Spicy Dishes to Order In When It's Too Cold to Leave Your House

Prince of York’s contemporary spin on Australian and Italian dining has you covered for the ideal night indoors. The CBD bar’s menu oozes with hearty, cheesy classics infused with an extra kick of chilli and spice. Dishes like the sausage ragu rigatoni, vegan saffron pappardelle and steamed broccolini tossed in preserved lemon and garlic are all given the welcome addition of chilli. But it’s the crab spaghetti with basil and chilli that’s really got us interested, and not just because it’s served in a bag (though that is a novel addition). If you’re keen on spice sans chilli, try the Iraqi-style marinated chicken that comes with pickles and garlic sauce. And if you need some sides to even out the spice, add an order of the fat chips with aioli, leafy green salad and garlic focaccia. It’s all about balance, right?

On any given block in South Korea, you can order Korean fried chicken. In fact, opening a plastic bag to find hot, crispy chicken and the traditional Korean sides packaged inside is a fond childhood memory for some lucky Sydneysiders. Fast-forward to 2020 and, thankfully, we can relive these moments (or experience them for the first time) via Newtown’s Flying Tong. And there’s no need to brave the cold to enjoy its Korean-style fried chicken, bibimbap or japchae (stir-fried glass noodles). Flying Tong offers a range of Korean dishes and recipes that’ll put your spice-threshold to the test. The Spicy Bomb fried chicken can be enjoyed solo or paired with the original coating — if you want to mellow out your meal. Order these with a side of house favourites such as kimchi fried rice and bulgogi rice bowl, and you’ve got yourself a Korean feast.

If you’re after a hearty meal to keep you toasty on a cool night, look no further than Shubhakamana. Its selection of curries, momos, noodles and rice dishes can keep you and your achingly cold bones company. Hailing from Rockdale, Shubhakamana has become a local hotspot for Nepalese cuisine and is known for giving a home-cooked touch to the nation’s most renowned dishes.

A meal here absolutely must include a plate of momos — we recommend ordering the platter so you can try a few of the different styles. These Nepalese-style dumplings come stuffed with spicy chicken or buffalo mince and, regardless of whether they’re steamed, fried or doused in a tangy sauce (or all three), they’re served with a super spicy tomato dipping sauce. Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find hearty curries, Chinese-style chow mein noodles, thali (a platter featuring black lentil soup, veggies, papadums and rice), biryani and thukpa (a Nepalese-style vegetable noodle soup).

Image: Cassandra Hannagan

Fresh naan bread, beef vindaloo and daal on a cold night is one way to beat the winter blues. Renowned for its wide variety of dishes and flavours, Shaahi Tandoori has a massive selection of hot biryani rice, curries, bread and entrees to keep the fire in your belly going. For a Pakistani favourite, there’s the slow-cooked goat korma with bones, while Indian specialities include chicken tikka masala and lamb rogan josh. Do you dare dive into its spiciest dish? It’s the vindaloo, packed with traditional spices and your choice of lamb, beef or chicken. Just add a side of jeera rice to mellow out the heat and have a mango lassi on standby if things start to get a bit too much. The best part? You can order from DoorDash right up to 11.15pm, so your late-night chilli cravings are sorted.

Image: Cassandra Hannagan

Hyderabad House reflects the region’s Arabic take on Indian food — a result of having been ruled by the Turkish for 1000 years. This western Sydney institution is lauded by those in the know for its biryani. And, to prove its expertise, it has seven different flavour options all available in single serves, family serves (for between 4–5 people) and jumbo serves (for 10–12 people). Take your pick of meat — prawn, fish, egg, goat are available, but we recommend the chicken 65 (battered, spice-laden fried chicken) — and it’ll be mixed through and fried off with the surprisingly complex and aromatic rice.

You’ll find rich curries, Chinese-style noodle dishes, kebabs and over a dozen bread options on the menu to round out your feast. And the best part? Plates rarely creep above $15 each. When it comes to spiciness, there are three levels available for each dish. As it’s all made to order, you can simply choose the level you’d like. When we speak to owner Rehan Ali, we ask how he likes his spice level: “Being Indian, I can’t even eat level three. If you’re ordering for the first time, go with medium. Once you have it spicy, you can’t turn it down”. So, proceed with caution.

Image: Cassandra Hannagan

Based in Blacktown, Gursha has been offering authentic Ethiopian cuisine favourites to patrons since 2017. The wot (curry) delivers on your spicy cravings. It’s a complex curry simmered with traditional spices and herbs, usually served with chicken drumsticks, tender lean beef or red lentils. You’ll devour it with moreish injera, a spongy, sour fermented flatbread that is a staple with all Ethiopian meals. You can also try the injera in ferfere, where it’s chopped up and tossed through a fried beef stew.

If you’re after something spicier, be sure to order the special kitfo. It consists of raw lean beef, tossed in a spiced butter that’s laden with cardamom, fenugreek, berbere spice mix and kalonji (nigella seeds), and mitmita (spicy chillies). It’s served with sides of kale and cottage cheese to take the edge off. In Ethiopia, kitfo is often enjoyed for special occasions. Here, you can order it any night of the week.

Image: Cassandra Hannagan

Since 2017, Biang Biang has satiated cravings of hot, spicy noodles from Haymarket to Liverpool. Bringing a taste of the Shaanxi Province in central China to Sydney, Biang Biang stays true to its name, specialising in biang biang noodles. They’re long, hand-pulled noodles made from wheat flour. It can be hard to choose from the nine different dishes that incorporate these chewy noodles — you can get them topped with tomato and egg, eggplant, stewed pork or chicken. But, whatever you decide, expect a chilli bomb. You know, the type that you’ll feel in the very back of your brain? Yep, that level of spice.

Thankfully, it’s a little easier to choose a side: the rougamo is a must-order. This Shaanxi-style ‘burger’ is a flaky pastry stuffed with pork, cumin beef or spicy potato. It’s crunchy on the outside and tender inside, and will quash any doubts you had about staying in and ordering a takeaway.

Images: Letícia Almeida

Since opening its doors in 2018, The Pacific Club Bondi has been raising the bar for fine-dining in the eastern suburbs. The Pacific Club is committed to using local, fresh and native Australian produce as much as possible. While going to the beach isn’t much of an option right now, the spicy winter warmers on The Pacific’s delivery menu might have to be the next best thing (along with its ridiculously good batched martinis and negronis). Chilli makes frequent appearances throughout the menu — think seafood linguine and garlic prawn risotto. But if you’re going to treat yourself, you may as well go all out, right? So, we suggest pressing ‘add to cart’ on the wagyu chilli bolognese, or the wagyu pastrami toastie, loaded with spicy salami, ham, gruyere cheese, olive tapenade and caramelised onion. They both deliver that chilli hit (albeit a slightly milder version than some other options on this list), while also being super-rich and decadent. You deserve it.

Images: Caroline McCredie