What can I use instead of buffalo sauce?
In this brief article, we will answer the question, “What can I use instead of buffalo sauce?” and methods to prepare buffalo sauce substitutes.
What can I use instead of buffalo sauce?
Instead of buffalo sauce, you can use Sriracha, Gochujang, curry paste, chili garlic sauce, Harissa, or Sambal oelek.
What exactly is buffalo sauce?
Buffalo sauce is a mixture of fat and hot sauce. Usually, the fat used with hot sauce would be butter. It has a spicy or tangy flavor which you can adjust if you have prepared the sauce at home.
The name buffalo was associated with a restaurant named Anchor bar present in Buffalo, Newyork. Spicy chicken wings were served with a buffalo wing sauce that was made up of cayenne pepper, melted butter, and hot sauce.
The buffalo chicken wings were served with the sauce which came to be called buffalo sauce.
What are the alternatives to Buffalo sauce?
Sriracha, Gochujang, and Sambal oelek are the three substitutes for Buffalo sauce. The methods to prepare them are provided below.
What is Sriracha?
Sriracha is a hot sauce that is prepared from vinegar, chili sauce, sugar, salt, and garlic. This can be a great substitute for buffalo sauce.
How to prepare Sriracha at home?
Ingredients
- ½ pound of red jalapeno peppers
- ¼ pound red serrano peppers
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- ½ cup distilled vinegar
- Water
Method
- Remove the stems of jalapeno and serrano peppers. Let the seeds of the peppers remain intact while chopping them.
- In a blender, blend the peppers with water, salt, brown sugar, and garlic.
- Transfer the blenderized mixture into a glass container and store them for 4-5 days. This would result in fermentation.
- After 4-5 days, place them back in the blender with distilled vinegar. Strain through a strainer and discard the pulp and seeds.
- In a saucepan, add the sauce and boil them for 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool before transferring them to a container.
What is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a red chili paste prepared in Korea. It is prepared from glutinous rice, fermented soybean powder, malt powder, chili powder, salt, and barley. It has a combination of both spicy and sweet flavors.
How to make Gochujang at home?
Ingredients
- 1 kg red chili powder
- 400 gm fermented soybean powder
- 650 gm malt barley
- 650 gm sea salt
- ½ kg rice syrup
- ½ kg sweet rice powder
- Water
Method
- Soak all the malt barley in water for more than 6 hours. Soak sweet rice for 3-4 hours.
- Stain the sweet rice after it has been done soaking for 3-4 hours and blenderize it.
- Strain the malted barley too after it has been done soaking.
- Add the sweet rice powder to the malt barley liquid mixture.
- Leave the malted barley and rice powder mixture in the oven for 5 hours at a temperature of 140℉.
- Remove the mixture from the oven and place it on the stovetop. Cook the mixture at medium heat till the liquid in the mixture is reduced by at least 20%.
- Remove the liquid from the stovetop and allow it to cool. After it cools, add red chili powder, fermented soybean powder, rice syrup, and sea salt. Mix well.
- Transfer the mixture into a clay pot and sprinkle sea salt. Keep the mixture under sunlight for 6 months.
What is Sambal oelek?
Sambal oelek is used often in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is prepared using chili peppers, salt, and vinegar.
Other ingredients that could be added to the sauce include garlic, ginger, shallots, lime juice, shrimp paste, scallions, and lime juice.
How to prepare Sambal oelek at home?
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp lime zest
- 4 ounces garlic (peeled and chopped)
- 4 ounces young ginger (peeled and chopped)
- 2 stalks of lemongrass
- 5 ounces of vinegar
- 6-7 ounces sugar
- Salt to taste
Method
- Thinly slice the lemongrass and keep it aside.
- Blenderize the garlic, lemongrass, ginger, and chilies in a blender.
- Add the vinegar slowly while blenderizing the mixture.
- Take a saucepan and heat it. Add the blenderized mixture to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for an extra 3-4 minutes even after the mixture boils.
- Add the sugar to the mixture and mix it till the sugar dissolve completely in the mixture.
- Add lime zest and salt to the mixture. Mix well.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool. Fill the mixture into glass containers and store them.
Other FAQs on sauces that you might be interested in.
Conclusion
In this brief article, we have answered the question, “What can I use instead of buffalo sauce?” and methods to prepare buffalo sauce substitutes.
