Chillies, black pepper, sriracha, Cayenne, chilli crisp: that’s what we need for this collection of spicy recipes! And it’s not just for people who squirt hot sauce over their plates without tasting the food first, or those who take part in chilli contests. Those who like a gentle spice, mild heat, a tingle and sting will be happy trying out the dishes below.
Why do we like spicy food? Similarly to why we like horror movies: it’s the harmless pain experience. Plus, when reacting to capsaicin, the chemical responsible for the heat in chillies, our brains release ‘the pleasure hormones’, endorphins, to alleviate the potential pain. It’s also known as ‘a chilli high’, undoubtedly less harmful that other types of high.
So take a look at the hot collection and remember, you can always add more heat to your dish but you can’t take it away!
Gochujang is Korean fermented chilli paste, medium to hot depending how much you add to your dishes. Here it makes wonderful, spicy and sweet sauce for a chicken stir fry. Gochujang is your next go-to store cupboard ingredient, and this stir fry will become a firm fixture in your menu.
Gochujang chicken stir-fry
RECIPE
Usually marked with 2 to 3 chillies in Thai restaurants, stir-fried pork with chilli and basil, pad ka-prao moo, is spicy and fragrant. This classic Thai street food is unbelievably easy to make at home. It will be delicious even if you don’t find holy basil this dish is named after.
Next up, hot and sweet: the condiment. Hot honey, drizzled over pizzas, cottage cheese and roast chicken everywhere, is very easy to make very well and even easier to make on the quick, with a shortcut.
Mild vegetables are good at absorbing spice as demonstrated by hot and spicy fried aubergine flavoured with Cayenne pepper. Aubergine slices are dusted with flour to stop it guzzling too much oil whilst frying.
These prawns are marinated in a powerful, not as much hot as fragrant mix by Ottolenghi. Butterflied prawns are the halfway house between shelled and shell-on prawns: flavour intact within the shell but easy to handle. Grill them, fry them or barbecue them as long as you’re quick – they only need a minute in the pan.
Spicy chicken wings are gorgeous, marinated overnight in buttermilk and hot sauce, with extra spicy oil brushed on before cooking. Oven, grill or barbecue – they will be excellent every time!
Horseradish gives food a cooler, milder heat but it’s so tasty! Here on beetroot, grated and cooked with butter and good vinegar, it helps make an excellent side dish to mackerel, salmon or pork. Once the beetroot is grated, it takes only ten minutes to cook.
Asparagus doesn’t always have to appear with egg and hollandaise: it can take the heat! Spicy stir fried asparagus is cooked in a wok with chillies, ginger and garlic, and makes a great starter or a side dish bursting with Asian flavours.
Let’s not forget curry: it works wonderfully well as seasoning for fish. Spiced monkfish tail chunks in lightly curried sauce are a dish ready in 5 minutes. Don't forget to sprinkle monkfish chunks with salt for at least half an hour, to draw moisture out.
Ancho are milder, fruity and earthy-flavoured chilli peppers, ideal for chilli dishes. Here they combine with whole lemon quarters to make a creamy sauce for chicken breast strips. Best served over pasta or plain rice.
Cheaper cuts of beef like skirt or bavette are great rubbed with spice before cooking. Here seared bavette steak has been seasoned with a dry rub of chilli flakes, oregano, garlic and a secret umami agent: dried mushroom powder.
Spicy seared bavette steak
RECIPE