The Ingredients of Sriracha Sauce

Sriracha sauce is one of the world’s best-selling sauces. You see it used as a condiment and ingredient in a wide variety of dishes around the world. Everyone assumes the main ingredient of this beloved sauce is chilli, but other varieties of chilli sauce taste nothing like the beloved flavour of Sriracha. So, why is that?

One of the ingredients that gives Exotic Food’s Thailand-manufactured sriracha sauce its unique flavour, is the red Thai chilli peppers used. Throughout Thailand, red Thai chilli peppers have been part of the national cuisine since their introduction in the 15th century. They help deliver the complexity and heat that Thai cuisine is known for. These peppers are botanically classified as Capsicum Annuum. The pods are allowed to mature on the vine until they reach their characteristic deep red colour and intense spicy flavour. There are two main species of Thai chilli pepper, the ‘prik kee noo suan’, also known as the ‘mouse dropping pepper’. They are the smaller of the two varieties and are generally a bit hotter than their cousins. The larger and more common variety is the ‘prik chee fah’, or ‘red spur chilli’.

Nutritional Value

Eating Sriracha sauce is good for you, with Thai chillies being a good source of vitamins A and C. These vitamins are also antioxidants that can boost the immune system, help prevent vision loss and increase the production of collagen in the body. Capsaicin is also contained in Thai red chillies, and it has been shown to offer anti-inflammatory properties. Thai red chillies also contain fibre, potassium, copper, and vitamins B6 and K.

The original Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce made by Exotic Food Thailand under the Flying Goose brand name consists of 61% red Thai chillies, with sugar syrup, salt, garlic and acids making up the other main ingredients of the sauce. A 455 ml bottle of the sauce offers 585k of energy, 139 kcal, 1.2 grams of fat, of which 0.2 grams are saturated. The sauce also contains 2.8 grams of carbohydrates, 22 grams of carbohydrates from sugars, 2.3 grams of protein and 7.3 grams of sodium. A tablespoon of Sriracha sauce delivers about 15 calories.

Many people think it’s the balance of chillies with garlic that gives the sauce its unique flavour. But others feel it’s the sum of all the ingredients, plus the preparation methods that provide it with the authentic flavour of Thailand.

Preparation Method

It may surprise some to learn that Sriracha sauce is not cooked at all. The process of making sriracha starts with the chillies; they’re ground up whole and combined with vinegar, which is the acid in the ingredients list. The acid helps break down the chillies and also acts as a preservative.

Once the chillies have been thoroughly broken down to a smooth consistency, the flavouring starts with sugar and garlic added until the mixture achieves the proper taste. To keep the flavours fresh and consistent and the spices hot and powerful, manufacturers generally produce only about a month’s worth at a time.

Exotic Food takes the preparation a step further. Their Flying Goose brand of sriracha sauces boasts many different varieties, including a sriracha mustard and two flavours of sriracha mayo. Their line of sriracha sauces also includes smokey, black pepper, Blackout, Super Hot, wasabi, mint, coconut, kimchi, green chilli, yellow chilli, extra garlic and Super Sour varieties. They also offer some srirachas that provide the tastes of Thailand with Kaffir lime leaf, Super Tom Yam, galangal, and coriander varieties.

Sriracha Origin

The name ‘Sriracha’ comes from a small town southeast of Bangkok on the Gulf coast of Thailand called Si Racha. The sauce was created in the 1930s by a woman living in this town along the coast, a couple of hours from Bangkok.

Over the years, the sauce was modified and improved upon. Different flavours were added to appeal to different palates and many overseas travellers visiting Thailand were enchanted by the unique and exotic flavour of the sauce. These travellers helped spread the news about this exciting and tasty new sauce that’s ideal to serve with many foods.

Growing Popularity

Today, the sauce is one of the most popular tastes in the world and it has even been adopted by many of the biggest fast food brands. These famous brands have produced recipes that proudly include sriracha sauce as a featured ingredient.

The sauce is a favourite condiment that adorns burgers, french fries, pizza, sandwiches, hot dogs and a wide variety of barbecued meats and vegetables. The sauce is loved by vegans because it’s made without any animal products, and it’s also naturally gluten-free, which appeals to people with Celiac disease.

As people have expanded their interests in trying new foods and experiencing the cuisines of different countries, they’ve been drawn to Thailand, the source of the original sauce. People who have sampled the complex, layered flavours of Thai cuisine know immediately where this sauce originated from.

The centuries of complex flavours and preparation methods of Thai cuisine have undoubtedly played a major role in the flavour of sriracha sauce. Consumers are now discovering that Thailand produces some of the most flavourful sriracha sauces and also the most varieties. They’re going back to the roots of sriracha sauce and discovering the depths of flavour that Thai sriracha sauce provides.

Explore the varieties of Flying Goose sriracha sauce and discover the authentic taste of Thailand.