by Prepare yourselves, hot sauce lovers. Over the past few years, we have had shortages of toilet paper, milk, various produce items, ramen noodles, and more. But now we have one that will really hit home: that go-to favorite Huy Fong Sriracha Sauce! Due to drought and labor issues, chili peppers are in short supply and that is impacting the availability of Huy Fong products which also includes their Chili Garlic Sauce and Sambal Oelek. No new orders will be shipped until September and all three of their sauces will be hard to find on store shelves over the summer months.
Their Sriracha Sauce is ubiquitous in Asian restaurants and is often used with many other cuisines as well (like this awesome queso). It is made from red jalapenos (as are all three of the Huy Fong sauces) and it has a tanginess and slight sweetness to it, with a nice, salty balance (but not overly salty). It also has a slight funk to it that gives it that unique flavor and that comes from the fermentation process of the chilis. (You can read my full review of the sauce here.)
The Chili Garlic Sauce has basically the same ingredients as Sriracha, but it is a thicker, chunkier sauce where you can see the chili pepper seeds and it has a bit more heat and a stronger garlic taste. The Sambal Olek is similar to that one, but without as much garlic.
Since Huy Fong ferments its peppers to get that unique taste its sauces deliver, it takes some time to have them ready for the market. And that is likely why we are looking at a delay of several months before the next shipment. It is also very possible the Huy Fong products could remain in short supply for a while if the current droughts and severe weather conditions continue to ravage the crops. So be prepared to ration what you have to make it last as long as possible.
The shelves at my local HEB have been empty of Sriracha and Chili Garlic Sauce for a couple of weeks, with only the stray Sambal Oelek bottle available. If you have a World Market near you, then you may be able to stock up, because they carry the Huy Fong products (I managed to pick up several bottles just last week), and not as many people think of them as a hot sauce destination (but informed chiliheads know better).
In the meantime, I will be covering some alternatives to Sriracha in the coming weeks (Trader Joe’s has a decent option) and will also be experimenting with recipes for homemade versions. Go out and get what you can for now and be sure to make it last. It will be September at the earliest until a resupply and there is no telling how long that will last.
