Sriracha Lovers, Meet 5 New Hot Sauce Obsessions

America’s sriracha obsession ends here and now. While you were busy squirting the contents of the same ol’ red rooster bottle on everything you ate, the rest of the world was heating up its food with gojuchang, sambal oelek, and many more worth getting to know. Here’s a rundown of five new hot sauces to try this year, including where to buy them and recipe suggestions.

Asian-style hot sauce | Photo by Meredith

1. Gochujang

A key ingredient in Korean cooking, gochujang (go-tchu-tjohng) is made from red chili peppers, soybeans, and glutinous rice. Its smooth, almost yogurt-like texture makes it easy to stir into pretty much any dish while cooking or after it’s on your plate. Frequently served alongside dishes like bibimbap, homemade gochujang can vary in spiciness. You can easily substitute it for sriracha and quite literally slather it on everything.
Try: Sunchang Gochujang, $6.15 at Amazon.com.

Recipes to try:
Bibimbap (Korean Rice With Mixed Vegetables)
Korean Spicy Chicken and Potato (Tak Toritang)
Gochujang Sauce

2. Sambal Oelek

Sambal oelek (sam-bal oh-lek) is a southeast Asian condiment (used frequently in Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine) is made from crushed hot chili peppers, vinegar, and little else, giving it pure pepper flavor and a satisfying level of spice. In the U.S., Huy Fung, the California-based company that makes sriracha, also makes the most common supermarket variety of sambal oelek.
Try: 8oz Huy Fung Sambal Oelek, $4.35 at Amazon.com.

Recipes to try:
Spicy Sambal Shrimp
Rusty Chicken Thighs
Indonesia Sate (Meat Kabobs)

3. Zhug

Zhug (zuh-hoog) is a Middle Eastern condiment you’ll most likely find stuffed inside a pita wrap; but like so many flavorful hot sauces, it’s good with a variety of cuisines. Brought to Israel by Yemenite Jews, zhug (also spelled s’rug, skhug, or schug) can be found in both red and green varieties. It’s made from chilies or jalapeños and a variety of spices and herbs, including caraway, cumin, cardamom, garlic, cilantro and more. Unlike pure chili sauce, this hot sauce has a distinct flavor that may not mix in well with complex recipes (stirring zhug into your ramen could be a mistake), but as a sandwich spread or quick marinade, zhug is a great go-to.
Try: Yoffi Tahhini sauce with Skhug, $17.49 at Amazon.com.

4. Harissa

This North African hot sauce is made from peppers, paprika, and olive oil, sometimes with the addition of spices like caraway or coriander. American chefs have been incorporating homemade harissa (har-is-ah) into their cooking for years, stirred into pasta bakes or drizzled on scrambled eggs.
Try: Harissa condiment in tube, $7.10 at Amazon.com.

Recipes to try:
Chef John’s Harissa Sauce
Harissa Chicken
Saffron Couscous

More: Find out what makes harissa a super-healthy hot sauce.

5. Aji Amarillo

This bright yellow Peruvian hot sauce adds an instant dash of color to every dish. Made purely from orange and yellow peppers (which can be blanched to decrease spiciness), aji amarillo (a-hee ah-mah-ree-yo) sometimes thickened with beans or peanut butter, this smooth, luminescent sauce is often found in dipping dishes for roasted chicken or yucca fries.
Try: Inca’s Food Aji Amarillo, $4.39 at Amazon.com.

Recipes to try:
Peruvian Aji Amarillo Cheese Sauce
Aji de Gallina
Peruvian Lomo Saltado

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