What is sriracha and is it hot?

What is sriracha

A foodie success story, sriracha has become the hot sauce on everyone’s lips. For those who think maybe they don’t like hot sauce, or have just been doing other things for the past decade, we ask ‘what is sriracha?’.

And more importantly, is it hot?

What is sriracha?

Sriracha is a chili sauce, originally from East Asia. Its exact origin is hotly debated but it is generally accredited to the town of Sri Racha in Thailand. What the world has come to know and love as sriracha actually comes from California, where it was invented by a Vietnamese immigrant. Hence the more familiar term of hot sauce.

Interestingly, sriracha is common in both Thailand and Vietnam but in Thailand it is used as a dipping sauce, where it has a thinner consistency and a sharper flavour with more vinegar. In Vietnam is is used more as a condiment.

Sriracha ingredients

It is made from chilies, sugar, salt, garlic and vinegar. Commercial varieties have xanthan gum added as a thickener to make it squeezable like mustard or ketchup. It is this squeezable aspect that is possibly, at least partly, responsible for it becoming a worldwide phenom.

Red jalapenos (which are basically green jalapenos that have ripened in the sun) are mixed with vinegar. This breaks them down and also helps to preserve the final product. Salt is added and the mixture is left to do its thing. Kind of like fermenting, but not strictly fermenting as it contains vinegar.

Once the chili, vinegar, salt combo has worked its magic, sugar and garlic are added. It is this, plus the flavour of the chilies, that gives sriracha its unique flavour profile.

Our sriracha chili sauce is certified organic so is made from 100% organic ingredients.

Is sriracha vegan?

The process of making sriracha does not involve any animal ingredients but the provenance of certain ingredients may be called into question. It depends how much of a hard line you take on veganism. Sugar and vinegar may both include animal by products in their processing.

Is sriracha gluten-free?

Theoretically, sriracha contains no ingredients with gluten. But, unless a product is labelled gluten-free and manufactured according to strict regulation it cannot be certified gluten-free. Vinegar, although made with grains, should be gluten-free but there are no guarantees.

So is sriracha sauce hot?

Sriracha brands will vary in their intensity, but as hot sauces go, sriracha is considered to be on the mild side.  It is more about flavour than heat, with a little kick that you miss once its gone. Chili excites the tastebuds, making them more receptive to flavour and waking up the appetite.

The Scoville scale measures the capsaicin content of chillies. Capsaicin irritates mucous membranes which is why chile peppers feel hot in your mouth or hurts like hell when you accidently rub it in your eye.

Jalapeno peppers, like they use in sriracha, register at around 5,000 to 9,000 units. The mild and licorice-y pasilla pepper used in Mexican cooking registers between 1,000 to 1,500. Currently the hottest chili pepper stands at 2 million plus. So, jalapeno is low to mid range hot.

The heat of chili can vary from fruit to fruit, even from the same plant. Factors such as processing time and other ingredients can also affect how hot chili feels in the mouth. Manufacturers will however go to great lengths to ensure their offering is consistent so once you find one you like, stick to it.

How many Scoville units is sriracha?

On average (although there really isn’t such a thing) sriracha comes in at about 2,200 Scoville units. Compared to the 3,750 of Tabasco.

Sriracha vs Tabasco

Tabasco is a Cajun style hot sauce made from vinegar, chile peppers, and salt. All about the interplay between chili and vinegar, it has a thin consistency and a sharp vinegar tang. Sriracha is more friendly, like ketchup with a kick, and is all about the extra dimensions from the sugar and garlic alongside the integral flavour of the peppers. Despite the heat, it is soft and rounded on the palate.

What does sriracha sauce taste like?

It is spicy, garlicky, tangy, salty and sweet. Pretty much flavour enhancer in a bottle. One that doesn’t contain MSG.

What goes with sriracha?

Absolutely everything. Seriously, everything. Not just for Asian food (although it is great with it) it ups the ante of everything you put in your mouth. Straight from the bottle it acts as a condiment, a seasoning, or both. Added to mayo, or cream cheese (or both) it becomes milder, creamy and moreish. You can use it as a marinade, and it makes meat taste awesome. It goes particularly well with eggs and cheese. It makes the best buffalo wings EVER.

Does sriracha go in the fridge?

No. It will keep well out of the fridge, but feel free to err on the side of caution and refrigerate anyway if you wish.

Discover some other key ingredients in the foods of southeast Asia

Take a look at our range of organic Asian sauces, or head over to our online wholesale  store for bulk buy groceries.

Why soy sauce just might be the greatest seasoning. Ever.

All about soy sauce

Soy sauce is salty, sweet, and savoury. With a note of bitterness and a touch of sour it activates all of our taste buds to create a balanced range of sensations.

Used in place of salt, it brings all of these other elements into play. Use to enhance flavours and create a sense of depth. Embrace the unique and complex full-bodied flavour. Start simple, switching it out with salt, and then get creative.

See where the magic of soy sauce will take you.

All about soy sauce

soy sauce

Thousands of years ago, in Ancient China, they used to make a fermented soy bean paste similar to the miso we know today. At some point it was discovered that the liquid from this could be used too, and soy sauce was born. Use spread across the East, where regional variations were developed, and eventually spread to the West. It is now one of the most widely used condiments in the world. But are we getting the most from our soy sauce? Do we liberally splash it on anything we regard as Asian and think no more about it?

In the East, they take soy sauce very seriously indeed. Hundreds of variations exist, each as subtly different as fine wine or olive oil. Only a handful of traditional producers are left, creating complex soy sauce that takes years to perfect. A simple preparation of soy beans, wheat, salt and water, fermented with a starter of micro-organisms, it is time and nature that result in the astonishing depth of flavour in soy sauce.

In Japan and China they both categorise soy sauce as light or dark. Light soy sauce is thinner and saltier, whilst dark soy sauce is thick, rich and sweet. Standard soy sauce is somewhere in between. Japanese soy sauce is lighter and less salty in general.

A brief lesson in flavour

Soy sauce delivers the full range of taste sensations. In technical terms taste is the broad physical sensations of salt, sweet, umami, bitter and sour. Flavour is all of the aromas that add the detailed nuances.

Used to draw out and enhance complex flavours, soy sauce is a masterclass in seasoning by itself. Not only does it trigger all of the taste sensations, but has a complex flavour profile of its own. The aim of all carefully considered dishes is to balance the tastes and enhance the flavours of the ingredients.

Soy sauce is salty, sweet, savoury, bitter, and sour, in varying degrees. Saltiness magnifies flavour, working in tandem with umami that makes the mouth water and makes food feel fuller, richer and more satisfying. Sourness brightens the palate, clarifying and defining flavours, whilst sweetness rounds everything out. Bitter flavours add a little interest. A sense of intrigue. Together, they create balance. A satisfying sense of completeness.

10 things you can do with soy sauce

Make a marinade

Marinade chicken, fish, vegetables or tofu. Anything you like really. Keep it Asian inspired with aromatics such as garlic and ginger, or just use the soy sauce in place of salt.

Mix a dressing

Mix up a dressing for salad or roasted vegetables. Try 3 parts oil, 2 parts low sodium soy sauce, to 1 part vinegar.

Reduce a glaze

Mix 200ml soy sauce, with 100ml red wine, and 1 tbsp honey. Place in a small saucepan over a medium heat and simmer to reduce by half.

Add to desserts

Use instead of salt in a salted caramel sauce, or add an extra dimension to your chocolate brownies. Try adding a dash of sauce sauce to your affogato.

Enhance poaching liquid

Add a quarter cup to your poaching liquid for depth of flavour.

Prepare pickles

Mix soy with rice vinegar and sugar to create a simple pickling liquid for cucumber, carrot, onion or even hard boiled eggs.

Deepen your braise

Add to your beef stew or braised short ribs for deep meaty flavour. A tiny piece of star anise won’t be detected but will bring out even more meaty flavour.

Super savoury your sauce

Add a tablespoon to your homemade tomato sauce for sweetness and savoury depth

Brush onto ingredients

Brush onto simple grilled meats or vegetables, yakitori style.

Give guts to your gravy

Add a splash to your gravy for rich body and colour.

Find out more about the ingredients used in Asian cuisine

We have a range of high quality Asian sauces and wholesale prices on Asian groceries at our online store at Opera Foods.


This Article was reproduced with permission from an Opera Foods article:- “Why soy sauce just might be the greatest seasoning. Ever.

Differences between Conventional and Organic foods

Problems with a lot of Conventional Foods.

A Range of chemicals are involved in the production and processing of what are now conventional food products.

Conventional agriculture often uses pesticides that leads to the compromising of local, regional or even global ecosystems.

Often fortified with vitamins and nutrients using various artificial processes.

The residues of these chemicals and additives in food products have suspicious effects on human health and there are risks associated with exposure to pesticides.

Organic Foods

Organic foods rely on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of foreign inputs that have adverse effects.

The entire production from planting to post harvest follows strict protocols and standards.

Organic food production considers what is good for our environment, our safety as food product consumers, and the workers’ welfare.

Food Products without artificial additives retain more of the rich natural nutritional content from the organic produce.