Hot and Spicy Bamboo Shoots: In the new Chinese restaurant, Mein Dynasty, chile is used with abundance, and no dish takes advantage better of the fiery pepper than this hot amalgam of oil, baby bamboo and sheer fire. Chinese people eat it as an appetizer, and the idea works for any of us who can eat the rest of their dinner with a totally numb oral cavity. Mein Dynasty, 3934 Schiff Dr. 869-8885.
Huevos Rancheros: For a hearty breakfast, nothing satisfies more than this homey hacienda dish, a tortilla topped with freshly poached or fried eggs, slathered with salsa and eaten with rice and beans on the side. The heat depends on the type of salsa engaged. My preference is the moderately hot chipotle, based on smoked jalapenos. Fausto's, 595 College Dr. 568-1220 and two other Henderson locations.
Green Chile Dip: Thais compete with south India and parts of Mexico for the world's hottest cuisine, so it's no surprise that this northern Thai dish gets the nod. Chef Saipin Chutima takes green chile and grinds it into a paste using a mortar. Then she serves it with raw vegetables for dipping, accompanied by fried pork skin and roasted peanuts. Call the fire department. Lotus of Siam, 953 E. Sahara Ave. 735-3033.
Brown Stew Fish: Credit the Scotch bonnet pepper, a small, incendiary thing the color of glowing amber, with making Jamaican cuisine sneaky hot. Chef Owen Sutherland is a master with subtle spicing, and his crowning achievement may be this richly spicy fish stew, which gives a slow burn, and is amazing on top of steamed rice. Tasty Island, 6810 W. Flamingo Road. 222-0002.
Dolsot Bibimbap: Koreans love their peppers, too, and they creep into virtually every Korean meal. At this authentic Tropicana Korean barbecue house, the bibimbap, essentially a rice bowl topped with raw and cooked vegetables, a cooked egg, seaweeds and ground meat, the idea is to mix in as much hot red bean paste as you can take, in order to make the dish a properly spicy Korean lunch dish. Min Sok Choi, 1801 E. Tropicana Ave. 262-5592.
Hamachi Pepa: Japanese cuisine isn't normally spicy, but Nobu Matsuhisa changed all that when he incorporated flavors from his adopted Peru. Now many Japanese chefs serve spicy fare. At the sweet little neighborhood sushi joint, Koto, chef Horiai tops his sashimi quality yellowtail with tiny bits of jalapenos, and a yuzu citrus sauce. The result is completely great. Koto, 9400 S. Eastern Ave. 221-1600.
Yai Kee Ma-ow: This Thai noodle dish, composed of flat rice-flour noodles, chicken, cooked egg and a riot of Thai veggies, is mild or spicy, depending on how you tell the server you want it on a scale of one to 10. I recommend eight, which makes the blandness of the ingredients an asset and turns the dish into something intensely satisfying. Thai House Restaurant, 9850 S. Maryland Pkwy. 361-5233.
Tacos al Pastor: Pastor is Spanish for shepherd, and al pastor for a roasting method originally used for lamb or goat but now corrupted to mean pork. The technique hasn't changed: Lots of the red spice called achiote, garlic, peppers and aromatic herbs rubbed onto meat roasted on a spit. In a taco, it is pure heaven, especially when doused with a cold one. Agave, 10820 W. Charleston Blvd. 214-3500.
Turkey Shawarma: Middle Eastern and Israeli food isn't especially hot, but it can be given the proper condiments. This pita sandwich, made from turkey marinated with paprika, cumin and coriander, can be smeared with a hot sauce that owner Rami keeps at the counter. I'd do it, if I were you. Sababa, 3220 S. Durango Dr. 597-5556.