The Spiciest Recipes from around the world

Spice requires just the right concoction of savory flavors and heat. When eaten, it should thrill the mouth while leaving behind a superb surprise for the taste buds after the heat subsides. These recipes get it just right, offering a spicy challenge and a perfect blend of flavors for the palate.

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Ethiopian Chicken Doro Wat
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doro wat at Empress Taytu by stu_spivack

Often eaten with a group of loved ones, the dish is placed in the center of the table while everyone dips into it with a type of flat bread called injera.

Ingredients

• 3- 3½- pound whole chicken cut in pieces or chicken thighs
• 3 Tablespoons Spiced butter or cooking oil
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2-3 medium onions sliced
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ Tablespoon minced ginger
• ½ Tablespoon paprika
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 4-6 Large soft boiled eggs, shells removed
• 2 Tablespoons Berbere Spice
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil (optional)
• 1-2 Fresh lemons
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Season chicken with, salt, pepper and set aside
2. Heat a large pot over medium heat, and then add spiced butter and onions, sauté onions, stirring frequently, until deep brown in color, about 7 -10 minutes.
3. After the onions are caramelized, add some more oil, followed by berbere spice, garlic, and ginger.
4. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning.
5. Add 2-3 cups water .Add chicken, tomato paste, basil, salt and cook for about 30 minutes.
6. Add in shelled eggs and mix.
7. Let cook for 10 minutes until chicken is tender.
8. Adjust sauce thickness and seasoning with water or broth. Salt according to preference.
9. Serve warm

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Vindaloo
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Pork Vindaloo by Jeremy Keith

Meat marinated in wine and garlic! What more do you need? Oh, yes: spice. And lots of it. Known for its kick to the taste buds, this traditional Indian dish utilizes both curry and dried red chili peppers for that extra zing on the palate. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 5-10 dried red kashmiri chillies (or 3–6 hotter dried red chillies), halved, seeds removed.
• 6 black peppercorns
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 2 cm cinnamon stick
• 13g ginger, peeled weight, roughly chopped
• 7 large garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar, or to taste
• 400g pork shoulder with some fat, in 2.5 cm cubes
• 50g pork belly, cut into in 2.5 cm pieces
• Salt, to taste
• 4 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• Sugar, to taste

Instructions

1. Using a spice grinder or food processor, grind the whole spices to a fine powder.
2. Make a paste of the ginger, garlic and vinegar. Add this to the pork along with the spices and salt, cover and marinate in fridge for at least 2 hours.
3. Heat 4 tbsp of the oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the onion and fry until golden brown. Add the pork and marinade and brown over moderate heat for six to seven minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 40–50 minutes, or until pork is tender. Add water if necessary.
4. Adjust seasonings to taste.

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Phaal Curry
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Phaal Challenge! By Joey

Renowned as the hottest dish on Indian restaurant menus, Phaal often uses hotter peppers like habanero or scotch bonnet peppers instead of red chilies.

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs chicken, chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ounce fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons ghee or 3 tablespoons oil
• 14 ounces canned tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 12 dried or fresh chilies 
  

Spices

• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Instructions

1. Cook the meat in half the ghee or oil, until just done (5 to 10 minutes). Set aside.
2. Fry the onion, garlic and ginger until golden in remaining ghee or oil.
3. Add water to spice mixture to make a paste.
4. Add paste to onion mixture and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the canned tomatoes, ketchup, tomato paste, and chilies, and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Combine the meat and all ingredients in a casserole dish and cook in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.

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Suicide Chicken Wings
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Road_trip-2526.jpg by Yuri Long

Everyone's favorite: buffalo wings enhanced with heat! Take some finger lickin' chicken and throw in some chilies, cayenne, other peppers, and a mountain of Frank's Red Hot Sauce, and you'll definitely be reaching for the cooling touch of ranch to dip these little devils in.

​Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 cups Frank's red hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes (or powder)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
• 5 ounces barbecue sauce 
• 5 ounces honey garlic barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 5 lbs chicken wings (tips removed & split in half.)

Instructions

1. Mix all sauce ingredients in saucepan and heat to melt butter.
2. Deep fry wings in small batches and mix with sauce.

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Sichuan Hot Pot
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Sichuan Hot Pot by Andrew and Annemarie

A Pot of simmering soup stock is set in the center of the table with slices of raw meats and vegetables placed around it, the dining party cooks the meats and vegetables in the center pot and then dips them in a sauce all while sitting around the table and enjoying the company.​

Ingredients
Aged Spicy Paste:

• 3 tbsp sichuan spicy bean paste
• 5 dried chilies, soaked until soft.
• 1 tbsp chinese black bean
• 4 ginger roots, sliced 
  
• 4 garlic cloves
• ½ cup cooking wine
• 1 tbsp rock sugar

Dry Spices:

• 3 star anise
  
• 1 tbsp sichuan peppercorn 
  
• 1 black cardamom 
  
• 4 green cardamom 
  
• 2 sand ginger 
  
• 1 cinnamon stick 
  
• 3 slices licorice 
  
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

The stock:

• 2 lbs beef, pork, or chicken bones.
• 3 slices ginger
• 2 scallions
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 gallon water

​Instructions

1. Make the base stock by combining beef or pork bones or chicken skeleton with water, ginger, scallion, bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 hours.
2. To make the aged-spicy paste: chop the Sichuan Spicy Bean Paste, soaked dry chili, ginger, garlic, and black bean. Combine 4 tbsp of oil and all the chopped ingredients, cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Add the rest of the dry spices and cooking wine and sugar to the paste. Continue to cook on low heat for another 30 minutes then turn off the heat.
3. Before serving the hot pot, combine the aged-spicy paste with base stock and bring to a boil. Add additional ginger, dried chili, and salt to taste.
   
4. The recipe is for half of a 12 inch special pot. Adjust the amount accordingly.

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Neua Pad Prik
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Neua Pad Prik by Wikimedia Commons

This Thai Pepper Steak is just what it sounds like: steak cooked in chili peppers and other herbs and served up on a plate with crunchy vegetables, delivering an explosion of flavor and heat.

Ingredients

• One pound beef fillet or tenderloin,  sliced into thin strips
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp Fish sauce
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce (optional)
• 2 tsp brown or palm sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2-3 Thai or jalapeño chiles, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix beef, garlic, salt, and pepper and set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
2. Mix together the fish sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl to form a sauce. Add a little water if needed and set aside.
3. Heat the oil over high flame in a wok or deep skillet. Add the chilies and red pepper and stir fry for about 30 seconds.
4. Add the beef and marinade and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes, or until the beef is just cooked through.
5. Reduce heat to low, add the sauce ingredients and toss to coat the beef. Remove from heat and serve hot with jasmine rice.

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Shrimp Creole
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Shrimp Creole Almost Complete by mrwynd

Shrimp is simmered in spicy sauce and then poured over a plate of rice. Creole takes on creative license by the one cooking it, with the heat produced by cayenne or other hot peppers.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Dash hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Hot cooked rice, optional

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, saute the onion, celery and green pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, chili powder and pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until thickened.
2. Add shrimp; cook 4-5 minutes longer or until all shrimp turn pink. Serve with rice if desired.

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Otak-Otak

P8011816 by CCFoodTravel.com

An Indonesian word meaning "brains," Otak is called such because of its color and texture that resemble brains. A mixture of ground fish and tapioca starch, the patties can include a number of hot spices and are then wrapped in a leaf for serving.

​Ingredients

• 650 g  Spanish mackerel
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• For coconut custard:
• 1.5 cans Coconut Cream
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 8 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tsps Rice flour

Spice paste:

• 4  candlenuts
• 20 dried chilies
• 3 tsp powdered Galangal
• 3/4 tsp powdered Turmeric
• 2 tbsp Shallot flakes
• 1 stalk Lemon grass
• 3 tbsp shrimp paste
• 10 shallots
• 1 tbsp coriander powder

Instructions

1. Fillet fish and grind the meat finely in a food processor and transfer into a large bowl.
2. Wash and soak candlenuts with dried chilies in warm water for about 30 mins. Drain.
3. Trim lemon grass. Cut all the spices into pieces
4. Grind all the ingredients for the spice paste and keep aside.
5. Next, blend together all the ingredients for the coconut custard.
6. Add in the spice paste and mix well.
7. Heat wok, add oil, and add the spicy custard.
8. Cook for 5 mins till the oil separates.
9. Meanwhile, remove the vein of the kaffir lime leaves, and slice very finely.
10. Add in the minced fish and the kaffir lime leaves.
11. Grease an 8-inch cake tin and pour in the fish mixture.
12. Smooth the top with the back of a greased spoon
13. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 300-350 degrees F for 20-25 mins.
14. Serve either hot or cold with plain white rice.

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