My well-used Asian/Vietnamese cookbook (The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking by Mai Pham) comments that ground chili paste ( known as tuong ot toi, sos prik) is made with coarsely ground red chilies (with seeds and all--the seeds are where the heat comes from), garlic, and salt packed in vinegar. The cookbook also comments that once opened and refrigerated that it will keep almost indefinitely. *** But in a pinch and the fact that you only need one teaspoon I would agree that a REALLY hot pepper sauce would do the trick. Good luck!