Mouth-burning good snacks

November 4, 2012 9:34 AM

Tell me about your favorite spicy snacks.

I've read the other snack threads, but none are quite what I'm looking for.

I like keeping snacks around to munch on between meals, and find spicy foods to be very satisfying. Some current favorites are Spicy Sriracha Peas, jalapeño beef jerky, and hot sauce flavored dill pickles (I really love pickles, and jerky). I'd like to know what yours are!

I don't have any dietary restrictions. I'd prefer things that don't require prepping/cooking, though, as I live in a dorm room and lack both a kitchen and ample free time for cleanup. I have access to an international supermarket that offers a variety of ethnic foods.

posted by cp311 to food & drink (46 answers total)

Hot Cheetos & Takis! Especially Takis.
posted by exceptinsects at 9:39 AM on November 4, 2012 [3 favorites]

Do you have access to a fridge? I love spicy olives (some are marinated in spicy oil, others are stuffed with jalapeno peppers), hot calabrese salami (amaaazing wrapped around goat cheese by the way), wasabi peas, kimchi, and spicy pickled green beans or asparagus.
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 9:40 AM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Wasabi almonds are pretty great.
posted by shortyJBot at 9:44 AM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, they have some Thai chili lime peanuts that are absolutely magnificent.
posted by feathermeat at 9:51 AM on November 4, 2012 [7 favorites]

Requires a tiny bit of prep (or you could purchase them pre-sliced) but srirarcha + cucumber slices are really good.

Wasabi seaweed sheets.

And definitely spicy olives as mentioned above, either the small black ones wrinkled and marinated in chili oil or the ones stuffed with jalapeños and garlic.
posted by jetlagaddict at 9:55 AM on November 4, 2012

These are simple, tasty, and addictive. Great for an afternoon with a tv and beer.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:58 AM on November 4, 2012

Blue Diamond has habanero BBQ flavored almonds available. They are pretty spicy, and I ate more than expected on the first try.
posted by jet_silver at 10:01 AM on November 4, 2012

Bombay Mix (aka Punjabi Mix or hot mix)
posted by K.P. at 10:01 AM on November 4, 2012 [4 favorites]

I make my own jerky with a dehydrator. One of my favorite recipes is rubbing the meat with a healthy amount of Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk seasoning before dehydrating. It has a kick and is delicious. There's about a million other things you can do with the jerk seasoning, too. If you can't find it in a store, get it on Amazon.
posted by griphus at 10:05 AM on November 4, 2012 [2 favorites]

(Oh, just realized your restrictions. Well, of all the things you can have in your dorm room that will save you cash and not require a lot of supervision, you might want to look into a dehydrator. And the seasoning is great either way.)
posted by griphus at 10:06 AM on November 4, 2012

In addition to the aforementioned Thai Chili Peanuts, Trader Joe's also has an awesome Jalapeño Cheetos knockoff that doesn't have that day-glo red coating.

My local Chinese grocery store also carries a brand of spicy peanuts that contain prickly ash, which has a fantastic combination of tangy and peppery flavors.
posted by ikaruga at 10:12 AM on November 4, 2012

The makers of Blair's hot sauce also have a line of snacks that are very good and range in heat: http://extremefood.com/shop/home.php?cat=9
posted by nalyd at 10:27 AM on November 4, 2012

If you love pickles, pickled okra! Usually commercially-available brands come in "spicy" either as an option or exclusively. Not usually very spicy, but very tasty.
posted by threeants at 10:33 AM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Pickled carrots with jalapenos are delicious. I've only ever made them myself, but they should be available in cans/jars at a good international market.
posted by hades at 10:36 AM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

I've always had a fondness for Garden of Eatin's Red Hot Blues corn chips.
posted by nanook at 10:41 AM on November 4, 2012 [2 favorites]

Spicy pickled green beans.
posted by Fig at 10:41 AM on November 4, 2012 [4 favorites]

Do you know the magic of fridge pickles? It sounds like work, but they are really, really good and should work okay just sitting out on your shelf, too.

Save a couple pickle jars, fill with veg of choice (garlic is spicy and amazing, carrot slices, jalapenos...) + vinegar (I like apple cider) + spiciness (sriacha, hot pepper flakes, etc) + dill or pickling spice mix and some salt. Let it sit a day or two, consume. The pickles stay good indefinitely in your fridge. You can reuse the brine with more veg.
posted by momus_window at 10:45 AM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Hot & Spicy Nagaraya cracker nuts from the Philippines are incredible.
posted by yellowcandy at 10:55 AM on November 4, 2012

If you have access to an Indian or Pakistani grocery, take $20 over there, buy a variety of snacks, and see what you like best. I've never found anything I didn't like.
posted by LonnieK at 11:04 AM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Shelton's Hot & Spicy Turkey Jerky!
posted by saladin at 11:05 AM on November 4, 2012

I have a current addiction to Pretzel Crisps, specifically the Buffalo Wing variety and the Jalapeño Jack.
posted by cecic at 11:41 AM on November 4, 2012

seconding kimchi
posted by stebulus at 12:15 PM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Jalepeno Krunchers Potato Chips
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 12:55 PM on November 4, 2012

Hot & Spicy Cheez Its
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 12:56 PM on November 4, 2012

Also, I keep cayenne pepper on hand at work & home to turn anything spicy and awesome.

It's great in chicken soup, ramen noodle cups, cottage cheese... and BACON. I love me some crispy bacon spiced up with red pepper.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 12:59 PM on November 4, 2012

I make Emeril's Rustic Rub and up the heat a little. I know how to make it by heart now, and I just go to the Bulk Barn and scoop the approximate amounts into the bags (usually tripling the recipe, because I use it a lot and friends often ask for it), then I dump all the bags into one big jar and whisk/shake it up. And then I put that sh*t on everything. In melted butter on popcorn, it's great. I love it mixed in mayo for dipping French Fries. And I bake it on the French Fries. And I make dry-rubbed chicken wings with it too.
posted by peagood at 1:30 PM on November 4, 2012

Wasabi rice crackers!
posted by dysh at 1:35 PM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

Dude at the office brought in done Tabasco chocolates. Mm mm good.
posted by infinitewindow at 1:46 PM on November 4, 2012

Jalapeno jam. Goes on everything. Today, on naan.
posted by nat at 2:17 PM on November 4, 2012

I find chile-lime garbanzos (chickpeas) in the bulk section of the grocery store. Crunchy, spicy, and full of protein.
posted by fiercecupcake at 2:23 PM on November 4, 2012

Buy some bread & butter pickles or dill pickles and a couple of jalapeno peppers. Eat a couple of pickles and slice up the peppers, dump the peppers in the jar. "homemade" spicy pickles.

If you have a microwave, heat up a few tortillas on a plate and then add salsa with butter or sour cream or cheese or leftover re-fried beans or plain yoghurt or cottage cheese. You can throw fresher ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes etc but really just salsa and butter is a quick, easy and cheap snack.

(Non-refrigerated Tortillas also keep longer than bread in your average dorm room.)
posted by jaimystery at 2:25 PM on November 4, 2012

Wasabi-flavored roasted seaweed. Wasabi Peas. Wasabi Peanuts. Wasab anything, really?
posted by Alterscape at 6:19 PM on November 4, 2012

Cost Plus World Market carries these addictive dried chili mangoes.
posted by JenMarie at 6:38 PM on November 4, 2012 [1 favorite]

I can eat these lime and chili almonds forever. They have a couple of other spicy flavored almonds, but those are my favorited.
posted by whitneyarner at 6:56 PM on November 4, 2012

Also, my late night snack lately has been tortilla + cream cheese + hot sauce. Trader Joe's also has these great lime and habenero tortillas that cut out the hot sauce step on that snack.
posted by whitneyarner at 6:57 PM on November 4, 2012

popcorn with cayenne + parmesan
posted by judith at 7:15 PM on November 4, 2012

I do have a fridge, but no Trader Joe's or Cost Plus World Market.

So many great suggestions (I'm certainly open to more)! I'll be living on spicy snacks alone for a while, I'm sure. Spicy flavored peanuts/almonds, wasabi peas, spicy chocolate, and tortillas loaded with tasty stuff all sound perfect. I'll look for more spicy pickled veggies, too.
posted by cp311 at 7:18 PM on November 4, 2012

2 things I learned in Mexico:
Potato chips sprinkled with chili and lime
Fresh Mango with chili and lime. You can buy the prepared mango in plastic bags from street vendors in Los Angeles. Amazing.
posted by SLC Mom at 8:06 PM on November 4, 2012 [2 favorites]

Asian rice crackers can be chili-spicy if you get the right ones. There are also spicy shrimp chips.
posted by brina at 8:07 PM on November 4, 2012

Deep's Hot Mix. Dangerously tasty. Comes in regular and extra-spicy.
posted by Lexica at 8:15 PM on November 4, 2012

Snyder's of Hanover Jalepeno Pretzel Pieces

In a pinch, I've been known to eat hot sauce on tortilla chips.

2nding pickled okra. I'm going to try jaimystery's trick with pickled okra and naga jolokia chilies.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:04 PM on November 4, 2012

What you're looking for is what I call "crack sauce" but which I have recently discovered is actually called Spicy Chili Crisp sauce*. It makes pretty much any food spicy and delicious.

"Look for the sad Chinese man on the label!"™

* The blog entry states it has peanuts but there are actually two varieties, one with and one without peanuts. I've only ever had the sauce without peanuts.
posted by Deathalicious at 3:00 AM on November 5, 2012

EDIT: apparently, that's not a dude. My bad.

"Look for the sad Chinese man woman on the label!"™
posted by Deathalicious at 3:01 AM on November 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

Go to an Indian store and look for Haldiram's Aloo Bhujia -- so so good! Look also for spicy banana chips, any sort of "mixture" which are generally spicy and if you're feeling adventurous you can also find a bhel puri mix that has all the chutneys etc. included -- you just need to mix everything up and add maybe some tomatoes and a little chopped onion. While you're there, look for Lays Magic Masala chips. Finally, if you have access to a microwave, the standard popcorn seasoning in India is a mix of oil, salt, cumin and cayenne. Try it!
posted by peacheater at 6:35 AM on November 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

A homemade one - I often make popcorn (using an air popper) and then cover it liberally with my favourite hot sauce. I'm currently partial to Frank's for this use due to the vinegary-ness of it.

Yum.
posted by sauril at 3:06 PM on November 5, 2012

Trader Joe's Dried Chile Spiced Mango
posted by SarahElizaP at 8:16 PM on November 5, 2012