Spicy Mayo

Ingredients

• 2 parts mayonnaise
• 1 part chilli sauce (e.g. Sriracha)
• 1 tbsp per cup of mayonnaise sesame oil

Method

Combine mayonnaise and chilli sauce at a 2:1 ratio in a clean bowl. This balance — two parts cool, emulsified egg yolk to one part hot, vinegared heat — is your starting point, though the final seasoning always depends on which chilli sauce you're using. Sriracha brings garlic and a thin body; other brands skew sweeter or more concentrated. Whisk them together thoroughly until the colour is even and the chilli is fully dispersed through the mayonnaise. The emulsion won't break because both ingredients are already stabilised — the chilli sauce's acid and the mayo's lecithin work in concert rather than against each other.

Add sesame oil at one tablespoon per cup of mayonnaise. Sesame oil is potent and lipophilic, so stir it in slowly and taste as you go. This is not the time to pour carelessly. The oil carries the sesame-oil flavour — toasted, almost bitter, with a nutty depth — and will dominate if you're heavy-handed. A teaspoon of restraint here means the condiment stays balanced rather than becoming a vehicle for toasted notes alone.

Taste and recalibrate. If the heat is muted, add more chilli sauce in half-tablespoon increments. If it tastes thin or one-note, a pinch of salt sharpens everything; a squeeze of lime lifts the whole thing. This is a condiment that thrives on a slight edge — it shouldn't be round or smooth. It should cut through richness, whether that's fatty fish, fried chicken, or a mayo-heavy sandwich.

Transfer to a clean jar and refrigerate. This keeps for five days, sometimes longer, though the sesame oil's flavour will flatten gradually. The mayonnaise acts as a preservative for the chilli and sesame, but flavour and colour are your real guides — if it smells off or looks separated, discard it. Use it straight from cold storage on sashimi, fried rice, or anywhere you'd deploy standard mayo but want heat and depth instead.