Three Dips for Holiday Entertaining That Totally Justify the Hoarding of Sriracha During the Huy Fong Foods Shutdown

If you’ve been following my recipes for a while, you probably already know that I love sriracha. I know it’s trendy to say you love sriracha, and I probably sound like a hot sauce hipster when I say that I’ve loved it since before it was popular, but it’s the truth. It brings a great heat to any dish you put it in, and can take even the simplest bowl of ramen noodles to new, tastier levels with just a twist of that iconic green cap and a squeeze. It’s my go-to hot sauce; hardly a day goes by that I don’t reach for it at least once. And if you know that I love sriracha, you won’t be shocked to hear that I’ve been following the news of the recent Huy Fong Foods shutdown with great apprehension.

The shutdown is temporary, and while it hopefully won’t affect the country’s sriracha supply in the long term, some consumers may notice it becoming a little harder to find. A few weeks ago, while shopping for pulled pork ingredients for the Maine Harvest Festival, I found that particular section of the shelf in Wal-Mart completely bare, and at work we went several weeks without receiving our shipment of sriracha from our distributor. When it eventually came, the man who delivered it didn’t quite tell us we should hoard it, but it seemed to be implied. That is why I have at least two full bottles in my home kitchen as I type this, and am considering buying more.

Huy Fong Foods certainly isn’t the only company producing sriracha, but their formula is a unique one, which is why it’s so popular — and why the company’s founder, David Tran, has been able to grow his business from the back of a van in the ’80s to a 10-million-plus-bottle-a-year industry today. I have tried a few other varieties and, while they were certainly reasonable hot sauces that would work in a pinch, they’re just not the same. Whether it’s the freshness of the red jalapeños, or the balance of ingredients, which include vinegar and garlic, Tran’s formula is a winning one, and it is what makes my holiday party dips as tasty as they are. I hope you enjoy them as much as Ian and I have.

clamdip

Sriracha Clam Dip

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 can chopped clams, mostly drained
  • 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 2 scallions, chopped (plus 1 to garnish)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Soften cream cheese in microwave and combine with sour cream until smooth. Add in other ingredients and mix well. Garnish with reserved scallion and serve with wavy potato chips.

mangoguac

Mango Sriracha Guacamole

  • 4 avocados
  • 2 mangos, chopped (or half a bag of frozen mango chunks, thawed)
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 serrano chile pepper
  • 1 tbsp. sriracha hot sauce
  • salt to taste

In a food processor, chop garlic and chile pepper. Cut avocados in half, remove pit, and scoop the flesh into the food processor with a spoon. Add lime juice, sriracha and salt. Blend until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Stir in mango and serve with tortilla chips, or store refrigerated (with a piece of plastic cling wrap pressed to the surface to help prevent oxidization.)

spinachartichoke

Sriracha Spinach Artichoke Dip

  • 1 package chopped frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1 package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 sourdough bread boule

Cut out the top of the boule and hollow it out; reserve the bread you removed, and cut it into cubes to serve with dip. Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot, in bread bowl. It’s also great with veggies, potato chips and tortilla chips.

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Fia Fortune

About Fia Fortune

Fia Fortune is a home cook who enjoys gardening, creating recipes for her two blogs, cooking for herself and her boyfriend, and trying to keep up with their blended family of four cats.