Blender

Menudo is typically served on weekends (whether that means family reunions, dressed in your Sunday best—or as an ideal hangover cure). The earthiness of the hominy and smoky chiles makes this dish one you’ll crave for weekends to come. Dried snow mushrooms are easy to find online and at many East Asian grocery stores. Their frilly, honeycomb-like texture provides a similar look and bite to the pancita—a.k.a. beef stomach—used in traditional menudo, making this dish accessible to almost anyone. W.…

Enchiladas are my comfort food: warm corn tortillas bathed in a slightly sweet, spicy, and bright sauce of chiles and tomato, wrapped around either a quick sauté of whatever veggies I have hanging out in the fridge or the creamy potato mash used here.

Inspired by chili crab, an aromatic and spicy Singaporean braise, this crab dip gets a little sweetness from tomato paste and dynamic flavor from shallots, garlic, and ginger. 

To add earthy heat to your cooking, roast dried Thai chiles in the oven before grinding them to a powder.

Spicy, tangy, oh-so-melty-and-ooey-gooey—these chana masala fries hit on all levels. This particular spin on chana masala leans toward vegetarian chili, with a heavy dose of tomatoes and a kick from both Kashmiri chili powder and a couple serrano chiles. Some of the chickpeas are mashed part way through cooking to achieve a thick, spoonable texture akin to Cincinnati-style chili (read: not chunky or watery). Quick tip: If you’re strapped for time, feel free to use store-bought sweet potato fries)…

Sometimes all you need is just a couple of fresh ingredients thrown into a pan of simply seasoned dal to create a warming and comforting dish. The spinach along with a little yogurt makes this soothing yet deeply delicious.

The simple spices used in the sauce lend this chicken korma a lovely warmth while cashews, poppy seeds, and onions bring creaminess.

Fish fragrant sauce doesn’t actually have any fish in it, but the sweet, sour, and spicy elements in the sauce are traditionally used to cook Sichuan fish dishes, and it gives this dish its name.

These yogurt-marinated kebabs are infused with flavor from ginger, garlic, and spices. Pick all your fixings and tuck into the perfect bite.

For an easy, low-cook dinner, toss canned chickpeas with potatoes, cilantro-mint chutney, tamarind chutney, and yogurt, then top with chiles, onions, tomatoes, and chaat masala.

Where a margarita is usually sweetened with orange liqueur, the Rosalita uses bittersweet amaro. This version is chilled in your freezer before it heads to the blender with a big scoop of ice.

This version of the classic vodka cocktail skips the ginger beer and heads to the blender for a spicy, frozen, highly slurpable drink that’s even more refreshing. 

The base for this make-ahead frozen cocktail goes in the freezer two to five hours before serving, so it doesn’t require much ice to stay chilly, even on a hot day. If your blender is less than turbo-powered, starting with crushed ice can make blending easier (if you don’t have a fridge dispenser, place ice in a sealed bag, wrap in a kitchen towel, and break up with a meat mallet or rolling pin). Be sure your simple syrup is at room temperature or chilled before you begin. Caffo Amaretto is as a.…

For this grilled tofu recipe, allspice, thyme, garlic, brown sugar, and Scotch bonnet peppers join together in an aromatic marinade that’s spicy and warm.

These extra-thick cousins of the tortilla are toasted on a comal or griddle and split open before they’re stuffed with a wide array of flavorful fillings.

Sharp and sweet, rhubarb and beets were made for one another, and this soup is a fitting celebration of their union.

This smoky chipotle and tomatillo salsa is an excellent dipping sauce for crudités or tortilla chips, or you can spoon it on top of tamales. You can use more chiles for a spicier sauce.

The Thai-inspired dressing—tart and spicy and salty—plays up the sweetness of watermelon and berries while keeping the fruit salad firmly in savory territory.