sot sri racha (ซอสศรีราชา)

Thai. ‘Sri Racha sauce’. Name of a hot sauce, dark orange to red in colour, and made from a paste of sweet chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. It is named after the seaside town and amphur of Sri Racha (fig.) in Chonburi Province, where it was first produced, allegedly in the 1930s by a local housewife named Ms. Thanom Thimkrajahng-Chakkaphaak (นางถนอม ทิมกระจ่าง-จักกะพาก). The sauce, which is described by Thais as more viscous, more sweet and more sour than other Thai sauces, is in general used as a dipping sauce, especially with seafood dishes and typically with omelets, such as with a dish called khai yad sai (fig.). In Vietnam, where the sauce is known as tuong ot sri racha (tương ớt sriracha), it is used as a dipping sauce for fried spring rolls (fig.) called cha gio (chả giò) in Vietnamese and popiya thod (เปาะเปี๊ยะทอด) in Thai. It is sold in ketchup-like bottles and is also referred to as sot phrik sri racha (ซอสพริกศรีราชา) and nahm phrik sri racha (น้ำพริกศรีราชา). Most brands feature one or more red chilies on their label, referring both to the sauce's main ingredient and to its pungent taste. In English, it may be referred to as Sri Racha chili sauce. 回