Since the question for sriracha lovers is never “to sauce, or not to sauce,” we’re asking something different thanks to Jolene (Jojo) Collins, founding pepper picker (and packer) of Love Hard in Denver, Colorado: To red or to green?
It started with a 2010 cleanse that was incompatible with her favorite hot sauce (read: sugar and preservatives were not allowed). But rather than go without, Jojo took on Huy Fong Foods red rooster, cleaned up its ingredient list and bumped the sugar content down to nearly zilch. Her original sold like it was red hot and then she started seeing green...chilis. Colorado’s local jalapeños, Anaheims and poblanos plus sparing additions of garlic, sea salt, coconut palm sugar and vinegar make one hot, hot, hot sauce of a different color. It’s tangy, verdant, fruity and utterly irresistible.
We took four foods that benefit from liberal sriracha-spooning and tried them with both of Jojo’s sauces.
Avocado Toast
Bright and zingy green chilis complement the silky, vegetal taste of the fatty (in the good way!) ‘cado. And the monochromatic look is just too pretty (and Instagram-worthy) to ignore. Winner: Green Sriracha
Leftover Takeout
Fried rice, sesame noodles and that chicken and broccoli (or is it pork?) could use some serious resuscitation in both the color and heat department. Winner: Red Sriracha
Scrambled Eggs
Maybe it’s us wishing we were on vacation in Santa Fe, or fluffy, creamy curds are just that good spiked with fruity, green heat. Winner: Green Sriracha
Ramen
Whether it’s the 13-cent pack you got at the corner store or the nearest noodle shop, red sriracha is the yin to soupy noodles’ yang. Winner: Red Sriracha
So it’s a draw. Like Jojo, we are no longer content to live with a single hue of sriracha in our fridge. Pick based on your food – or your mood. And in the face of true indecision, just deck your dish out with both and call it Christmas.