Aptly named for its explosively smoky flavor, this bomb hot sauce is our go-to condiment for dipping sweet potato fries, slathering on chicken before roasting, dribbling on eggs, and dousing just about anything that needs some shazam!–Angie Zoobkoff
Bomb Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 7 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 small red bell pepper
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons yellow or brown miso paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat (or in the microwave in 30-second increments), heat the water until hot, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add the dried mushrooms, cover, and let soak for 15 minutes.
- Heat the broiler to high and adjust an oven rack to the top position.
- Place the garlic cloves and the bell pepper on a rimmed baking sheet and broil, turning until the garlic is browned and the pepper is charred on all sides, about 5 minutes for the garlic and 12 to 15 minutes for the bell pepper.
☞ TESTER TIP: Watch the garlic and pepper closely, as broiler intensities vary so the timing may vary.
- Toss the garlic cloves in a blender and the bell pepper in a bowl to cool for 15 minutes.
- Once the pepper is cool, place the pepper in a strainer set over a bowl to catch any juices, peel away the charred skin, and toss the charred parts into the blender. Split the pepper open, remove and discard the seeds, and add the rest of the pepper to the blender along with the reserved juices in the bowl.
- Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid, and add them to the blender along with the orange juice, tomato paste, soy sauce, miso, Worcestershire sauce, nutritional yeast, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt, garlic powder, paprika, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper. Blend until the mixture is the consistency of a thick barbecue sauce.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. If the sauce seems too thick, add a few tablespoons of the reserved mushroom soaking liquid.
- Let cool before using. The sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in a resealable bag in the freezer indefinitely.
Notes
What You Need To Know About Using Bomb Sauce
Use this bomb sauce instead of ketchup. Wherever you’d use barbecue sauce. To give a boost to marinara. For dipping french fries or tots. To dress up a fried egg sandwich. As a glaze for tofu or grilled portobello mushrooms. To dunk tortilla chips. To make the BEST sloppy joes. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, be sure to read the label on your Worcestershire sauce to make sure it doesn’t contain anchovies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Bomb sauce is right! I really enjoyed the flavor of this sauce, it has quite a lot of depth to it. Not much more I can say except yum!
I used low-sodium soy sauce and brown miso (I find that this miso goes really well with mushrooms). I ended up having to add 4 tablespoons of the mushroom liquid to make it the right consistency and I’m glad I did because the liquid added a bit more depth of flavor (also I didn’t have much juice from the red pepper).
Other than just eating it straight with a spoon, I put it on my eggs every morning and I baked chicken with it on top and it turned out so well.
Wow, this bomb sauce is incredible! Smoky, a little spicy (and the spiciness is easy to adjust), and a little sweet. I had these with fries and tater tots, but I can see how versatile this could be. I can’t wait to try this with some meat or mixed into a little tomato sauce to add a great smokiness.
I used regular soy sauce and yellow miso.
