If you’re like me and love adding a little hit of spice to every meal, you probably already know that one of the easiest ways to turn up the heat is to break out your bottle of sriracha. The spectacular combination of fresh, red chili, garlic, sugar and salt can elevate any dish to a whole new level of edibility.
This addictive condiment has become a pop culture sensation just as fast as the sriracha spice spreads over your tongue. You can even find sriracha merchandise like chips, keychains, socks, mugs, and a whole bunch of other novelty items.
Despite sriracha’s insane popularity and delightfully spicy taste, we have to wonder: does sriracha really go with everything? I decided to put my taste buds to the test and experiment with some new sriracha combinations.
1. Avoca-Toast
Photo by Courtney Lailey
Mashed avocado on toast is one of my favourite breakfasts. Usually, just adding salt, pepper and garlic makes a pretty reasonable dish, but there’s always room for improvement. I was certain that spreading on some sriracha would intensify my morning meal in the best possible way.
Verdict: too busy eating. Check back later.
This combination is officially my new favourite breakfast. If you’re as in love with avocados as I am, it’ll probably be your new favourite meal too.
2. Cereal
Photo by Courtney Lailey
Sticking with the breakfast theme, I tried my next spiced combo: sriracha and cereal. I was definitely apprehensive about this one, and for good reason.
Verdict: extreme fail.
This straight up did not fly. You might think a spicy and sweet mash-up would work well, but this particular blending of flavours was disastrous. Maybe we can save the sweet heat for dinner time with honey sriracha chicken.
3. Mr. Noodles
Photo by Courtney Lailey
There are many ways to pimp your instant ramen. Why not make your average cup of noodles a little more interesting by adding some of that lovely sriracha spice?
Verdict: heavenly.
If you’re bored of having plain old ramen, this is a great way add some excitement to what used to be normal noodles.
4. Salad
Photo by Courtney Lailey
While I was making the soup, my mind jumped to salad. What if I stirred some sriracha into my ranch dressing?
Verdict: the perfect balance between spice and ranch.
Adding this brand new dressing to a simple spinach salad was a great way to turn this healthy meal into something with a bit more of a kick. Sriracha goes hand and hand with any vinaigrette or creamy dressing, so grab your dressing and start mixing.
5. Raspberries
Photo by Courtney Lailey
Strawberry jalapeno jam proves that berries and heat can coexist in a perfect, spreadable form. I thought spicy, red chilis and tart, red berries would either become the next culinary sensation, or the worst thing ever to be experienced.
Verdict: worst thing I’ve ever experienced.
I wouldn’t wish this combination on even my most hated enemies, so please, let’s never speak of it again.
6. Hot Chocolate
Photo by Courtney Lailey
If you’re feeling skeptical about this one, you obviously haven’t tried adding cayenne pepper to your hot chocolate. I decided to upgrade this classic with a new source of spice.
Verdict: surprisingly comforting.
Just a little bit of sriracha in hot chocolate is great. This concoction is sweet with a touch of spice to add some warmth on a rainy day. If you’re looking for other ways to enhance your hot chocolate experience, be prepared to get creative.
7. Popcorn
Photo by Erica Coulter
Have your movie snacks been lacking lately? Use your sriracha-mixing powers to step up your popcorn game.
Verdict: Popalicious.
I am way too excited for each bite, filled with an unexpected tang, to get my tastebuds tingling whether the movie’s good or not. This typical movie snack is truly enhanced by sriracha.
Although not all of these weird combos worked out, I think we’ve proven that sriracha is seriously versatile. No wonder we love this hipster ketchup so much.
Need more sriracha in your life? Try these recipes: