Spice up summer with these popular flavors
In the past few years, spicy ingredients have exploded into mainstream menus, adding pizzazz to traditional dishes. This year, the spicy trend remains ever-popular, with Datassential reporting that 70% of restaurants include spicy dishes on their menu.
Ask someone what they think of as a spicy food, and their answer could range from a ubiquitous hot pepper like a jalapeno to a typically spicy food group like Indian curry. But spicy foods can come in all varieties, intensities, and taste categories – from swelteringly hot to the sweeter, more subdued “swicy.”
Read on for five ideas to spice up your summer dishes:
1. Try Asian sauces to flavor a bowl or stir fry.
Ready-to-eat sauces and toppings can bring complex heat and fabulous flavor. One of our favorites? Sriracha’s sweet, zesty flavor makes it a must-have summer staple. Drizzle it, use it as a dip, or even use it as a marinade for a slightly spicy, super tasty salad or bowl topper.
Sambal is a thick chili paste that packs a lot of heat and flavor thanks to its pickled chilies. This sauce is vegan, opening up options for a variety of diners. This condiment can be stirred into soups, stews, sauces, and stir fries for extra flavor and heat.
Gochujang paste is fermented, making it spicy, sweet, and savory. This Korean chili paste works well in sauces and marinades.
2. Try some new peppers!
When you think of heat, you may first think of the ubiquitous pepper. Peppers can add texture and flavor to any dish, from sweet and crunchy bell peppers to spicier jalapeños and Calabrians to add a bit of heat. This summer, swap out traditional peppers for newer varieties, like Peruvian “red sweety drop” peppers. These unique teardrop-shaped peppers have a bold, tangy, and sweet flavor, and are perfect for garnishing salads, pizza, pasta, and antipasto trays.
3. Embrace Hispanic flavors.
Instead of the traditional red salsas, try a green version. Salsa verde combines the tart flavor of tomatillos with onions, jalapeno, garlic, and a bevy of spices for a sauce. Use it on chicken enchiladas, atop chile rellenos, or soaked into chilaquiles.
4. Get into "swicy".
This trendy flavor profile, also sometimes referred to as “sweet heat,” is a delicious flavor twist all over menus. Some interesting new menu applications include spicy, sweet drinks or even baked goods including desserts, cakes or breakfast pastries.
Our favorite swicy sauce? Sweet chili sauce! Bursting with sweetness and garlic, this sauce is traditionally thought of as an Asian sauce, but it complements any dish that can be enhanced by a touch of sweetness and a pop of garlic. The prevalence of sweet chili sauce on menus has grown 23.9% in the last 4 years according to Datassential. Use it as a dipping sauce for fried foods, a drizzle for freshly grilled vegetables, or as a wing sauce.
5. Wake up your tastebuds with a hot breakfast.
Rise and shine! To embrace spicier flavors in the morning, we recommend using not one but two spicy additions with different textures and flavor profiles to produce a satisfyingly complex meal. Case in point: chilaquiles verdes for breakfast, complete with Savor’s new spicy mole rojo. Drizzle it on top of a breakfast bowl, burrito, or omelet for a great breakfast plus-one.
Savor’s ingredients are all available via Dot Foods on your next truck. Amp up your menu today.