For hot sauce lovers

[Jenise]

Our two favorite hot sauces of the moment are Melinda's XXXX (yes, we've graduated from three X's to four), which has been talked about here before, and another one no one else has ever mentioned which is why I'm bringing it up. It's not a hot sauce per se, however, it doesn't shake out of a bottle--rather, it's a paste in a small jar that you could dilute/mix it with other things to make a dipping sauce or spoon it directly onto or near a pile of dumplings, as I do. Chinese in origin, the brand is called Lan Chi and has very complex roasted chile and garlic flavors of the kind that lead straight to addiction if you're a chilihead.

It's somewhat hard to find. That is, it's not sold in every single Asian store but enough carry the brand that some persistence easily rewards your efforts. Chinese-Hawaiian friends of mine used to have to buy it in L.A. when they were on the mainland, but they can now find it in Honolulu. I can't find it here in Bellingham and haven't looked in Vancouver, but haven't had to as the aforementioned friends keep me supplied. The brand has three or four different flavors, each with a different color label, all of which we tried at their home in Honolulu last time we were there but came away from liking, as they do, the green label best. For dedicated hot sauce fans, this is something you must try.

Here's a pic of what's left of my jar. It's clean but it did get something corrosive on it at one time, so pardon the condition.

IMG_2908.JPG

I've used Lan Chi brand chili paste with garlic for years. I use it mainly in the Yuxiang ("with fish flavor") class of Sichuan dishes. It saves the time and effort of mincing fresh garlic and red chiles.

I haven't had any problem finding it in oriental markets here in New England.

-Paul W.

That's what the jar I just finished looked like ! It took me about 3 years to use it all up - a little dab will do ya.
Wasn't aware of the different flavors but will look for them now. I love the stuff

[Jenise]

Today, shortly after posting this I left for the day to help a friend sell wine in Bellingham. (Yes, I am officially a wine rep now!) The post left the taste of Lan Chi on my mind. Then around 6 p.m. I had to stop for groceries to bring home to make dinner for the huzz and I. The only market directly on my path home from where I dropped Mary off was Trader Joe's, so there I shopped the veggie isle first, picking up emerald green chinese snow peas ($2.29 per 9 ounces), a bag of butter lettuce, and finally, in the meat section, a pork tenderloin ($5.34). I had no idea what I planned to do with any of that, but once home, unpacked, and mildly re-acquainted with my pantry, the meal turned Mexican-Asian fusion. The butter letttuce was dressed with a Lan Chi-ginger vinaigrette and finished with roasted pumpkin seeds, the tenderloin was mole-rubbed/pan seared/baked, and the snow peas were quick-fried in the searing pan with sliced garlic after being blanched with nearly-boiling water from the insta-hot tap. Fantastic dinner with the leftovers from today's tasting.

Jenise, this is a product we use in huge quantities. I love love love it.

Christina, 3 *years* per jar? We use it weekly in pot sticker dipping sauce, plus a zillion other things.

[Jenise]

Jenise, this is a product we use in huge quantities. I love love love it.

I could have guessed; I doubt there's anything "hot" on the market that you two haven't tried! So how about Melinda's Naga Jolokia? I have a bottle I've been staring at for months, afraid to open.

Jenise, this is a product we use in huge quantities. I love love love it.

Christina, 3 *years* per jar? We use it weekly in pot sticker dipping sauce, plus a zillion other things.

Heya, Pizza Princess! Sorry I missed y'all last night. Good to "see" you anyhoo.

Mark Lipton

For a bottled hot sauce I like Tapatio. It has a ton of flavor without all the vinegar. Here is a link to it.

http://www.tapatiohotsauce.com/

Have used Lan Chi for at least 30 years, but always in Hunan style Chinese recipies. It's been readily available in New York and since I've moved to Florida I've had no problem finding it in Oriental stores. However, I never thought of making a dipping sauce with it. Jenise, what do you mix with it to do that?

So how about Melinda's Naga Jolokia? I have a bottle I've been staring at for months, afraid to open.

Well, I don't mind it, but it doesn't have the right flavor profile somehow. And, I do tend to stay away from vinegar based hot sauces. When I make my own I use lime juice. It just somehow blends more nicely with other food.

And, something I have had to point out to my Mom repeatedly, is that it's not just about the heat. She thinks if something says it is extreme heat that we will naturally love it. She, obviously, is NOT a chilehead.

I will say, as frustrating as gardening in Texas can be, we had bumper crops of all chiles this year. They were bearing LOADS of fruit right up until the first hard freeze on Tuesday night.

(Life is a little slower for me for the next little while, so I might be able to be around more frequently. It's nice to see everyone! )

[Robin Garr]

(Life is a little slower for me for the next little while, so I might be able to be around more frequently. It's nice to see everyone! )

Yippee!!

[Jenise]

Have used Lan Chi for at least 30 years, but always in Hunan style Chinese recipies. It's been readily available in New York and since I've moved to Florida I've had no problem finding it in Oriental stores. However, I never thought of making a dipping sauce with it. Jenise, what do you mix with it to do that?

Ken, I don't follow a recipe, rather, but depending on whether I want a concentrated runny topping or a little vat of something for true dipping, I blend the Lan Chi with ginger, vinegar or ponzu juice, soy sauce and a pinch of sugar. Often, a few thin slices of green onion, too.

Lan Chi is also quite useful in some Mexican dishes for a flavor that's complementary but mysteriously elusive.

Well, I don't mind it, but it doesn't have the right flavor profile somehow. And, I do tend to stay away from vinegar based hot sauces. When I make my own I use lime juice. It just somehow blends more nicely with other food.

I like vinegar in hot, within reason. As you say below, it's really about the flavor, so as long as the vinegar doesn't dominate the flavor profile, I'm OK with it (then again, I would drink vinegar as a child, so I am a bit atypical in that regard).

And, something I have had to point out to my Mom repeatedly, is that it's not just about the heat. She thinks if something says it is extreme heat that we will naturally love it. She, obviously, is NOT a chilehead.

Yes, I've had to impress this same message on various friends and relatives. For a while, people would give us all these Extreme/XXXXX/Kick-ass hot sauces thinking that we'd love them, but too many just tasted bad or bland or had no real flavor beyond chili heat. My favorite salsas and hot sauces have complex and rich flavors. I love habaneros for the fruity flavors they provide and conversely never use cayenne peppers because I find their flavors so simple and uninteresting.

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

And, something I have had to point out to my Mom repeatedly, is that it's not just about the heat. She thinks if something says it is extreme heat that we will naturally love it. She, obviously, is NOT a chilehead.

I will say, as frustrating as gardening in Texas can be, we had bumper crops of all chiles this year. They were bearing LOADS of fruit right up until the first hard freeze on Tuesday night.

(Life is a little slower for me for the next little while, so I might be able to be around more frequently. It's nice to see everyone! )

I get your point re it not just being about heat. People who are not chile people don't get that each type of chile also has it's own distinct flavor separate from the heat factor. Fantastic news re your chile garden; lucky you!

Jenise, thanks for the dipping sauce tips. Here's an example of how I've been using the Lan Chi chili sauce in a traditional Chinese recipe:

Hunam Lamb

3/4 lb leg of lamb, sliced
1 Cup leeks, about 2 1/2 inches long
5 pieces of black mushrooms (soaked in hot water before slicing and using)
6 pieces bamboo shoots
1 1/2 Tbs Dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbs dry sherry or rice wine
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbs chili paste with garlic
1/2 Tbs corn starch mixed with 1/2 tbs water

Stir fry lamb until almost done. Add black mushrooms and bamboo shoots and cook briefly. Drain meat and vegetables leaving about 1 Tbs oil in the wok. Cook leeks for about 1/2 minute. Add lamb and vegetables back into the wok. Add all the remaining sauces (mixed together) and cook for a few seconds until lamb is coated and the sauce has thickened.

[Jenise]

Ken, that sounds absolutely fantastic--I can 'taste' those flavors in my mind. There used to be an excellent Hunan Chinese restaurant in down town L.A.--it's a pretty rare specialty--that featured lots of lamb dishes, including one very similar to this. The foods were generally well spiced too. Great use of the Lan Chi, I promise to try this recipe soon--I'm captivated.

Jenise, thanks for the tip. Today I went to Costco and then remembered there is a big Asian market a few blocks away so made the side trip. I easily found Lan-Chi sauces, 3 different colors of label. Your garlic chili sauce, some "Chinese Salad Dressing" which appears to be more or less pure sesame paste, and some chili black bean sauce. I was tempted to buy all three but I remembered how I have cluttered up my kitchen with multiple "pantries" and decided to stick with the original plan. NOW I am on the prowl for recipes to try this stuff out. Actually using Google for "Lan Chi recipe" gets you quite a few hits.

I must have about a dozen hot sauces. I really miss my previous Sriracha, I hadn't realized it but it must have been brand X, there was a flying goose on the label but otherwise it looked like all the other sriracha bottles. I loved that stuff and used it up but when I replaced it the new sauce proved to be so very hot that it is easy for me to make something borderline inedible (for my palate) just by putting too big a squeeze in the dish. I also preferred the flavor of the previous one.

In the cabinet -- I'm not at home, but I know I have a few iterations of Tabasco, plus Crystal, Frank's, etc. Of course I have a tall bottle of the sweet Thai chili garlic sauce for chicken (the sweet red sauce you see at Chinese restaurants or Thai). I have bottles with vinegar into which I have put my own hot peppers, the way they do it in the South. One of my current favorites for a rather mild sauce is Cholula (also in flavor variations). It has enough texture to cling nicely and a very good balance between the mild vinegar and the tasty hot peppers. Cool wooden bottle stopper too.

Frank,

I, also, like the Flying Goose brand of Sriracha. And I also couldn't find it again, once I used up the bottle I had bought. I don't care for the ubiquitous Huy Fong Rooster brand. And according to ImportFood.com, it isn't what a Thai would consider to be authentic Sriracha. They recommend Shark brand, which I haven't tried yet.

-Paul W.

I opened my jar of Lan Chi chili sauce last night -- used a couple of teaspoons of the sauce to marinate cubed chicken breast (along with a dash of sake and some soy sauce etc.) and it was good, a nice burn and a lot of flavor.

I got kind of fascinated by the brand name. You can do some etymology on a Chinese character, even if you don't know how it is pronounced, and maybe I can lay that out here. Many Chinese characters are also incorporated into Japanese where they have acquired additional meanings. The character on the left, on top of the jar, is "CHI" in Chinese (Ki in Japanese).

記 On the left side, there is a square box at the bottom with 4 lines over it. The square box is a human mouth 口 and the lines coming up from it are words coming out of the mouth 言 -- this character means word, talk, speech. 己 is a twisty path, sometimes a snake, although in Japanese it means "yourself." So when you put them all together the character CHI (or Ki) is a record or an account. Words that take a twisty path.

On the right side (Chinese is still often written right to left) is the character LAN (or Ran in Japanese). 蘭 I can take this character apart but I can't give a good explanation. In either Chinese or Japanese it means "Orchid." In Japanese it carries the second meaning of "Dutch" (as in Nederlander). For all I know that may also be a meaning in Chinese. If you get a feel for these characters the first thing your eye picks up is the horizontal line on top with two notches. This indicates that it is a plant. I can't show that part by itself but here is an example, 苺 ichigo or strawberry, which is "plant" over "mother." Clearly there is a lot of etymological fun to be had, and strawberries are the plant your mother feeds you. I'll just finish by pointing out that the word for gate, door, doorway looks like a pair of old west Saloon swinging doors, or perhaps the Torii at a Shinto shrine. 門 This is pronounced "MON" in Japanese -- if you remember the film "Rasho-MON" it is a story about what happened at the Rasho "gate." And "gate" is part of the rather complicated business going on under "plant" in the word "orchid."

Orchid_2.jpg

By the way Google Translate also gives the definition "Blue Note" for "Orchid Account." I don't know enough Chinese to comment on that.

OK, it is officially addictive. I dipped the tip of my spoon into the Lan-Chi and stirred it into my scrambled eggs for breakfast. Mmm. Then I dipped the tip of my spoon into the jar and stirred it into my canned chicken noodle soup for lunch. Mmm.

What's next!?!?

[Robin Garr]

You can do some etymology on a Chinese character, even if you don't know how it is pronounced, and maybe I can lay that out here.

I love this stuff! A while back, I got a couple of books in order to give myself some very basic tools to scan the menu in places that will let Westerners have an "authentic" menu, but not in English. I memorized maybe 30 or 40 basic characters and had a little fun with it. You're at a whole different level, though, Frank, and I really enjoyed reading your analysis. Thanks.

[Jenise]

What's next!?!?

Marinated tofu!

What's next!?!?

Marinated tofu!

Did that tonight with a vegetable stir fry. YUM!!

It was hot enough to give me a runny nose but I loved it.

[Jenise]

I'm going to put some in my cabbage rolls tonight. My last two servings were with Red Savina, I'm ready for a change.