Chile peppers offer more than just the heat behind hot sauce—they're also a key ingredient in so many of our favorite recipes, from, well, chili to mapo tofu.
Overhead view of sambal stingray
Sambal Stingray (Malaysian-Portuguese Baked Fish)
Overhead view of sambal belcan
Sambal Belacan (Malaysian Chile Paste)
Overhead view of salsa negra in a molcajete with tostadas and ceviche
Salsa Negra (Sinaloan Salsa for Seafood)
Prik Gaeng Pak Dtai (Southern Thai Curry Paste) with ingredients scattered around
Prik Gaeng Pak Dtai (Southern Thai Curry Paste)
20150424-chipotle-peppers-adobo-vicky-wasik.jpg
Everything You Can Do With a Can of Chipotles in Adobo
20090930colorfulchiles.jpg
Serious Heat: A Guide to Chile Substitutions
20120521-207265-mango-barbecue-sauce.jpg
Mango Habanero Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Overhead view of menudo rojo in a bowl in a plate
Menudo Rojo (Mexican Red-Chile Tripe Soup)
20160329-schug-yemenite-hot-sauce-falafel-recipe-11.jpg
Zhug (Yemenite Hot Sauce With Cilantro and Parsley) Recipe
20130305-243330-sambal-oelek.jpg
Sambal Oelek Recipe
A small bowl of chile morita salsa next to some dried morita chiles.
Chile Morita Salsa
Guajillo chilies
What to Do With Dried Chiles: Recipes, Cooking Techniques, and Shopping Tips
A bowl of habanero hot sauce.
Habanero Hot Sauce
Sliced, grilled medium-rare carne asada fanned out on a wooden cutting board with corn tortillas, limes, and cilantro in the background.
The Best Carne Asada
A spoonful of chile-lime-cilantro sauce being drizzled over a piece of fried chicken on a plate.
Thai-style Chili, Lime, and Cilantro Dipping Sauce Recipe
20160507-habanero-salsa-yucatan-09.jpg
Extra-Hot Yucatán-Style Roasted-Habanero Salsa (Chile Tamulado) Recipe
20150125-pressure-cooker-chile-con-carne-recipe-12.jpg
1-Hour Pressure Cooker Texas-Style Chili con Carne Recipe
20180112-lamb-shoulder-vicky-wasik-16
Braised Lamb Shoulder With Dried Chilies and Dates Recipe
20160522-kuut-bi-iik-yucatan-hot-salsa-2.jpg
Yucatán-Style Hot Dried-Chili Salsa (K'uut Bi Ik) Recipe
Overhead view of a bowl of vegan sweet potato and 2-bean chili with hominy.
Vegan Sweet Potato and 2-Bean Chili With Hominy Recipe
Closeup of Charred Asparagus Tacos With Creamy Adobo and Pickled Red Onions, served with lime wedges.
Charred Asparagus Tacos With Creamy Adobo and Pickled Red Onions
20140503-stuffed-rolled-flank-steak-pesto-chile-pepper-jack-recipe-food-lab-5.jpg
Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak With Roasted Chilies and Pepper Jack Cheese Recipe
20150125-pressure-cooker-chile-con-carne-recipe-02.jpg
Basic Chili Paste to Replace Chili Powder Recipe
A bowl of fresh chile harissa with a spoon on the side
Fresh Chile Harissa
Hot chile chutney, served on slices of baguette. Two hot red chiles are nestled between the slices.
Hot Chile Chutney Recipe
20120119-coconut-lentil-soup-6.jpg
Vegan: Lentil and Coconut Soup with Cilantro-Habanero Gremolata Recipe
20111103-177533-chipotles-en-adobo.jpg
Spice Hunting: Chipotle
20130415-stuffed-chilies-recipe12.jpg
Stuffed Roasted Poblano Peppers With Cashew-Chipotle Sauce Recipe
20201002-nam-prik-ong-derek-lucci
Nam Prik Ong (Thai Pork-and-Tomato Chile Dip) Recipe
jar of pickled chiles
James Peterson's Pickled Chiles
Yellow Mole with Masa Dumplings (Mole Amarillito con Chochoyotes) from 'Pati's Mexican Table'
20120105-Mutton-Curry.jpg
Mangalorean Mutton Gravy Recipe
20110218-pueblo-slopper-chili.jpg
Pueblo Green Chili Recipe
20130502-salsa-grilled-bloody-mary.jpg
Grilled Bloody Mary Salsa Recipe
20130502-salsa-tomatillo-yellow-pepper.jpg
Charred Tomatillo and Yellow Pepper Salsa Recipe
20111103-177535-chipotle-chile-beans.jpg
Chipotle and Chorizo Red Beans Recipe
20140623-cook-the-book-ceviche-don-ceviche-paul-winch-furness.jpg
Chili Paste From 'Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen'
20140707-small-house-thai-cooking-school-tam-ma-khua-6.jpg
Nam Phrig Noom (Northern Thai Pounded Roasted Chili Dip) Recipe
20210128-fermented-hot-sauce-charred-fresno-tamari-vicky-wasikc
Fermented Hot Sauce With Fresno Chiles, Garlic, and Tamari Recipe
Closeup of a bowl of turkey tortilla soup, garnished with crumbled tortilla chips, cilantro, and avocado.
Turkey Tortilla Soup Recipe
Spice Hunting: Drying Chiles at Home
20120320-jim-lahey-no-knead-pizza-primary.jpeg
Jim Lahey's No Knead Pizza with Broccoli Rabe, Garlic, Ginger, and Thai Chiles Recipe
Everyday Thai Cooking cookbook cover
Roasted Red Chili Paste (Nam Prik Pao) From 'Everyday Thai Cooking'
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad with Aji Panca Vinaigrette Recipe
Spice Hunting: On Blending Chiles and Herbs, and the Spice of the Janissaries
20120115-guacamole-variations-20.jpg
Chipotle-Orange Guacamole With Toasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
20110721-161900-chicken-tomatillo-chile-sauce-primary.jpg
Chicken with Tomatillo and Red Chile Sauce Recipe
Chicken-Green Bean Yellow Chili Stir-Fry Recipe
20110303-140634-garlic-chili-oil.jpg
Garlic Chili Oil Recipe | Sauced
20120205-191422-thai-sriracha.jpg
Fresh Thai Sriracha Recipe
20131215-bison-council-tenderloin-ancho-rub-roast-herb-salsa-10.jpg
Ancho-Rubbed Bison Tenderloin With Spicy Cilantro Sauce Recipe
20110401-seriously-asian-velveting-fried.jpg
Sichuan Chicken with Peppercorns and Chile Recipe
20100615-chilepepper.jpg
How to Handle Fresh Bhut Jolokia, the World's Hottest Chile Pepper
Devils on Horseback Recipe
20101010cookie.jpg
Double Chocolate Icebox Cookies with Aji and Chipotle Recipe
20140707-small-house-thai-cooking-school-tam-ma-khua-6.jpg
Recipes From Chiang Mai: Nam Phrig Noom (Pounded Roasted Chili Dip)
20140503-stuffed-rolled-flank-steak-pesto-chile-pepper-jack-recipe-food-lab-5.jpg
Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak With Roasted Chilies and Pepper Jack Cheese
20130821-263817-chipotle-orange-bbq-sauce.jpg
Quick Chipotle-Orange Barbecue Sauce Recipe