Spice Life: Hooked on Hot Food

Wings of Flame

Teen-temperature wind shot through my wool coat like an icicle to the sternum.  I’d been drinking already with my friends in the SUNY dorm.  Friday night, I was starving and ready to party.  Tonight’s festivities would include an order of Hot Wings at Hurley’s Bar in Albany, New York.

Tonight I would try the ‘Five-Alarm Wings’ at Hurley’s.  The bar, which for all I know still squats on a divey corner of Albany, specialized in wings and beer.  We went there to get shitfaced in every sense, and for wings.  They were a beacon of hot, salty, meaty goodness blazing through my beer goggles.

An Italian restaurant in Upstate New York, my home terra invented hot wings, a.k.a. ‘Buffalo Wings,’ in 1964.  Buffalo Wings include the wings and drummettes of wee chickens, deep-fried without batter and coated in a vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter.  They should come with a side of celery (and sometimes carrot) sticks for dipping in blue cheese dressing, to cut the heat.

Some wings are hotter than others, and that frigid Albany night the Five-Alarm Wings arrived at our small table.  The rock was loud, cigarette smoke circulated (this was long before the indoor smoking ban).  I bit into the most painful thing I’d ever tasted, and the wing bit back.  My friends howled as tears spouted from my 19-year old eyes, my nose ran like a faucet, and I couldn’t taste the chicken, only fire.  I kept chewing, mouth aflame, tasting capsaicin — and was hooked.

Hooked on Heat

Wings in college launched a long flight into hot food heaven, though I had already learned to shake pepper flakes onto spaghetti from my father.  I began to crave the heat in my head, sweating mildly, numb gums.  My palate had evolved to expect the flavor of hot pepper.

I discovered the star system in Asian restaurants:  one to five stars, with five the hottest.  For years I stuck with three stars, a safe bland choice.  Over time I wanted to taste the heat alongside other flavors in my dish.  Today it’s not uncommon for me to order five stars, because I acclimated to the pepper warmth.  Eating food without hot pepper I miss it, I almost can’t taste the food if it’s not spicy.

Any type of cuisine tastes better with spice: Italian, Asian, and of course Indian which is famous for hot foods.  Some people hold their tummy and complain that they only eat bland food.  What can I say:  sorry, I’ll have yours if it’s too spicy for you.   Spicy foods are aphrodisiacs, raising the heart rate and triggering the release of endorphins.  I feel that spicy eaters make better lovers.

Heat at Home

Not content with restaurant food to get my hot fix, I cooked with spicy curry and cayenne.  I keep three types of hot pepper condiments on my dining table. From Asian restaurants I took the clue about Sriracha (Rooster Sauce).  This chile-garlic sauce is delicious and adapts to any type of food, from stir-fry to fried eggs.  Beware the scorched tongue, use in small doses for piquant flavor.  Also an ingredient in recipes like peanut sauce.

Tapatio is my favorite spicy Mexican sauce.  I tried other brands like Frank’s Red Hot which was number one for awhile.  I settled on Tapatio because Mexican restaurants always have it on tables, how could they be wrong?  After trying it I agreed, Tapatio is the best, and less than $2 a bottle.  I keep it on hand for quesadillas, huevos rancheros, fajitas.  Tapatio is tasty and a solid choice for home heat gourmands.

I saved the best for last, because my all-time favorite hot sauce is not a sauce, it’s hot oil.  Available in Asian food markets, hot oil makes foods shine where you wouldn’t think to add heat – unless you’re a spice addict.  Baked potato for instance, a slick of hot oil on top makes that baker sing!  I like hot oil on noodles of all kinds, Asian and regular pasta with cheese.

My top brand of hot oil now is Heavenly Chef.  This hot oil is only $2 a bottle, and has a real chili inside.  The roasted flavor is unique, and more complex than other brands.  Try hot oil on any food, leftover chicken, risotto and see if it doesn’t perk up delightfully.

Hot oil, Tapatio, Rooster sauce rock my world.  A thermal topping is never more than an arm’s length from my plate — to ignite the gustatory blaze within.

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