Sambal Oelek Chili Paste

hello! Hi everyone, Wesley here. Today we're diving back into our series dedicated to small plates, side dishes, and condiments with a dive into what was at one point one of the single most difficult to find hot sauces on the planet, which is the Huy Fong Sambal Oelek chili paste. Now, you may be wondering, but Wesley, what makes this hot sauce more rare than a shiney pokemon? Well, I'll explain. Last year the world experienced what's now being referred to as The Great Siracha Shortage of 2023, wherein at various points in time, I personally saw bottles of Siracha selling off of shelves in Oakland Chinatown for over $100 (no, I'm not exaggerating). Different sources claim different reasonings as to exactly why this happened (some say it was weather related, others say it was due to a strained relationship with suppliers). BUT, all this today, in 2023, it became very, VERY difficult to find a bottle of Siracha, due to Huy Fong's inability to adequately source the hot sauce's main ingredient, which is (and this is critical) the red jalepeno. 

Now, I know, all of you are wondering, Wesley, what does this have to do with sambal oelek? Well, the main ingredient (or really, basically the only ingredient) in sambal oelek is also the red jalepeno. More specifically, the red jalepeno grown by underwood farms, or in other words, the same chili used to make siracha. This of course means that at various points in time in 2023 I was spending $20-$30 for a 6oz jar of sambal oelek to make the Woo Can Cook fried rice. So! Some time last year I set out to replicate my own version of the huy fong chili sauce, and now today over a year later, I have a bottle to share with you. Hope you try it.