Oh Sriracha... I love you so!!!!!!!!

I have a Love Jones for Sriracha. Ok, so I went a lil' urban but that is the only way to describe the love affair I share with Sir Sriracha.

So the first time I heard the term "Love Jones", I had no idea what it meant. It was a title of a movie with Nia Long and Larenz Tate. Well in relationships a Love Jones is when you can't stop thinking about that person no matter how hard you try. You can't quite put your finger on why they are so irresistable to you but you know that you can't live without them...and that's exactly how I feel about Sriracha. I want it on everything, I don't know what it is about it, but it's the perfect accompaniment.

Tall, dark and handsome usually fits my bill, but this tall, red, hot flavoured chili paste is in a league of its own.

So what is Sriracha? I didn't realize that so many people had no idea what it was...how could people not know what this is? Is it one of those best kept secrets? Cookthink gives the most pedestrian explanation of what sriracha is. Essentially, it's a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt...but to me it is so much more.

These are Sriracha chilis of Si Racha, Thailand

These chilis look like red bird pepper, a local variety of chilis, also called African Bird Pepper, but these are far too hot to use for this paste.

African Bird pepper or Bird pepper as it's referred to in Trinidad and Tobago

I literally put Sriracha on everything savoury. I discovered it in Vernil, (my boyfriend's brother's) refrigerator. It was what he and his wife used for pepper sauce or hot sauce in the absence of the real Trini pepper sauce. I decided to try it and it was the beginning of this love affair that has me a lil concerned at times.

It is ideal for fried rice meals. Great on grilled shrimp, poultry, pork and fish, honey glazed garlic wings, buffalo wings...I did tell you just about everything. It's an absolute must for Asian-inspired or Asian-fused cuisine but do not discredit it on pastas and stews and even in your sauces to give it a zing! So what food connoisseur puts chili paste on pasta? Well I never said I was a connoisseur....I just love to experiment with food!

Lemon thyme chicken breast with fettucine in a four cheese sauce and Sriracha!!!!!

The taste of sriracha, well perfect for me, but that doesn't quite tell you what it tastes like. It's tangy from the vinegar but not overly so. It's hot but in a flavourful way not like burn-your-mouth-off-fire-blowing hot. It is thick, not like Tabasco sauce in the least but with the same reddish colour.

I buy my sriracha when I make my New York trips but the gourmet shop on AMAZON has it as well and it's a life saver when the airfafre seems a lil outta reach, LOL!

So if you come across sriracha...give it a try and I'd love to know what you think.. I'll look aroud for it here at home and tell you where to purchase if or when I find it!

Stay tuned for more on Bobbilicious, where it's always simple, tasty and a joy!

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