Thai red curry scallops (Chuu-Chii) with homemade curry paste, coconut cream, kaffir lime leaves, and fish sauce. Includes a from-scratch paste recipe using galangal, lemongrass, and shrimp paste.
Pork chops Abazia braised in white wine with fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers, shallots, and rosemary. An Italian-style skillet dinner with a rich pepper sauce.
Phanang Curry Paste (Nam Prik Kaeng Phanang) recipe
Angelo's Milanese: thin breaded steak pan-fried golden, then simmered in a garlicky tomato sauce with dried chili, lemon peel, and rosemary. Italian-American comfort dinner.
Pasta arrabbiata with dried red chilies, six cloves of garlic, and tomato passata in olive oil. A spicy, stripped-down Italian classic with just seven ingredients.
Thai red or green curry paste: a homemade aromatic blend of chilies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, shrimp paste, ginger, and coriander. The from-scratch base for authentic Thai curries.
Jalapenos en escabeche pickled with cauliflower, carrots, pearl onions, and garlic in white wine vinegar brine. The Mexican taqueria classic for tacos, tortas, and beyond.
Tom Kha Gai - Thai coconut chicken soup with lemongrass, galangal, and dried red chiles. A creamy, aromatic broth simmered from scratch and served with white rice.
Spicy tamale pie with simmered beef chuck and pork shoulder, dried chile gravy, raisins, and olives under a cornmeal masa-style crust. Tex-Mex history on a plate.
An authentic basic salsa using dried chiles for use as a sauce for egg, Chilaquiles or Enchiladas. It also makes a nice spicy dip for tortilla chips.
Pressure cooker rogan josh simmers tender mutton in a rich, nutty gravy of freshly roasted and ground coconut, almonds, and whole spices, with yogurt stirred in gradually. An aromatic Indian curry made fast in the pressure cooker.
Prawns in spice-laden coconut sauce: a South Indian-style prawn curry in a rich coconut sauce built from a freshly ground chile-and-spice paste, cooked until the oil separates. Fragrant, creamy, and warming.
Vangi bath: South Indian rice dish with eggplant, toasted coconut, and a fresh-ground spice blend of coriander, urad dal, dried chiles, cinnamon, and hing. Vegetarian one-pot from Karnataka.
BBQ spareribs marinated overnight in a New Mexican dried chile and tequila sauce with cumin, allspice, and brown sugar. Boiled first, then grilled for smoky, spicy bark.
Mexican almond red sauce with ground toasted almonds, tomato, onion, garlic, paprika, and dried chiles. A quick 15-minute sauce that uses almonds as a thickener for rich, nutty heat.
General Tso's chicken with orange zest, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried red chiles in a dark soy and rice wine stir-fry. A lighter, more authentic take without deep-frying or heavy batter.