Honey Sriracha Sauce

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Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Spicy, sweet, and sour my Honey Sriracha Sauce is the perfect combination of flavors to take a dish from simple to stunning! It can be made in minutes, keeps well in the refrigerator and makes a delicious marinade or dipping sauce for vegetables, grains, and all the animal proteins.

What is Sriracha?

Sriracha hot sauce is a traditional Thai sauce that has become a global, tongue tingling sensation for its fresh, spicy, thick-textured goodness.Ā  Sriracha was made famous by David Tran who founded and still owns the company Huy Fong Foods.Ā  The company is named for the Huey Fong boat that brought Tran to the U.S. from Vietnam.

Huy Fong began producing Sriracha in 1980 in Irwindale, California.Ā  The bottleā€™s iconic feature is the rooster on the label, which is a nod to Tran being born in the year of the rooster and gives the sauce a nickname of ā€œrooster sauce.ā€Ā  To meet the ever-growing demand for the sauce requires 100 million pounds of chilies per year!Ā  Specifically, fresh red jalapenos.

These pungent chilies, in 2013 caused local residents to complain of ā€œburning eyes, irritated throats and headachesā€ putting Huy Fong in the headlines for more than just itā€™s delicious sauce.Ā  The success of Huy Fong has led to competition from other companies, such as Tabasco, Frankā€™s Red Hot and Heinz who now make their own version of Sriracha.1

How is it made?

There are many versions of Sriracha, using different peppers and flavors.Ā  First, the chilis are blended into a thick paste. Then a secret mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar and garlic are added.Ā  By simply adding honey, lemon and more garlic to the sauce we make my delicious Honey Sriracha Sauce.

How Spicy?

So how spicy is my Honey Sriracha Sauce? To determine that, we use the Scoville Scale, which determines the hotness of chilies by measuring their capsaicin content.Ā  Capsaicin is the main bioactive compound in chili peppers, responsible for the spicy, mouth-on-fire sensation. So, the more capsaicin a pepper has, the spicier and higher the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) will be. 2

According to Sriracha2go.com,Ā  Huy Fongā€™s Sriracha is 2,200 SHUs giving it a medium spice ranking relative to other hot sauces.Ā  For reference, Tabasco is 3,750 SHUs, Tapatio is 3,000 SHUs, Texas Pete is 750 SHUs and Frankā€™s Red Hot is 450 SHUs.Ā  So, when making my Honey Sriracha Sauce if you want it to be spicier feel free to add more Sriracha!

Hot Peppers and Health Claims

There are many claims about hot peppers causing ulcers and aiding in weight loss.Ā  Iā€™ve done a dive into evidence-based, peer-reviewed research to confirm/deny these claims so you can enjoy my Honey Sriracha Sauce reservation free!

Ulcers

It is common for people with ulcers to avoid spicy foods, but a study in 2006 showed that spicy foods can actually reduce the amount of acid production in the stomach.3Ā  Capsaicin, the active component in chilis can stimulate alkaline mucus production and help to prevent and even heal ulcers.

Weight Loss

With so many wonder pills touted for weight loss itā€™s important to be skeptical about the role of chilis in aiding in weight management.Ā  A meta-analysis published in 2012, analyzed 20 different trials and found that chili pepper consumption was associated with: increased energy expenditure (more calories are burned), increased lipid oxidation and reduced appetite. 4

How this works is not completely understood, and more research needed.Ā  Chilis can be a part of a healthy dietary pattern, but this weight management research should not be taken as evidence to start consuming a gallon of my Honey Sriracha Sauce a week. šŸ˜‰

Letā€™s Get Cooking!

My Honey Sriracha Sauce can whipped together in a few minutes and has endless applications. My favorite is my Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts. Ā Ā If it is not spicy enough, add more Sriracha or chili powder.Ā  For garlic, you can use powder, chop with a knife or grate it fresh using a microplaner.Ā  Enjoy!

Similar Pages

Looking for recipes to add my Honey Sriracha Sauce to? Try my Mediterranean Chicken Skewers, Sheet Pan Chicken & Sweet Potatoes, or my Simple Roasted Vegetables.

References

  1. The Great Sriracha Battle Is Coming to America. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-04-06/thaitheparos-sriraja-panich-sriracha-comes-to-the-u-s-market. Published April 6, 2019. Accessed May 8, 2020.
  2. The Scoville scale. Accessed May 8, 2020. https://www.alimentarium.org/en/magazine/infographics/scoville-scale
  3. Satyanarayana MN. Capsaicin and gastric ulcers. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2006;46(4):275-328. doi:10.1080/1040-830491379236
  4. Whiting S, Derbyshire E, Tiwari BK. Capsaicinoids and capsinoids. A potential role for weight management? A systematic review of the evidence. Appetite. 2012;59(2):341-348. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.05.015

 

honey Sriracha sauce

Honey sriracha sauce

4.78 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Keyword: hot sauce, sriracha
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

  • Ā½ cup honey
  • Ā¼ cup Sriracha sauce
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Ā½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  • In a bowl, add all ingredients and mix together well.
  • Use as a marinade/glaze for vegetables, meat, poultry, or fish.

Video

 

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