Bottom Line: Flying Goose Original Sriracha Sauce is a little more blunt in its flavors than Huy Fong and does not bring much heat, but it acts as a decent stand-in.
It appears that the Huy Fong Sriracha Sauce may be in the process of returning to shelves. I bought some at the local Asian market and I am hearing that more and more people are starting to find it again. But it is still not widely available and the Chile Garlic Sauce and Sambal remain hard to locate, so you will likely still be needing some alternates over the next few months. I will be getting into my next sriracha substitute suggestion shortly, but first a quick history lesson.
While the Huy Fong product (also known as “Rooster Sauce”) has become synonymous with Sriracha over the last few decades, the sauce first came into existence back in the 1930s in Thailand. A woman from that country named Thanom Chakkapak ran a small sauce-making business in the town of Si Racha and produced a sauce named Sriraja Panich. It is still available today with the original recipe which includes chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and salt and it is believed to be based on sauces created by the Cantonese immigrants in that area. I have not sampled it yet, but from what I understand it has a tangier taste and thinner consistency than the Huy Fong sauce. That latter company’s product was created when David Tran immigrated from Vietnam and could not find a hot sauce he liked in the Los Angeles area. Huy Fong, which is still family-owned, has since become a worldwide distributor of the sauce.
So with that history lesson concluded, we will be returning to Sriracha’s roots for the next sauce I have tried. Flying Goose Brand Sriracha Sauce is made in Rayong, Thailand, and they claim that it is based on an original recipe from the Si Racha district. It is made from locally grown sun-ripened tomatoes along with other familiar ingredients like garlic, sugar, and salt. (You can read more about the sauce at their website.)
When you first taste this sauce, you get that funkiness you expect from sriracha right away, almost to the point of being overpowering. But then that fades and the sweetness and red pepper taste take over. It is definitely sweeter than Huy Fong and has a higher punch of salt (it does have MSG) along with some notable tang. The garlic is there as well, but maybe a little further in the background. The salt and the funk definitely hit hard with this one, and for some those flavors may overwhelm. But if you can get past that, this should act as an acceptable stand-in for the Rooster Sauce.
I got the Original sauce which comes in right around Mild on my scale, similar to Huy Fong’s. They also have a Hot version and one that they call Blackout which is supposed to be really hot. I did not see those on the shelf, otherwise I would have picked them up. The Original will do just fine heat-wise if you are looking to replace the Rooster Sauce. But if you want more of a kick, you will likely want to search out their hotter versions.
I found this at Kroger in Houston and I believe I paid around eight bucks for the 24.6 oz bottle. World Market carries the 15.3 oz size and they are asking for $5.99 for that. You might find this at your local store because I am sure Flying Goose is happy to get as much of their product out there while Huy Fong is still experiencing a shortage. If not there, check the Asian market near you, as I am sure they will have it. Sadly, Flying Goose does not make a version of the Chili Garlic sauce which has also been hard to find. But I did find a few alternatives for that at the Asian market and will be elaborating on those in future posts.
Nutrition Info:
Ingredients: Chili 61%, sugar, water, salt, garlic, flavor enhancer, monosodium glutamate, stabilizer, xanthan gum, acidity regulator, acetic acid, citric acid, preservative: potassium sorbate.
Serving Size: 5 tsp (25 ml)
Calories: 35
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 1g
Carbs: 7g
Sodium: 730mg