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If the prospect of lighting your mouth on fire doesn't sound so terrible and you scoff at the site of a poblano, chances are you're always searching for red-hot spicy treats. Well, we can help out with your search thanks to Trader Joe's dedicated internet followers. The retailer's superfans recently shared the store's "best spicy foods," including a few widely acclaimed hot sauces and an easy-to-make curry.
Chances are you've heard of crispy onion pieces — those thinly sliced, golden-brown tasty toppings. Trader Joe's take on that flavorful garnish is its crispy jalapeno pieces, which are breaded and fried fiery peppers. "You can eat them by the fistful or add them to anything that can use a good crunch," one superfan writes. Be sure to grab these before they run out, as they're rumored to have been discontinued.
Related: The Best Snacks at Trader Joe's
The Portuguese originally produced this hot sauce in Southern Africa, using hot peri-peri chilis. Given their extreme heat — they're at least 12 times as hot on the Scoville scale — be prepared for this sauce to kick. A Redditor called Trader Joe's version "delicious," and the retailer claims that it's a "one-size-fits-all" condiment, though only if you can handle it.
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Bomba Sauce, or "bomb" sauce, makes use of Italy's fiery Calabrian chilis. One Redditor puts the fermented red pepper sauce on "almost everything," adding that it is "very spicy" while also being exceptionally flavorful.
Trader Joe's Green Dragon Sauce received multiple shout outs on Reddit, which isn't a surprise given its popularity online. In a different r/TraderJoe's thread, one superfan called it one of their favorite products at the store, adding that the sauce tastes good on "anything."
While a superfan says this sauce isn't particularly spicy, it is "very good," and so it deserves a spot on our list. The sauce, which also received approval among Reddit's hot sauce fanatics, is flavored with yuzu, a citrus fruit common in Asia. "It’s very good sauce. I don’t find it particularly hot, but it adds a nice zip to sauces and dishes that benefit from a citrus infusion," one r/hotsauce member writes.
This North African chili pepper paste is infused with garlic, coriander, and caraway, giving it a boost in flavor. Add it to your soups and other hearty dishes, or just spread it on your next sandwich. Just know that Trader Joe's fans say that it's among the spiciest condiments the retailer sells.
Want a spicy meal in a jiffy? Consider Trader Joe's frozen Fiery Chicken Curry, a Goan-inspired recipe that comes with turmeric rice.
A superfan calls Trader Joe's spicy mochi the "spiciest" snack at Trader Joe's, though they may be hard to find. These red-hot Japanese snacks have been missing from store shelves, though they're also rumored to be seasonal. Bottom line: Keep your eyes out for these if you love spicy munchies.
