What started out as a bit of a gag gift for a Sriracha-obsessed customer has turned into a useful spice for Cheeky Monkey Chef Matt McArthur. After playing around a bit, McArthur figured out a way to dry and powder Sriracha, turning a favorite hot sauce into a zippy chili powder with the same addictive flavors. Currently he’s using the powder to spice up bacon kimchi deviled eggs on the Cheeky Monkey appetizer menu. The powder is versatile just like the sauce. It might be good on just about anything from steaks and chicken to fried eggs, or even dusted around the rim of a bloody Mary glass come Sunday morning.
Making the powder is pretty simple.
1. Use a flat or rubber spatula to spread Sriracha onto a flexible silicon-baking sheet. It should be thin, roughly a 1/8 of an inch or less.
2. Next bake at 150 degrees, which is most likely the lowest setting on your oven, for roughly 2 hours, or until it’s peel-able, like a spicy fruit rollup. (Now carefully remove the raspberry fruit rollup from your child’s lunch box and replace it with the new and improved chili paste rollup. Done!)
