Yum Cha Chats: Lay your taste buds on Skratch Bastid’s hottest fire sauces from around the world

Sunday’s are hard but can be made easier with unexpected delights — so here’s some fluff to get you through it. Inspired by a recent jaunt for dim sum with Miss Yellow in Hong Kong, allow us to deliver a new edition of Yum Cha Chats — which means let’s go eat dim sum and drink tea in Cantonese. The series will dig into the obscure and tasty 'fillings' you never knew about your favourite DJs and have nothing to do with music — every Sunday. Best enjoyed from bed…

Skratch Bastid is a world-renowned DJ, producer and hot sauce slinger. He is a three-time winner of the coveted Scribble Jam DJ Battle, a global ambassador and judge for Red Bull's 3Style DJ competition and close comrade to DJ Jazzy Jeff. Widely known for his comfort and versatility in different styles and genres of music (he is rumoured to have a sixth sense when it comes to track selection), the same could be said for his tolerance to the dizzying taste of heat. Through his global 'Bastid's BBQ' series, which has featured headline performances from the likes of DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Biz Markie, Just Blaze and more, Skratch Bastid found himself craving something even more personal — his own flavour to serve at his events. This led to the birth of his fire sauce collection: Bastid’s Hot Sauce — available in three flavours (original, garlic hot, and Jamaican jerk rub) and made from Skratch. And as a definitive connoisseur of all things hot and spicy, we asked him to rank the most titillating hot sauces he’s come across in his travels around the world. Get 'em before they get too hot.

"Valentina Hot Sauce is my favourite all-purpose, supermarket-available hot sauce — and so I'm starting with this because I'm not a snob and every hot sauce list should include a standard or basic. It comes from the Jalisco state of Mexico, and it's great with all breakfast plates, such as huevos rancheros! It's got a dominant but enjoyable taste, including a touch of smokey flavour, almost chipotle but not, making it more versatile than chipotle based sauces (which are great but more of a commitment). I first found it at greasy spoon diners and I'm always happy to see it on a table at one. Tells me that they "get it"."

"Queen MajestyQueen Majesty is a DJ that I met in New York via The Rub party, one of my favourite parties that I've ever played. I'm not sure if she was making hot sauce at the time, but years later I heard about her making sauce, and was happy to find out that it's great! The name Queen Majesty is a nod to a great foundational reggae song & riddim, and her sauce lives up to the name's prestige. A classic scotch bonnet hot (spicy and quick) pepper sauce with a kick of ginger. What's not to love?"

"I got one of these Kaitaia Fire sauces in a hot sauce trade with a Kiwi (thanks Brigid!) — deep red and delicious, a stand out unique flavour that I keep coming back to. More reggae references here, this time to Bob Marley & The Wailers' international breakthrough album (and title track) 'Catch A Fire'. Proper reggae references are always a good sign. Made on the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand."

"I wasn't expecting to find great hot sauce when I was playing a show in Sofia, Bulgaria, but I certainly did. While on a pre-gig city stroll, I walked into a cool pepper shop downtown and walked out with a bag full of goodies that I was really satisfied with for months after at home. Many good ones, but one that stood out in the dangerous category of "alternative hot sauces" was their beetroot based Love Potion sauce. Had a flavour I would never expect to find a happy home in hot sauce. Beet-sweet up front with a sneaky small kick on the tail. My wife wants some more."

"You know I had to include my own sauce, and it would be in the top five if it wasn't my own sauce! No bullshit. I have two different hot sauces and a jerk seasoning/rub in my line, and they are all worth space on your table, but my most used is probably Bastid's Hot Sauce #2. The thing I appreciate about my hot sauces is that although they have a good kick, the heat doesn't linger too long and it doesn't leave you begging for some water to return your tongue back to a normal state. You can ENJOY your meal experience and still get that kick hot sauce fans desire. And so they pair well with so many things. I chose the garlic over my OG because although their bases are similar, the No.2 has a bit more garlic kick and garlic flavour, both of which are to my taste. I love it on rice dishes, sandwiches/burgers, eggs, nachos, and it also makes a great addition to a caesar cocktail."

Get all three of Bastid's hot sauces here.