there are many kinds of chili sauce. the one thing they have in common is they burn your mouth until you start to cry. they're all available in bottles in asian groceries, and many of them have been made famous by huy fong foods. here are just a few:
sriracha chili sauce
mandarin: shilacha lajiao jiang
vietnamese: tuong ot sriracha, tuong ot an pho
this is kind of like spicy ketchup. it's bright red and contains no chunks, and it can be found in squeeze bottles in many vietnamese restaurants (often known as "the bottle with the rooster on the front," which refers to the huy fong logo). it's so good that american companies have started to produce it as an alternative to tabasco sauce.
chili garlic sauce
vietnamese: ot toi, tuong ot toi
this is a chunky mixture of chili peppers, garlic, sometimes vinegar, sometimes other ingredients. variations of it are common throughout east and southeast asia. for andrea nguyen's tips on how to make a simple version from scratch, click here.
sambal oelek
an indonesian variety of chunky chili sauce, not unlike chili garlic sauce. huy fong describes their version as "made of chilies with no other additives such as garlic or spices," but i've seen recipes for it that call for garlic.
sweet chili sauce
mandarin: tian la jiang
this is a smooth, gooey, sweet, spicy sauce that i sometimes like to use with daikon cakes or sticky rice.
chili oil
mandarin: lajiao you
this red, spicy oil should be used in small quantities, usually not alone but mixed in with other sauces.
gochujang
korean: gochujang
mandarin: la jiu
this dark red, thick chili sauce from korea is made from chili peppers, glutinous rice, and soybeans, and is aged for up to one year. you can find it in any korean grocery.
black bean chili sauce
mandarin: lajiao douchi
a dark, salty bean paste mixed with spicy goodness.
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