Hello my almond butter loving friends. If you're new to HEAB, you may like to subscribe to my RSS feed or receive my posts via email. Thanks for reading!
So, I haven’t been doing many product reviews on the blog lately, and for the most part, when companies contact me, I tell them no thanks. However if an interesting product comes along, then I accept as I want to share it with all of you, especially if it’s good. (I’ll share if it’s bad too). After all, I learned about many of my favorite products from blogs. So, when the folks at Sadia’s Sauce contacted me about trying their products, I perused the website: Sadia is from Somalia, and using an old family recipe created her line of hot sauces back in 2007. After receiving positive feedback from friends and family, Sadia applied for and received a small business loan from the City of Minneapolis and the African Development Center of Minnesota to help realize her dream, and began selling at local farmer’s markets and co-ops. Sadia’s all-natural and locally made sauces come in hot, mild, or sweet, are free of preservatives, and sweetened with a unique combination of dates and tamarind.
Yes, I’d like to try your sauces, thank you. Please send. -Heather
The day they arrived, I tried both the sweet and mild atop a bowl of beef and veggie stir-fry.
I am not a huge fan of heat, and even the mild has quite a kick. Delicious, but hot. Personally, I prefer the sweet.
All three sauces are made with the same ingredients, and I’m guessing the sweet simply contains a little more date and a little less cayenne. Next up, I tried Sadia’s recipe for marinated chicken (sent with my sauces) with the mild, and enjoyed it over a bowl of coconut millet (millet steamed in rice cooker with coconut milk) and spinach.
Yum, but honestly, my favorite part of this meal was the millet and sauce, no chicken necessary. The combo of coconut + Sadia’s Sauce was so good!
So, I’ve decided I like the mild sauce, but I’m kind of obsessed with the sweet sauce. For those of you scared of savory oats, beware…
The above bowl contained today’s lunch: oat bran topped with an egg, goat cheese, and Sadia’s Mild Sauce. Nothing to fear – really, you need to try this.
Dear Sadia, I love your sauces. Thank you for sharing a taste of your homeland with me. Sincerely, Heather
Sadia’s Sauces are currently sold at these Twin Cities co-ops and markets and are also available online.
P.S. I have yet to open the hot sauce…kind of scared.
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
Well geeze I live in the Twin Cities so I should check these out!
Holly,
Yes, you should as they were delicious. Hope you find the sauces soon!
I love anything with heat so these are on my grocery list!
Ooooh I love sauces. I like heat too. And tamarind. So this sounds really good. I might have to buy some online!
Ohhh, I love hot sauce! In fact, that was how I got my friend’s boyfriend to enjoy eating broccoli. I whispered, Psssttttt* Just put hot sauce on it
I’ve always wanted to try coconut milk in the rice cooker and I love sauces. Your bowls look delicious. Even the second one- I’ve never tried egg that way before.
(I add hot sauce to pretty much everything.)
Don’t be scared of the hot sauce!
STUFT, do it – so easy. I just threw in 1 cup dry millet, 1 can light coconut milk, and 1 can of water. It turned out perfect!
Yay, local to me! Thanks for the review and where to find Heather!
Clare,
You’re welcome!
funny, my taste buds seem to be in a transition lately and I’ve been digging spicy foods. Now not tooooo spicy but I’ve been using hot sauce, eating cayenne spiced pb by the spoonful and enjoyed a spicy curry meal last night.
I might make savory oats for dinner tonight, it’s that kind of rainy evening
Katie,
Now, cayenne spiced pb I can do, and I do love curry, just not super super hot. Have you ever had wing sauce – adds just enough heat but not too much.
I grew up in Minneapolis and there is such a HUGE!!! Somali population there.
And the coops you linked to and stores that you can buy it in the Mpls area…wow, trip down memory lane for me.
The sauce sounds great and I love the story and message behind it…and it’s nostalgic for me thinking about all the Somali restaurants, families, and people I grew up with and alongside in Mpls!
I love sauces and condiments and I *LOVE* hot sauce! I bet these are great!!
I am intrigued by hot sauce. Ok, I love hot sauce! And these sauces does look delish. I love the story behind it. Thanks for sharing Heather
Did I just order all three of these? Might’ve…my boyfriend is East African and I’m sooooo excited to try them!! Plus I just love hot sauce. Thanks!
Kayla,
Oh good – so happy to hear it. The sauces are delicious, and what a nice surprise for your boyfriend. I think you will both love them!
well I think you picked a good product to review. Does it come with your cooking? If so, sign me up!
Lindsay,
Unfortunately not, but my cooking is so basic these days. Anyone could do it – promise! Oh and guess what? Ordered some Marmite from Amazon this week. FINALLY!
yea! I should have sent you some a long time ago. Did you order English kind or the austrailan kind? one is a paste, the other is more a thick syrup. Either way, can’t wait for you to try. Hope you like it! No pressure.
Oh I’d love the hot…the more heat the better! When we go for Thai, I always ask for a 7/8 on a 10 scale. YUM! But the sweet + coconut millet sounds awfully good too. Fingers crossed there’s int’l shipping. I love that you share your loves on here, it’s really opened up my experimentation in the kitchen.
Oh Sam, I’m so happy to hear that as sometimes I feel like a product whore. Please tell me if the reviews ever get annoying.
Those sauces sound good. I like that they’re low in sodium! That’s a major deal breaker for me.
Love that blue bowl! So pretty.
Thanks Jenn, my mom bought it for me years ago, and it’s starting to crack. So sad as it’s one of my favorites!
Brazil is without heat. In terms of food, that is—if you need some reinforcement on the hot stuff, I’M YOUR GUY!
And I seriously, seriously love Ethiopian food—I’m guessing it’s not hugely different from Somalian, so now I’m about the most excited thing on the planet.
Stephanie,
Oh my gosh, Ethiopian is my favorite. LOVE LOVE LOVE Injera!
I find mild salsa to be a bit too spicy for me (but I love it) – so hot would probably kill me
Looks great with the egg combo. Is it high in sodium?
I can’t believe I never thought of this way to eat oat bran. I know what I’m having for lunch tomorrow!
I’ve only ever failed at cooking millet – it always turns out vaguely crunchy and starchy. Must have another go, with coconut deliciousness!
Hannah,
Yes, you must. Do you have a rice cooker. I have a super cheapo one I bought about 10 years ago for $20, and it works great. Pour in millet, add coconut milk, hit on.
No, I don’t. My Mum is so incredibly anti-appliance that she’s never allowed a rice cooker in the house, and now I’ve moved out I’ve never wanted one as I rarely eat rice! It does sound convenient though…
all three sound fantastic! i love that you support the small business owners, will have to check out the product line
I am super excited to look for this at our local markets. Love that this product is local to me.
I love hot and spicy anything…if you’re looking to get rid of the hot sauce.
The coconut bowl looks BEAUTIFUL!!! I also have some millet (inspired by you!!!) and some coconut milk (because I ALWAYS do) so I might try to whip some of that up!!! xox
I would be scared too, but I manage to live in Texas and avoid hot sauces entirely so…
Miz,
No guac OR hot sauce?!? I’m surprised they haven’t kicked you out yet.
Oh these look really delish! Dates and cayenne.. yum! I really want to try them. Thanks for sharing.
I am loving your coconut millet recipe! I have to confess that I have a bag of millet that I’ve been eyeing with great suspicion for a while. Those little tiny balls (teehee) freak me out a bit. But I also have a can of coconut milk and a rice cooker, so this recipe may be the magic combo for this evening’s dinner!
Those sound so good! I love sauces and dips, etc—I basically don’t eat pizza unless I have something spicy or tomatoey to dip it in.
Mmmm… all of that looks sooooo good! You have me SOLD on the oatbran bowl with egg and goat cheese. Sounds divine.
And I just love the back-story of Sadia’s Sauce! Wish they sold it here in Atlanta!
mmmm i really love north african food and i have a wee obsession with things anywhere near moroccan spiced or influenced. i love that dates are used to sweeten instead of HFCS or other sugar bombs. i’ve been using less salt these days and really amping up flavors with spices and various sauces and i also like to burn my mouth off when eating foods with a bit of a kick! bring on the cayenne!
Yum!!! Those both sound so good!!
I LOVE hot sauce. Must try this one! Your recipes look delicious, can I come over?
OMG, I want to try that sauce so bad!.. the hotter the better.. and savory oats.. oh yes please!
I am so excited by this post because 1) I’m going home (aka Minneapolis) on Wednesday so I’ll buy some AND it’s sold just blocks from my parents house! 2) I LOVE new sauces especially from different countries and 3) I am always trying to show my parents ways to add flavor without the fake gross ingredients!
Wow! Those look amazing!!!!
{ 1 trackback }