Some like it hot! Here’s the rundown on new sauces made by Southern Californians to spicy up your pantry:
Drip Sauce – Last year, Chef Tony Nguyen found himself slowing down at AnQi Bistro and Crustacean in Beverly Hills. The dining rooms were closed, and takeout was limited. After a series of deliveries and fundraisers for hospital workers, Nguyen found himself in a predicament. He wasn’t working. Plus, he just got engaged. His solution: create his own chili oil-inspired hot sauce.
“I was trying to make some extra money for our wedding,” says Nguyen, who had proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Jessica, a sous chef at Jean-Georges Beverly Hills. When she was furloughed during the pandemic, Jessica focused her energy on education. In June, she graduated with a master’s degree in marine biology.
Nguyen experimented with different ingredients and dried his own chilis. He formulated the recipe for Drip Sauce in their home kitchen. And when it launched online, Richard Blais and other chef friends started promoting it on Instagram.
Drip Sauce grew a cult following. The small-batch sauce is infused with Calabrian chilis and finished with honey. Nguyen released a limited-edition version with truffles. For home cooks trying to spice up their bland cooking, Drip Sauce is a pantry staple.
Noble Bird Hot Sauce – When patrons started asking for 16-ounce to-go cups of this Gochujang-infused sauce, the owners of Noble Bird knew they were onto something. They released a bottled version in May. Pick it up in-store with Noble Bird’s succulent chicken or order it online.
Sambal Oelek – Huy Fong Foods, Inc. dominates the hot sauce aisle with sriracha. You see it everywhere! Taco Bell and Wendy’s each have their own sriracha fast-food creations. But, sambal oelek is another southeast Asian favorite. The full-bodied sauce is not as thick as sriracha and is often used in Indonesian cuisine. It’s also growing in popularity with Southern California chefs who prefer the simple chili flavor, which doesn’t overpower the palate.
