Feel The Burn With Our Spiciest Recipes

By SAVEUR Editors | Published Apr 8, 2020 1:22 PM

Recipes by Course

Calabrian chiles and chile paste produce a fiery, brick-red oil that is spooned over delicate steamed fish, crunchy spring vegetables, and fregola, a Sardinian pasta similar to Israeli couscous.

We love heat. It's not all about in-your-face heat, though: the world's most fantastically flaming peppers shine brightest when used in complex, layered dishes that have a big enough flavor to handle the burn. From the world's finest curries to the best zesty tacos, it seems our obsession is shared with folks all over the globe. Ready to bring the burn with the absolute best spiciest recipes in our arsenal? Consider this your fair warning. And we recommend not drinking water: it just makes it worse. Michael Turek

Hua jun, or “slippery mushrooms,” from Sichuan’s Bamboo Sea are quick-cooked over high heat with a trio of chiles (sweet, spicy, and pickled).

Ancho Chile Soup with Avocado, Crema, and Chile Pasilla (Sopa de Chile Ancho)

Asian pear and a touch of sugar tame the heat of gochujang in this Korean cold noodle dish, while rice vinegar adds a satisfying tang. Get the recipe for Korean Spicy Cold Noodles (Bibim Guksu)

Black-Eyed Pea Hummus With West African Chile Paste

Chile de Arbol Salsa

Spice-Rubbed Chicken with Duck Sauce

jeyuk bokkeum stir fried pork

Sichuan Chile Oil

Mexico City Spiced Edamame

Spicy Haitian Cabbage Slaw

Milagu Rasam

“Pepper is for colds and coughs, and turmeric heals wounds,” says cookbook author Viji Varadarajan. In his native South India, milagu rasam, a broth made with those key ingredients, also includes a dose of tamarind, which is believed to help heal sore throats. Get the recipe for Milagu Rasam »

Lao Tomato Dip

Penn Hongthong, the author of Simple Laotian Cooking (Hippocrene, 2003), taught us that charring the vegetables for this dip is the secret to its smoky flavor.

Nashville Hot Chicken

The secret to Nashville’s famous hot chicken is in the layering: The bird is marinated in a spicy buttermilk brine, then dredged with more flour and spice, double-fried, and finally slathered with a fiery butter paste to create a crunchy, peppery coating. One bite into its burnished orange crust reveals first a tangy crunch, and then a deeper, complex spice that leaves a lingering fire behind. Adjust the heat by adding as much—or as little—cayenne as you like. Get the recipe for Nashville Hot Chicken »

Get the recipe for Mapo Tofu »

Sichuan Pork Wontons (Chao Shou)

Simple pork dumplings doused in a spicy, mouth-numbing chile oil. Get the recipe for Sichuan Pork Wontons (Chao Shou) »

Chicken Vindaloo

This tangy, spicy curry from Goa, India, has roots in vinh d’alho, a stew brought to the region by Portuguese colonists. Now an Indian restaurant staple, it comes in countless variations—some fiery, some mild—from the subcontinent to the British Isles. Get the recipe for Chicken Vindaloo »

Goanese Pork Vindaloo

Goan Pork Vindaloo Curry »

Padang-Style Chicken Curry (Gulai Ayam)

Sichuan Noodles with Spicy Pork Sauce (Dan Dan Mian)

For this beloved dish of China’s Sichuan province, a tangle of wheat noodles is topped with a spicy, pungent pork sauce. This recipe is adapted from one in Fuschia Dunlop’s Land of Plenty (W.W. Norton & Company, 2003). Inspired by an article in SAVEUR No. 154 (March 2013), it first appeared in our Jan/Feb 2014 SAVEUR 100 issue with the article 20 Years of SAVEUR: Capital of Heat. Get the recipe for Sichuan Noodles with Spicy Pork Sauce »

Yunnan-Style Breakfast Noodle Soup (Mi Xian)

Yunnan breakfast noodle soup

Spicy Cashew-Peanuts

Toss cashews and peanuts in caramelized sugar, fish sauce, garlic, and chile for a powerful, can’t-stop-eating bar snack. Add the lime, shallot, and basil right before serving so the nuts stay crispy. Get the recipe for Spicy Cashew-Peanuts »

Quick Basic Kimchi

Caribbean-Style Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce

Chicken and Prawn Curry

Steamed Grouper in Chile Oil

Korean Spicy Clam Soup

Hawaiian Chile Pepper Water with Garlic and Vinegar

Potato Jalapeño Latkes

Puerto Rican Spicy Vinegar (Pique)

Braised Zabuton with Coffee Beans

The small flap of meat between the chuck and the rib eye in Wagyu is called the zabuton, meaning “cushion” in Japanese. Nicely marbled with intramuscular fat, the little-known cut—sometimes dubbed a Denver steak—is buttery and rich. Get the recipe for Braised Zabuton with Coffee Beans »

Pepper Pot Soup

Kashmiri Lamb in Chile Sauce (Mirchi Qorma)

Tender lamb simmers in a fiery sauce in this recipe from Adhoo’s in Srinagar, Kashmir. Get the recipe for Kashmiri Lamb »

Japanese-Style Chicken Wings

Sansho, the Japanese equivalent of Sichuan pepper, adds kick to these sake-and-mirin-marinated wings. A fresh squeeze of lemon brightens them up for serving. Get the recipe for Japanese-Style Chicken Wings »

Pakistani Slow-Cooked Lamb Stew (Dumbay Ki Nihari)

Chettinad Pepper Chicken (Koli Milagu Masala)

This richly spiced chicken dish is adapted from a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey’s classic Flavors of India (West 175 Publishing, 1995). According to Jaffrey, “What gives this a very special southern flavor is the use of fennel seeds, curry leaves, and, of course, the pulse (legume) urad dal. This is definitely a dish you will want to make very frequently.” We couldn’t agree more. Get the recipe for Chettinad Pepper Chicken »

Triple-Cooked Spareribs with Chiles (Lu Rou)

These lavishly spiced ribs have some serious heat and require an overnight marinade, so be sure to plan accordingly. Get the recipe for Triple-Cooked Spareribs with Chiles (Lu Rou) »

Grapefruit & Habanero Skirt Steak with Grilled Tomato Salsa

Fish Ssäm with Spicy Chile Sauce

Ssäm, which is Korean for “wrapped,” refers to the lettuce wraps that enclose spicy grilled fish in this recipe from Matthew Rudofker, executive chef at New York City’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar. Get the recipe for Fish Ssäm with Spicy Chile Sauce »