UPDATE: Support video now available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYp9yrpk8lc There is a restaurant in the city in which I live that serves a dish which, at one time, was one of my very most favorite things to have and it was called Firecracker Shrimp, though you could also get it with chicken. Often, if I find something I really like in a restaurant, I will be moved to try to get - or recreate - an element of it I like a lot. In this case, I didn't think the noodles and vegetables and shrimp separately were anything too challenging but rather the firecracker sauce itself, which had notes of the garlic, along with a discernible chili heat and flavor, all in a nicely sweet sauce that was easily balanced with a splash of soy. As things turn out, the set I ran with (there was, at that time, a group of 4 of us (all scattered to the winds now, with respective families) that ate and hung out together regularly) were often in that proximity and that contributed much to us going there. As the group eventually went our separate ways, I have not been back in some time, yet, as with any particularly striking food, that dish has never left my mind entirely.
Prior to the happy discovery that BYT was back and blazing (see notes from 2019), I was scrounging for sauce candidates. I had ordered from a number of sources online prior to discovering BYT in the first place, but had found all of them wanting, in one way or another. One of my other brick-and-mortar sources had also cut down their shelf space considerably and there was nothing there I had either not already tried (and reviewed) or was interested in. The last one I honestly kind of forgot about, but they tend more towards the much hotter side of the spectrum and that means extract and even if not, I don't always want something where the aggressive nature of it creates an instant challenge with taste. Sometimes, I want a bit of peace and a nice embellishment to the flavor, rather than a competition...probably most of the time, if I'm being honest.
By now, you've probably noticed I've not gotten to this sauce yet, but I will now. I saw this thing on the shelf one day when I was scrounging and thought I would give it a go. Heat is pretty minor and the taste approaches the overly sweet red sauce you can get at the Chinese mall food places, a bit too close for my comfort. The sauce itself sticks well, but is not especially flavorful and needs to go with something else to balance it out. It will work well in things with a variety of flavors, but performs poorly when there is not a fairly substantial amount of flavors, as a dipping sauce, for instance. For quite a while, I debated not reviewing it at all, but I have it and decided I may as well, as it is arguably closer to a hot sauce than not, as there is at least an intention of having some spicy element. Alas, I have not, as of this writing, attempted the firecracker dish I mentioned earlier, mostly due to me not having a wok, but I may be coming to that sooner rather than later.
Bottom line: Despite the label banter, this is a sauce that really needs to be combined as part of a dish, rather than a standalone. As a standalone, it suffers considerably in both the flavor and heat regards.
Breakdown:
Heat level: 1
Flavor: 3
Flexibility: 3
Enjoyment to dollar factor: 4
Overall: 3
No comments:
Post a Comment