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Here's What's in The Halal Guys' White and Hot Sauces

By Maria Villasenor | December 24, 2014 7:18am | Updated on December 26, 2014 5:12pm
 A list of ingredients has appear on new to-go packets of the popular food cart's white and red sauces.
Halal Guys White and Hot Sauce
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MIDTOWN — It’s one of New York City’s greatest mysteries revealed.

Popular food cart The Halal Guys is now offering plastic packets of its white and hot sauces — the creamy, seasoned concoctions found drowning a pile of lamb or chicken over rice — printed with the ingredients.

Though the exact recipes have not been provided, die-hards and aficionados can now get a little closer to knowing the riddle of the secret sauces. According to the packets of white sauce — which replaced the former plastic containers — the mixture contains soybean and/or canola oil, egg yolk, vinegar, water, salt, sugar, natural flavors, black pepper, disodium EDTA, xantham gum and sodium benzoate.

While first three white sauce ingredients comprise the basics needed for mayonnaise, the "natural flavors" retain some sense of secrecy. The final three ingredients are additives commonly found in other condiments and are said on the packets to "maintain freshness." 

The fiery hot sauce, which comes in a similar packets, includes ground red pepper, vinegar, salt, spices and concentrated lemon juice.

The Halal Guys could not be reached for comment on why they switched to the packets, though a worker at cart at the corner of West 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue said the changeover happened just recently.

The food cart opened its first brick-and-mortar location on East 14th Street in June, after partnering with a fast-food franchise company.