Chile

For a salsa that won’t send smoke shooting from your ears, be thorough about removing the seeds from the chiles—and even scraping out the ribs, the hottest part.

If you’ve never made posole, this is a good starter recipe. There are no hard-to-get cuts (like the pig’s head called for in many traditional versions), and most of the process is hands-off.

Green mangoes would be ideal, but slightly unripe mangoes are an imperfect but successful substitute.

Toss sweet melon and crisp cukes in a bright coriander-cardamom dressing for a refreshing and delicious summer salad.

Looking for a throw-together app that seems way fancier than it is? Look no further than this gussied-up goat cheese situation.

Serve with anything and everything—it will get better, spicier, and more Vietnamese-approved over time.

The longer you can let this chicken rest in the marinade (up to 24 hours), the better the warm, aromatic, fiery spices will penetrate the meat.

This spicy, tangy, rich seafood dish may have several elements, but once they all come together it's absolute magic.

It's not just a marinade—this classic mojo sauce can also be spooned over chicken or fish for a piquant finishing touch, and deployed as a flavorful stir-in for rice.

File under: Breakfast for dinner.

Most people have heard of a torta—one of the traditional sandwiches of Mexico—but the cemita is its own unique breed of Mexican sandwich.

Despite being pickled, these chiles have a fresh crunch and bright, garlicky flavor. If you cook them, they lose that; add them to finished dishes, particularly pizzas.

This Mexican-inspired meal offers all the goodness of cheesy chicken enchiladas with half the effort.

The aioli will appear quite tight when all the oil is incorporated, but it will loosen to a pourable consistency once the buttermilk and shallot are added.

Our fried chicken thighs begin with a brown-sugar brine, make a pit stop in buttermilk marinade, and end their journey garnished with honey and sea salt.

This spicy vegetarian pasta is packed with heat from chipotle chile powder and fresh jalapeños. Pinto beans and canned tomatoes round out the dish and make it extremely easy to put together.

Unlike the usual table salsa, salsa de morita is more like a paste to be used as a spread for cemitas and other sandwiches. The combination of dark, medium-heat chiles and piloncillo gives this salsa a flavor reminiscent of a spicy-sweet barbecue sauce.

This quick and spicy riff on General Tso’s chicken relies on ingredients you probably already have in the pantry.