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Part of growing up in Malaysia was to develop a palate for chilie sauces. Sauces? Yes, you see there are various specific chili sauces that are used as condiments for different dishes. These chili sauces or “sambals” abound in asian cooking similar to the way that there are various dressings to various salads.

It should be noted that the colloquial term for just about anything with chili is sambal… however there is a difference between a chili sauce and a sambal the same way there is a difference between barbeque sauce and say… ketchup. Sambals can be a stand alone dish… are more exclusive – often homemade and a chili sauce is… more universal and can be bought off a shelf. The chili sauce is so much part of the culture that the KFC franchise in Malaysia even developed their own as far back as the 70′s… and it’s not bad.

Growing up the two most popular were the “sweet chili sauce” and the “garlic chili sauce”. One could add a zing to just about anything with these. I liked both (depending on what I was eating) but had a special place for the garlic variety. (Fried chicken with with a chili garlic… mmm.) There were several different brands to choose from but at the age of twelve I was introduced to one that was made in a small “factory” outside the hamlet of Sitiawan… and it was true love. And being a modest operation supply and distribution was limited which made it’s availability somewhat exclusive. I spent a lot of my holidays there in my teen years so supply was never a problem.

When I moved to Fresno for college my supply was dramatically cut off. Sure the hot sauces that I tried here were good… but different. So for years I languished… until about 18 years ago when I found a bottle of Sriracha on the shelf of a local asian market. It was akin to finding and rekindling a lost love. It is a different brand and there are subtle differences in taste… but close enough to call it good… OK, damn good. My kitchen has since never been without a bottle. Now the dab and taste can once again bring me back to the beach on a balmy night… sitting next to a fire eating the freshly caught and fire baked crab with my favorite chili sauce as the gentle waves lap to the shore and the moon is reflected off the straits of Malacca.

That is so worth counting.

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UPDATE: The post below was quoted in a related post on the Beehive yesterday and seemed to have caused quite a stir.

Oh, and I watched the victory rally last night on TV… was touched by their pride of accomplishment and was very happy for the team.

Also… they issued a stagnant air advisory for today. Will that system lingering offshore please just move in to blow and/or wash this crap away?