2 tbs white sugar
1 tbs light brown sugar
1 1/2 tbs kosher salt
1/2 cup unchlorinated water or distilled water
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar (or sub with white vinegar)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbs honey
PREPARATION
Rinse your jalapenos in a bowl of 50/50 water/white vinegar, let is soak 5 min, then rinse with cold water.
Slice red peppers in half and remove green tops. I like to half the peppers so I can shake off a good majority of the seeds so itās not SUPER hot (removing a lot of the seeds along with any white ribs/pith will also remove any bitterness or gritty texture later, most processing facilities will just grind it whole for cost savings but if you want a really refined sauce, remove them).
**NOTE: Wear gloves or youāll have hot jalapeno hands like I did!**Also, Iāve made batches with the green stems on and off. From what I was told, Huy Fong leaves it on in order to process all the peppers quickly and cheaper. However, the stems are a little bitter and can also go bad quickly hence leaving them on can potentially introduce make your fermentation go bad. If my peppers are fresh picked with green fresh stems I will occasionally will leave them on for my sriracha.
To a blender add peppers, garlic, sugar, salt and a little water (up to 1/2 cup, distilled or un-chlorinated water) to help thin the pepper paste for blending. Pulse and blend until you have a nice semi-smooth purƩe.
Transfer to a sterile/clean jar, tighten cap, and let ferment in a glass jar (on the counter away from direct sunlight is great), cover with lid, and burp jar every couple days. After about 3-7 days the peppers should be a little sweet, hot, and complex (no longer sharp in taste) and thatās when you should pull it.
**NOTE: Be sure to burp the jars daily (to burp, just slightly unscrew lid without removing the lid, you just want to slightly untwist lid to remove any built up gasses, then quickly tighten lid closed).To a blender, add your fermented pepper sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar and honey into blender.
Pour and strain the sriracha sauce through a medium fine sieve into a large sauce pan and let in come to a low simmer for about 5-10 min until slightly thickened. It should taste a little tart, hot, and sweet.
*Simmering longer to the 10 min mark will make the sriracha more stable and last longer but it can also lose some of the color vibrancy as well. I like to stop simmering if I notice any color change. And, if I want it that iconic red color Iāll add a drop or two of natural red food coloring (PS- I hardly ever care about the color, its the beauty of homemade sriracha).
If needed you can add a little more vinegar to thin the sauce some to your desired consistency if itās too thick but only add a tbs at a time. You donāt want it super thick but you also donāt want it super runny as well. When in doubt go with thicker, you can also add a pinch of vinegar later.
*You can also add a drop of natural red food coloring to give it a brighter red color depending on what peppers you use (the food coloring is purely aesthetic and not needed of course).
*And, for a sprinkle of added umami you can do a pinch of msg (definitely not needed, but it does add a little something)
Place the sauce pan off the hot burner til it reaches room temp. To a funnel, pour your hot sauce into a sterile bottle and store in the your fridge, this should be good for 3+ months if properly stored and not cross contaminated.