The founder of homegrown Asian chilli sauce brand Curious Elephant shares delicious pairing recipes that go beyond noodles.
With a serious addiction to chilli since her childhood in Sydney, it’s no surprise that Melody Mok (aka Mel) left her corporate career behind to start one of Dubai’s favourite Asian chilli sauce brands, Curious Elephant. At the time we spoke to her for the Deep Fried podcast, she was selling 3 fiery jars online and at the Ripe Market—a Chinese chilli oil with sichuan pepper and peanut, a Vietnamese chilli sauce with lemongrass and garlic and her newest one, a Malaysian chilli sambal with shrimp and kaffir lime.
Tune in to the player below to hear Mel talk about her lip-singing line-up of jars and interesting recipes for how to use them beyond splashing them over noodles. Keep scrolling to get a list of some of the pairing ideas that Mel shared on our podcast.
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Here are a few pairing ideas when you crack open a jar of Curious Elephant’s Asian style chilli sauce:
(All credits to Melody Mok, the founder of Curious Elephant and her ‘herd’ of customers)
- Like a chutney with Indian-style dosas and idlis
- Pandan coconut sticky rice
- Mixed with kewpie mayo in a wrap/sandwich/salad
- Seafood (for instance, butterflied prawns and BBQ’ed/grilled)
- Paired with Arabic-style meat grills
- Stirred into hummus
- Over pizza?! (suggested by an Italian customer!)
- Chef Reif Othman slathered Curious Elephant’s Vietnamese chilli sauce in a white toast-banana sandwich
- In the sauce of Indian-style chilli paneer (try it with Curious Elephant’s Chinese chilli oil)
- With ice cream?! (a Curious Elephant customer has done this!)
- With stir fries
- Simply over rice, parathas, bread or eggs!
- With McDonald’s fries!
Arva Ahmed is the co-founder of Frying Pan Adventures, Dubai’s first food tour company, and a celebrated food explorer known for uncovering Dubai’s hidden culinary gems. Her expertise in the city’s diverse food scene has been featured in prominent publications such as CNN, Khaleej Times, BBC Travel, The Sun, The Independent and countless more. She also hosts Ditch the Silver on YouTube. Through her immersive tours and storytelling, Arva brings Dubai’s rich flavors and vibrant cultures to life.
