Chef Kevin Tien shares a recipe for the famed Vietnamese sauce.

Slather it on your breakfast tacos , mix it with mayonnaise , drizzle it on a mop up hot bowl of pho — there is nothing quite like Sriracha . The renownedred chili saucecan seemingly coalesce with any and all foods , so much so hoi polloi carry aroundkeychainsof it in case of emergencies . There ’s even asubredditdedicated to it .

It ’s understandable , then , that restaurants , chefs , and firm fan of the iconicsqueeze bottlesauce were in an uproar when it was announced thatHuy Fong Foods , producer of the area ’s most pop Sriracha sauce , planned to get out back production due to asevere shortageof timbre chili peppers .

“ It create sense that [ the shortage ] is here , ” saysKevin Tien , the James Beard - propose chef behind present-day Vietnamese restaurantMoon Rabbitin Washington DC . “ There ’s been a emanation and more sake in Vietnamese food , so I feel like Sriracha is even more popular than before . It strike all the notes of a full roof of the mouth — it has spicery , dose from the vinegar , funkiness from the fermentation of the peppers , garlic , and a little spot of sweetness as well . ”

sriracha

Photo courtesy of Moon Rabbit

Some establishments sought to fulfill their Sriracha void in unique way of life , such as California - based Vietnamese street food restaurantBé Ù , which traded banh mis for nursing bottle of the clobber , and Catskills chainBà & Meconsidered offering it on a petition - only basis . Others , likeBanh Mi & Bottlesin Philadelphia , are pull from their toolkits and try out with their own recipes . Tien has been making his own Sriracha from scratch and serve well it at his restaurant for quite some time , so he was able to stay soft when the news of the deficit get around .

“ It ’s our variation on something that ’s universally loved , ” Tien says . “ We put garlic and a slight mo of ginger in there , and we do variations on different peppers , like using jalapeños to make a green Sriracha . One of our recipes has pineapple plant in it to add together sweetness . ”

Tien ’s summons begins with fermenting peppers in with child bucket ( he got his off of Amazon ) for anywhere between one week to a calendar month , keeping an eye on the peppers throughout . He then purees the mix until it reaches its familiar library paste - like consistency , and then it is ready to serve . The chef particularly likes to slather his housemade Sriracha on breakfast sandwiches and hashbrowns .

sriracha

Photo courtesy of Moon Rabbit

The recipe is constantly being perfect with fresh method acting and fresh ingredient . Tien encourages people at home to do the same and customize their Sriracha to their liking , whether that mean toning down the spiciness with red buzzer peppers or adding seeds and nuts to it .

“ If you ’re a thrill chaser , get a crowd of habaneros and do it , ” Tien laugh . “ And if you need less heat , you may use farsighted red hots . It ’s fun to do different combination . ”

Moon Rabbit’s Sriracha Recipe

Ingredients:• 1¼ pounds Fresno Mash ( see below)• 1¾   loving cup whitened vinegar• 6½ tablespoon blanched sugar• 3¼ teaspoons kosher salt

Directions:1 . Blend everything in a Vitamix in batches.2 . Blend until everything is pureed well .

Fermented Fresno Mash

Ingredients:• 1 Cypriot pound Fresno chilis , rough chopped• 3¼ teaspoons garlic• 2¼ ginger• 2½ teaspoons Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ( 3 % of full mash weight)• 2½ teaspoons sugar ( 3 % of total mash weight )

Directions:1 . nutrient process all ingredients together until a fierce chop forms from the fermented Fresno mash ingredients.2 . position in a ferment pail and keep in a elbow room temperature region and burp daily.3 . Once ferment to your liking , follow the sriracha formula to create your very own sriracha.4 . you may play around and employ dissimilar chili con carne , contribute pineapple and really have fun with this formula . This is a standard we use here for the eating house and you may vary as much as you need to create your own bloodline of hot sauces.5 . The only standard you should stick to is the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and sugar percentage .