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Sriracha explained: brands, flavors and uses

Knijpfles en schaaltje sriracha met verse rode pepers en knoflook, sriracha-mayo en een kom pho met een lepel sriracha.

Sriracha is the red squeeze bottle that sits next to the salt in many kitchens, and you’ll understand why as soon as you taste it: spicy, slightly sweet, packed with garlic, and great on almost anything from the wok or soup pot. Yet sriracha is not just one sauce, as a Thai Flying Goose tastes different from a Vietnamese Chin-Su. In our shop in Amsterdam, we have an entire shelf full of it. Here you’ll learn what sriracha is, how the brands differ, and how to use it, from pho to sriracha mayo. These are the bottles you’ll find in supermarkets in Thailand and Vietnam, such as Flying Goose, Uni Eagle, and Chin-Su.

What is sriracha?

Flying Goose Sriracha clearly shows what sriracha is: a smooth chili sauce made from red peppers, garlic, sugar, salt, and vinegar, ground so finely that you can squeeze it from the bottle over your food. You’ll first taste the sweetness and garlic, followed by a heat that lingers without overpowering everything. A thin vinegar sauce like Tabasco is much more sour and sharp.

Where does sriracha come from?

Sriracha comes from Thailand and is named after Si Racha, a coastal town on the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand. Traditionally, the sauce was eaten there with fish and seafood, and in Thailand it is still commonly served with fried fish, omelets, or fried rice. Stories vary about who first created it. What is certain is that it traveled around the world with Asian cuisines, and different styles emerged along the way.

What is the difference between Huy Fong, Thai, and Vietnamese sriracha?

Chin-Su Vietnamese Sriracha is sweeter and milder than Flying Goose’s Thai sriracha, while Huy Fong from California has a robust flavor and plenty of heat. The main difference between the three styles is therefore the balance of sweetness, garlic, and heat; the base of red peppers, garlic, sugar, and vinegar is the same everywhere.

Huy Fong: the bottle with the rooster

Huy Fong is the sriracha with the rooster on the label and the green cap, made in California. Many people immediately think of this bottle when they think of sriracha, but we are currently out of stock. If you’re looking for that robust style, Flying Goose Extra Spicy or Uni Eagle Hot will get you very close.

Thai sriracha: Flying Goose and Uni Eagle

Flying Goose comes from Thailand and makes sriracha in many flavors, in 200 and 455 ml bottles. Uni Eagle is also Thai, with a regular and a hot version, and Crying Thaiger comes in a 740 ml bottle, handy if sriracha runs out quickly at home.

Vietnamese sriracha: Chin-Su

Chin-Su Vietnamese Sriracha comes from Vietnam and, according to the maker, is slightly sweeter and milder than the Thai version. From the same brand is Chin-Su Hot Chili Sauce: not sriracha, but a smooth chili sauce that is spicy, slightly sweet, and savory, just as good with pho or banh mi.

View all sriracha and chili sauces →

Which Flying Goose sriracha is right for you?

Flying Goose Sriracha in the regular version is a good place to start, and from there you can go in two directions: more heat or an extra flavor, such as lemongrass, galangal, or smoke. The dashes under each bottle are our own assessment of the spiciness, based on the pepper and the label, so always taste carefully.

Original, MSG-free, and with extra garlic

Flying Goose Sriracha No MSG is the regular sriracha without the flavor enhancer E621, also known as glutamate. You can get both the original and the No MSG version in a small and a large bottle, and those who love garlic will reach for the Garlic.

Extra spicy: Extra Spicy and Black Out

Flying Goose Extra Spicy has the same taste as the regular sriracha, but clearly more heat. Black Out goes even further and is described as extremely spicy in the product description, not for everyone; start with a few drops.

Sriracha with an extra flavor

Flying Goose Lemongrass Sriracha and the variants with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and ginger bring typical Thai aromas, and therefore fit nicely with soup, stir-fries and seafood. Black pepper and smoke make it heartier, wasabi gives a fresh kick in the nose and coconut makes it softer and creamier.

View all Flying Goose srirachas →

How spicy is sriracha?

Sriracha is spicy but not extremely so: on our scale of 1 to 5, regular sriracha is a 3, just like Tabasco Original and sambal oelek. Sugar and garlic round off the heat. Chin-Su is slightly lower, Extra Spicy and Black Out one step higher. Read how the whole scale works in Hot sauce 101.

Not sure which bottle to try first? Start with the regular Flying Goose Sriracha in the small 200 ml bottle, as it lets you taste what sriracha is meant to taste like, and then you'll naturally notice whether you want more heat or would prefer a lemongrass or black pepper variant.

Meer Aziatische chilisauzen om te proberen

What do you use sriracha for?

You mainly use Flying Goose Sriracha as a table sauce: a drizzle over noodle soup, fried rice, eggs or a sandwich. You can also stir it into a marinade, dressing or dip sauce, and it instantly adds heat, sweetness and garlic.

Sriracha with pho and noodle soup

In Vietnamese restaurants outside Vietnam, sriracha and hoisin sauce are often on the table with pho. Many people prefer to put them in a separate bowl for dipping the meat, so the clear broth retains its own flavor. In our pho bo recipe, we braise paper-thin beef tenderloin in the boiling hot broth, and a small bowl of sriracha with hoisin is the perfect accompaniment.

Sriracha on banh mi

In our banh mi recipe, sriracha is drizzled over the filling along with coriander and fresh chili, with pâté and mayonnaise in the crispy baguette. The sweet heat of sriracha pairs well with the tanginess of carrot and daikon.

Noodles, rice and stir-fries

With a plate of pad thai, khao pad with chicken thigh fillet or pad krapow with minced pork, you squeeze a drizzle of sriracha over your plate at the table. If you're cooking it in a wok, stir it into your sauce only at the end, as the sugar can burn quickly over high heat. It also makes a bowl of ramen or noodles even better; check out our guide to instant noodles.

Eggs, dips and marinades

A fried egg with a few drops of sriracha is the quickest way to get to know it. Stir it into peanut sauce, as in our goi cuon, or mix a spoonful with lime juice, fish sauce and some sugar for a quick dip sauce; read more about fish sauce in Fish Sauce 101. For a marinade for chicken thigh or chicken wings, mix sriracha with Kikkoman soy sauce, garlic and a little honey, and let the meat marinate in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

How do you make sriracha mayo yourself?

Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise makes a great base for sriracha mayo: mix about three parts mayonnaise with one part sriracha, taste, and freshen it up with a splash of lime juice or rice vinegar. A few drops of Kikkoman soy sauce give it a savory undertone, and a pinch of toasted sesame seeds finishes it off. Delicious on a sandwich, with fries and spring rolls or over a bowl of rice with fried chicken thigh.

Flying Goose Sriracha Mayo is also available ready-made if you don't feel like mixing it yourself.

Should sriracha be kept in the refrigerator after opening?

Store sriracha as the label says, and that varies by brand. For example, Crying Thaiger Sriracha says to refrigerate it after opening and finish it within eight weeks.

What is the difference between sriracha, sambal oelek and chili oil?

Sriracha is a smooth, sweet sauce with garlic to squeeze over your food, sambal oelek is a coarse paste of ground pepper and salt for cooking, and chili oil is oil with fried pepper and often garlic, shallots or sesame in it. Sambal oelek mostly goes into the pan, sriracha is at the table, and La Lia Crispy Chilli Oil from Amsterdam adds crunch. Read all about sambal in Sambal 101, and more about chili oil and chili crisp in Chili Oil and Lao Gan Ma. A thin hot sauce with vinegar can be found in Mexican hot sauce and Caribbean hot sauce, and Which hot sauce for what helps you per dish.

Chili-olie en chilisaus naast je sriracha

Recipes with sriracha

In these recipes, sriracha is cooked in or stands on the table to squeeze over yourself.

All sriracha in one place

Flying Goose in all flavors, Chin-Su, Uni Eagle and more Asian chili sauces.

Shop sriracha

Frequently asked questions

What does sriracha mean?

Sriracha is named after Si Racha, a coastal town in eastern Thailand. The name therefore refers to the place where the sauce comes from, not what is in it.

Is sriracha Thai or Vietnamese?

Sriracha originally comes from Thailand. There are also Vietnamese versions, such as Chin-Su, which are slightly sweeter and milder, and Huy Fong is an American sriracha from California.

How spicy is sriracha?

The regular sriracha is at 3 out of 5 on our scale: clearly spicy, but milder than sauces with habanero or scotch bonnet. Extra Spicy and hot versions are one step higher.

What is the difference between sriracha and sweet chili sauce?

Sweet chili sauce is much sweeter and milder, thinner and often with pieces of pepper in it, and especially intended as a dip. Sriracha is smooth, spicier and more about garlic and pepper.

Is sriracha the same as sambal oelek?

No. Sambal oelek is a coarse paste of ground pepper and salt without a sweet note, for cooking. Sriracha is a smooth, slightly sweet sauce with garlic, especially for the table.

Is there MSG in sriracha?

That varies by brand and by bottle, so look at the label. The regular Flying Goose Sriracha contains E621, and those who prefer not to have that take the No MSG version.

Does sriracha need to be in the refrigerator?

Follow the label, because that varies by brand. For example, Crying Thaiger says to store it refrigerated after opening and use it within eight weeks.

What can you replace sriracha with?

A smooth chili sauce like Chin-Su Hot Chili Sauce or Lee Kum Kee Chilli Garlic comes closest. Sambal oelek with a pinch of sugar and some pressed garlic also works well in the pan.

A bottle of sriracha is one of the easiest ways to bring heat into your home, because you can squeeze it over a quickly fried egg on an ordinary morning just as well as over a bowl of pho you have worked on all afternoon. Start with the regular Thai sriracha and then slowly continue with a bottle of extra heat or a flavor that suits your kitchen. If you are standing in the toko in Amsterdam in front of that long shelf of red bottles and you are not sure, feel free to ask us, and if you want to see how sriracha compares to Tabasco, habanero and the rest of the hot sauce world, read on in Hot sauce 101.