Bang Bang Sauce
I keep a jar of this in the fridge most weeks, and it is the reason plain crispy shrimp turns into something my family actually gets excited about. It is mayo, sweet chili sauce, a squeeze of sriracha and a little honey, whisked in the time it takes the air fryer to preheat. Creamy, a bit sweet, a bit spicy, and it goes on far more than the two recipes it is famous for.
Why this one is so easy
Four things, one bowl, one whisk. Nothing gets cooked, so there is no pan and no waiting.
It makes plain food taste like the appetizer menu. Crispy shrimp, chicken, a rice bowl, fries.
It keeps for a week and gets better after a night, so a Sunday batch covers a lot of dinners.
Della's tips
The ratio to remember is 2 parts mayo to 1 part sweet chili. Mayo carries the creaminess and the body, sweet chili brings the sugar and the color, sriracha brings heat and garlic, honey rounds off the vinegar bite.
Whisk the mayo and sweet chili alone before anything else goes in. Add all five at once and you fight streaks for a while.
Too thick to drizzle? A teaspoon of water at a time thins it without watering down the flavor much. Too thin? Another spoon of mayo pulls it back.
For anything crispy, drizzle instead of tossing. Sauce sitting on a coating softens it in a couple of minutes.
Full-fat mayo is doing real work here. Light mayo holds more water and the sauce goes loose.
Make it your own
+ Sweeter, closer to the restaurant version: go up to a third of a cup of sweet chili. That is how I make it when it is going on crispy chicken.
+ Garlic bang bang: one small clove, grated fine, straight in.
+ Smoky: swap half the sriracha for gochujang and add a squeeze of lime.
+ Dip consistency for fries and nuggets: leave out the vinegar and it sits up thicker.
If you are out of something
Greek yogurt for half the mayo lightens it and adds a little tang. It will be thinner, so hold back the vinegar.
No Thai sweet chili? Two tablespoons of apricot preserves plus a teaspoon of rice vinegar and a pinch of red pepper flakes gets you close.
Any garlicky hot sauce works instead of sriracha. Straight cayenne sauce brings more vinegar, so taste before you add the rice vinegar.
White vinegar or lemon juice covers for rice vinegar in a pinch.
This is a make-ahead sauce more than a last-minute one. It keeps in a jar in the fridge for a week, easily, and honestly tastes better on day two once the sriracha stops sitting on top. Give it a stir before serving, since it separates a little when it is cold. Do not freeze it. Mayonnaise splits when it thaws and no amount of whisking brings it back.
Ingredients
Steps
Whisk the mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce together first, on their own, until the color is even and there are no pale streaks left.
Add 1 tablespoon of sriracha, the honey, and the rice vinegar. Whisk again. Taste it.
Now decide on the heat. Another tablespoon of sriracha takes it from gently warm to properly spicy, and it is much easier to add than to take back.
Let it sit in the fridge for 10 minutes if you have them. The garlic in the sriracha needs a moment to spread through the mayo.
Quick note: I am a home cook, not a dietitian. Treat any nutrition info as a rough estimate, and if allergies are at your table, double check your ingredient labels.
Use it on
Questions, answered
With 1 tablespoon of sriracha it is mild, more warm than hot, and kids usually eat it. Two tablespoons is a real kick. Three and you are into hot sauce territory.