On the left, the original Halal Guys White Sauce; on the right, our adaptation.
We reported our five most popular non-recipe posts of the year the other day; now let’s cut to the chase with the most-clicked-on recipes of 2021. As with the previous post, we’ve made an adjustment to upgrade the recipes that were preferred by our regular readers vs. those that were liked by the folks who flocked here in the depths of the pandemic and have since dwindled. The downgraded recipes (and there’s nothing wrong with them, they’re just not in our top 5) are at the bottom of this list.
- Halal Guys White Sauce. It’s almost too easy to make the mild topping which is served along with the fiery red sauce at the iconic street food stands (and now strip mall locations). So maybe you should draw out the experience by reading this post first, followed by this one.
- Vinegar Peppers. This one is pure comfort food, and it’s an essential element if you are not eating out as much and recreating the menus of your favorite red sauce places at home. Do try the related recipe for Chicken Riggies, in which these peppers have a big role.
- The Colonel’s KFC Three-Bean Salad. We feel like our copycat recipe for KFC Cole Slaw is pretty close, but this one is a dead ringer. You’ll have to take our word for it since the fried chicken stores discontinued the bean salad, to the lament of many of our readers.
- Thai Chili Vinegar. We’re noticing a trend here: the most popular recipes of 2021 are also the easiest to make. This is the stuff that is on the table at every Thai restaurant in the world, providing sweet, sour and spicy all in one spoonful.
- Bone Bread. Ha ha, this is not at all easy to make and it’s also not a real recipe but a riff on a basic white bread with a ghoulish twist for Halloween. Munch it with some stinky cheese and maybe blood sausage while you’re waiting for the trick-or-treaters.
The also rans, two recipes that would have placed in the top five if we cut off our poll in February:
Amish Creamed Celery. A perennial favorite that will probably return to our top five next year. Celery has a lot of significance to the Amish, as explained in the post, yet we couldn’t find a recipe cooking with it so we created our own.
Instant Pot Sourdough Bread. The popularity of this post is doubtless due to the search gods, and we bet not that many people have actually made it. If you do, you’ll be rewarded with a sourer-than-usual product that may or may not be reminiscent of the loaves produced by the Larraburu Bakery in San Francisco.
