Craving: Spicy food — our heat-seeking mission in Chicago restaurants

We eat spicy food to warm us up in cold weather, to make us sweat and cool us down in the heat of summer. We add chiles to foods to perk them up. We pour on the horseradish, wasabi, mustard and ginger for flavor and that sinus-clearing sear. Many a culture has it that these heat-carrying elements have healing properties, too. Regardless, we love them all. That’s why, for the month of February, our “Craving” series celebrates spicy foods in Chicago restaurants — from a blistering hot chicken sandwich that laughs at Nashville hot chicken to a lava red Korean tofu stew with five spice levels. Follow along as we update every weekday with more spicy dishes you’ll want to try. — Joe Gray

Hatch green chile Impossible Burger at M Burger

Green-chile sauce, made from Hatch green chiles, is a universal condiment in New Mexico, but you don’t see it much in Chicago. But for a short time, M Burger (four locations in the city and Aurora) is featuring a Hatch green chile Impossible Burger ($10.99). A variation of its wildly successful plant-based Impossible Burger, this version tops the meatlike patty (you’d swear it was the real thing) with Hatch green-chile sauce, white cheddar cheese and Sriracha mayo on a soft bun. The burger is spicy enough to satisfy, but not so tonsil-torching that you’re still tasting it two hours later. mburgerchicago.com -- Phil Vettel

Gaeng keow waan at Green Leaf Thai

The gaeng keow waan at Green Leaf Thai is simple but striking. Thai eggplant and green beans are simmered in coconut milk to create an herbaceous green curry. Diners can choose their spice level here, from mild to extra hot, as well as their protein. I opted for chicken, which was cooked well and sliced thinly. Its mild savory notes helped to balance the bright greens, but moreso the coconut milk. Along with heat, the stark nuttiness was the most prominent flavor. $10.59. 4658 N. Western Ave., 773-989-8517, greenleafchicago.com

— Adam Lukach

Paloma Oaxaquena at Topolobampo

Topolobampo has a sweet deal going through March 19: The four-course Topolo Sunshine menu, just $75 (the Topolo Classic menu, by contrast, is $100), which consists of the famed sopa Azteca, crispy-skin salmon in a pistachio pipian, aged rib-eye and short rib in black mole and the crepas con cajeta dessert. It’s available Tuesdays-Thursdays, and you must reserve (via Resy, or phone) by selecting a Topolo Sunshine-designated table. None of the dishes in the set menu is particularly spicy, so treat yourself (you’re saving money, after all) to a Paloma Oaxaquena, a sweet-spicy riff on a classic Paloma, made with Wahaka mezcal infused with guero chile. 445 N. Clark St., 312-661-1434; rickbayless.com

— Phil Vettel

Bhuna chicken at Essence of India

Heat has a home at Lincoln Square’s Essence of India. On the menu, the naturally spicy dishes are marked as such — charmingly noted as “Spicy!” — but guests can make any dish hot and heavy, if they choose. Of course, some dishes will blow your sinuses right out your nostrils, so if you’re wary, the Bhuna chicken dish offers heat in the space between: hot for novices, but nothing doing for regulars. A hint of ginger somewhat mitigates the chile masala sauce, and the chicken is so tender that you could cut it with a spoon. A bed of fried onions on top gives the hot sauce a perfect complement, whether you like hot or not. $13. 4601 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-506-0002

— Adam Lukach

Cup Winner pizza at Paulie Gee’s

At Paulie Gee’s in Logan Square, everyone’s a winner. The staff? Full of winners — metaphorically speaking, of course — who do great work. You’re a winner, too, for treating yourself to the city’s preeminent Detroit-style pizza. And, of course, the pizzas are winners too, speaking both metaphorically and literally. The pizzeria’s banner bite is the 2018 U.S. Pizza Cup Winner, a classic Detroit-style pie, cut into large squares with a tall, buttery, crispy (and 100-percent gluten-free) crust. A dollop of not-hot red sauce tops the cheese, along with sausage, pepperoni, ricotta, basil and Mike’s Hot Honey. The lattermost ingredient adds a sweet, contrasting kick, one that’s also a little spicy — literally speaking this time. $19. 2451 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-360-1072, pauliegee.com

— Adam Lukach

Heart-breaking rice jelly at Chengdu Impression

Although the menu lists this dish as “heart-breaking rice jelly,” I’d like to re-translate it from the original Chinese characters to “brokenhearted cold noodles.” The story behind this regional Szechuan dish is that it’s meant to be eaten while brokenhearted, because the spice will help you forget your troubles. But you don’t need to be sad to enjoy it. Semi-opaque rice jelly noodles are the slippery smooth star, sitting in a savory, sweet and sour sauce. No punches are pulled when it comes to spicing up the dish — in addition to a freshly mashed chile paste, there are pickled and fresh jalapenos. On top, fried roasted peanuts add a nutty flavor and crunchy texture, and fresh scallions add a touch of brightness. $7.95. 2545 N. Halsted St., 773-477-6256, chengduimpression.com

— Grace Wong

Ceviche at Latinicity

Few places feel farther from the coast of Peru than a third floor food court in the middle of the Loop. That is until you wend your way through Latinicity, the Latin American inspired food hall opened in 2015 by Mexican American chef and restaurateur Richard Sandoval. Order the mahi mahi ceviche Carribbean style from the Sushi & Ceviche Bar stall then find a seat by the windows. Scoop through hot green slices of serrano pepper, firm white chunks of mahi mahi fish and soft coral bits of sweet potato. Spicy passion fruit aji salsa spikes the tart and tingly seafood dish. The warm glow from the peppery heat, and the sun streaming through floor to ceiling windows, will take you to a tropical beach in any weather. $12. Block 37, 108 N. State St., 3rd floor, 312-795-4444, latinicity.com

— Louisa Chu

Mayan mocha at Caravanserai

Dark Matter Coffee, the West Town-based roaster, has joined forces with an artisan chocolate maker from Mexico City to create Caravanserai, its eighth coffee shop. Opened in January on an Avondale corner across from the original Kuma’s Corner, Caravanserai features the coffees upon which Dark Matter built its loyal following, of course, but also drinking chocolates made with La Rifa Chocolateria cacao beans. The two come together beautifully in the mochas, especially the Mayan, a blend of La Rifa chocolates, cinnamon and cayenne. Served in Dark Matter’s signature deep ruby-red, pressed-glass goblets, it is creamy, with just the right foam level and the chocolate in balance with a gentle but lingering chile heat. It’s great with a chocolate tamale, made for the shop by Estrella Negra, a Bucktown Mexican restaurant. $5 for 12 ounces. The mochas are available in multiple sizes, and also iced. 2901 W. Belmont Ave., 773-293-6425, darkmattercoffee.com

— Joe Gray

Charred chiles at Vermilion

One of the hallmarks of Vermilion, a contemporary-Indian restaurant now in its 16th year, has been its penchant for fusing Indian and Mexican flavors into certain dishes. Case in point: the charred chiles appetizer ($10), a play on chiles en nogada. A poblano pepper is stuffed with chorizo and potato, then smothered in a mole made with Mexican and Indian seasonings. The dish is spicy, but gently so, building gradually to a warm heat without getting in the way of the sauce’s sweet and sour complexity. A few jicama matchsticks add crunch. 10 W. Hubbard St., 312-527-4060; thevermilionrestaurant.com — Phil Vettel

Mangonada at La Michoacana

Hot and spicy meets cold and fruity in the summertime staple that’s mangonada. When park stands and street vendors hibernate, though, you can go to La Michoacana, the group of independently owned ice cream parlors with thousands of locations across this country and Mexico. I like my local shop in the Hermosa neighborhood. Order your ice cream flavor, from strawberry, lemon, pineapple, cucumber, soursop or tamarind, to a mango and chamoy twist. Your cup starts with the spicy, sweet and sour chamoy sauce, then soft scoops, finished with fresh mango, chile powder and an optional tamarind candy-coated straw, which I highly recommend to sip the creamy melting magma. No matter the season, it’s summer in a cup. $4.99 for medium, $1 for tamarind straw. 4345 W. Armitage Ave., 872-829-3615.

— Louisa Chu

Toluca scramble at Alexander’s Breakfast & Lunch

Lunch and dinner are no strangers to spice, but a little zippy heat tends to be underapprciated at breakfast. Yes, a dash of hot sauce on eggs is no big thing. But actually cooking with spice and integrating it into the greater breakfast whole? Woefully underappreciated. Alexander’s Breakfast & Lunch, a modern diner in Skokie, has a stong Mexican bent to the menu, which means the chile peppers are in full effect, and they’re on display nowhere better than the Toluca scramble. It’s a glorious amalgamation of chorizo, onion, tomato, cheddar and the alll important chopped jalepenos, which imbue a low grade heat through every bite. With avocado alongside and drizzled with chipotle sauce and sour cream, it’s not a breakfast for spice-phobes, but one that will please those looking for a little zest first thing in the morning. $12.25. 5025 Oakton St., Skokie, 224-251-7492, facebook.com/Alexanders-breakfast-lunch

— Josh Noel

Custom dry pot at Hunan House

If you’re familiar with hot pot, then it’s time you try dry pot, a dish from Southern China that takes the flavorings you’d find in a spicy brothy hot pot and uses them in a stir-fry. Like a hot pot experience, dry pot is completely customizable. At Hunan House, formerly known as Sizzling Pot King, you choose the size, the flavor and spice level, and a number of vegetables and proteins. I opted for the small pot with beef ($14.99), (which is enough to feed at least two people) with the mala spice at a medium spicy level. Each dry pot order comes with crunchy broccoli, potato, celery and onion, and I added napa cabbage (99 cents), wood ear mushrooms ($1.99) and wide glass noodles ($2.99). The beef was already soy braised and the vegetables were sweet and crunchy in contrast. But the best part of this dish is the soft potato chunks, which not only temper the spice but also play up the sweetness of the sauce. Don’t forget a side of rice ($1.50). 769 W. Jackson Blvd., 312-291-9053

— Grace Wong

Krapow gai at Ghin Khao Eat Rice

While any dish at Ghin Khao Eat Rice can be made spicy, some dishes just aren’t the same without that unmistakable hit of Thai chile. One of them is the krapow gai ($10.95), a spicy, sweet and savory dish meant to be eaten with a side of rice ($3) and a fried egg with a runny yolk ($1.30). The juicy pebbles of ground chicken have a hint of soy and sweetness while the crunchy green beans are a wonderfully textural and colorful moment. Every ingredient — from warming Thai chiles to earthy garlic to boldly fragrant Thai basil — plays an equally important role in this balanced dish. Just don’t hold back on ordering a second helping of rice if your mouth is on fire. 2128 W. Cermak Road, 773-565-4487, ghinkhaochicago.com

— Grace Wong

Sliced conch in chile sauce at Chef Xiong

The sliced conch in chile sauce at Chef Xiong — Taste of Szechuan is proof that spicy food can still have a heat-packed punch even if it’s cool temperature-wise. This cold appetizer features morsels of conch meat spilling out of a shell, each piece orange-tinged from the sauce and freckled with chile pepper flecks. Bright green fronds of cilantro stand out from curled pieces of bouncy, never-rubbery meat that seem to raise the temperature in your mouth with each bite. You’ll notice a creeping numbness that slowly crawls from the back of your throat to your lips, but unlike other mala dishes, this one remains relatively tame, so you can enjoy the juxtaposition of the temperature with the effect of the chiles without reaching for a cooling beverage. $10.95. Chef Xiong — Taste of Szechuan, 312-376-8324, chefxiong.com

— Grace Wong

Masala dosa at Art of Dosa

When Ravi Nagubadi started eating vegetarian in his last year at Northwestern University in 1995, it wasn’t as easy to find delicious plant-based foods as it is now. Especially compared to his mom Aruna’s, a self-trained South Asian chef who made his favorite dish: dosa. Together they created Art of Dosa, doing pop-ups since 2011. Finally last year, Nagubadi opened a permanent stall at Revival Food Hall, the day after Christmas in 2019. There, rice and lentil batter ferments overnight before it’s cooked on an oiled griddle then rolled into a dramatic thin and crispy cylinder. Order it spicy and they’ll shower your dosa with gunpowder spice, blended with chile so there’s warmth, but not explosive heat. Tear the crackly crepe with your hands then dip into the accompanying potato sambar vegetable stew and coconut chutney. By the way, everything on the menu is not only vegan, but gluten- and nut-free too. $11. Revival Food Hall, 125 S. Clark St., 312-899-6238, revivalfoodhall.com/art-of-dosa

— Louisa Chu

Whole fish in Szechuan sauce at MCCB

Served in an ornate palanquinlike tray, the apple wood charcoal grilled whole fish at MCCB seems to require a surgeon’s steadiness to carry for fear of spilling the brimming scarlet sauce. Once it’s safely on the table, you’re hit with a heady aroma of smoky and floral Szechuan peppercorn oil. Bright green leek pieces checker the top and emerald tips of baby bok choy, fronds of bamboo shoots and shiny petals of wood ear mushroom emerge from the depths of the red liquid. You have to dig a little for the fish itself, which is flaky, mild and delicately sweet in comparison with the chile flakes its swimming with. Be prepared to experience the immediate sensation of the mala spice. Before long, your lips will feel like you applied a lip plumper serum, prickling and throbbing, but in a good way. $28. MCCB Chicago, 2138 S. Archer Ave., 312-881-0168, mccbchicago.com

— Grace Wong

Bun bo hue at Cafe Hoang

The Vietnamese soup bun bo hue isn’t afraid to tug your tastebuds in all directions at once. Each sip brings a wave of shrimp paste funk, lemongrass fragrance and deeply meaty depth. Oh, and then comes the heat, which starts off slow, and then gradually overtakes the other sensations. Set the spoon down, and use your chopsticks to plumb the depths of all kinds of meaty delights: sliced beef, pork knuckle, congealed pork blood and sausage. At the very bottom you’ll find noodles just waiting to be slurped. $10.95. 1020 W. Argyle St., 773-878-9943, cafehoang.com

— Nick Kindelsperger

Beer with habaneros at Sketchbook Brewing

Beers made with chile peppers terrify many drinkers, and for good reason: they’re exceedingly difficult to do well. There needs to be enough chile to make an imprint in the base beer, but not so much as to throw the flavors out of balance. Not easy. But Evanston’s Sketchbook Brewing puts on a master class with Barrel-Aged Coconut Habanero Turbulence Imperial Stout. Though the habanero is a fairly spicy pepper, each component of this beer is expertly dialed in: a wave of dark chocolate flavor, shrouded in light boozy oakiness, followed by the long, slow unfolding of the habanero. The pepper doesn’t come across as terribly spicy; it’s more like a lingering low-grade heat that leaves the tongue tingly and alive. Knowing this beer would be polarizing, Sketchbook didn’t make much of it. But it should be available through February and it’s ideal for cold winter nights. $7 for a can, $12 for two pack. 821 Chicago Ave., 847-584-2337, sketchbookbrewing.com

— Josh Noel

Som tum Thai at Immm Rice & Beyond

Take a bite of som tum at Immm Rice & Beyond, and for a brief moment, perhaps less than two seconds, you’ll marvel at the crunch of raw, grated papaya, the fresh rush of lime juice, and the layer of sweetness surrounding it all. Then the spice comes. And if you ordered the som tum at level 4 out of 5, even though the waitress looked at you like you signed a death wish, then it comes on like an ambush. The heat grasps at your tongue, filling your head with a head spinning sensation, as if you just downed a few shots of whiskey in a row. Honestly, it does feel intoxicating, and I can’t get enough of it. Which explains why I dig in to go through all the sensations again. $10. 4949 N. Broadway, 773-293-7378, immmchicago.com

— Nick Kindelsperger

Chile paneer at Baba’s Village

When I asked what was the spiciest dish at Baba’s Village, the Indian and Pakistani stall in the Thompson Center food court, they said nothing was really spicy on the huge Zabiha halal meat, vegetarian and vegan menu. Don’t believe them. The chile paneer, with firm white cheese bathed in a peppery spiced tomato and herb sauce, was so surprisingly hot that it definitely needed the fluffy basmati rice to counter the heat. You can get plain naan too, or upgrade for just a buck to onion naan, studded with jalapeno too. The bread is made to order so it can take time, but you can wait at the cluster of tables nearby. $11.99. 100 W. Randolph St., Atrium food court, 312-880-0010, babavillage.com

— Louisa Chu

Sundubu-jjigae at SoGong-Dong

Once upon a time, a princess lived in Sogong-dong, a historic neighborhood in Seoul, not the restaurant that bears its name. Best known as SGD, the restaurant has become famous for tofu and Korean barbecue at nearly a dozen locations across the Midwest and East Coast with four in the Chicago area alone, including New Koreatown in the northwest suburbs. (See our guide to eating in New Koreatown.) In the city, at an H Mart food court stall in the West Loop Gate neighborhood, get the signature dish sundubu-jjigae, silken tofu stew, then choose your spicy adventure from five levels: plain, less spicy, regular, spicy or very spicy. As a hot head, I can tell you that the baseline regular spicy packed some tingly tart heat, but you can still savor the delicate flavors of the quivering tofu, plus head-on shrimp and clams in shells, and even the secret soft egg. The lava-red bowl is so lavish, you’ll feel like royalty. $10.99. SoGong-Dong at H Mart food court, 711 W. Jackson Blvd., 773-362-8702, sgdrestaurant.com

— Louisa Chu

Big Boss sandwich at Big Boss Spicy Fried Chicken

Forget Nashville fried chicken. If you want to experience the most incendiary fried chicken sandwich in Chicago, make your way to Bridgeport to this colorfully designed spot. Owner Jassy Lee was inspired by Nashville hot chicken, but also drew inspiration from the cuisines of China and Belize. The result is something entirely unique, with genuine heat, but also complexity and sweetness. First, you’ll notice the size, as the chicken juts out of the bun a good 6 inches. But take a bite and you’ll marvel at the heat, which starts off with a beguiling wave of mild, fruity notes, before the real spice starts to take over. I should note that I ordered the chicken just “hot,” but you can go with “X hot” or “Big Boss Hot” if you think you truly want to feel the heat. $8. 2520 S. Halsted St., 312-877-5031, bigbosschicken.com

— Nick Kindelsperger

Salsa bar at El Pollo Vagabundo

Few things in life make me happier than a fully stocked salsa bar. While most Mexican restaurants offer a couple salsas on the table, places like El Pollo Vagabundo in suburban Northlake regularly serve 12 to 14 tempting options in its large stainless steel salsa repository near the front door. As an employee will let you know, the milder options are to the right, while the spicier ones are to the left. To pair with an excellent carne asada burrito, I managed to snag small cups of six different options, including a bright and mild tomatillo salsa and an outrageously spicy fresh tomato salsa. I didn’t even try the dark orange habanero salsa. Try a few bites with each to see which salsa suits you best, or drizzle a couple on to see what happens. 101 Grand Ave., Northlake, 847-288-0713, elpollovagabundo.com

— Nick Kindelsperger