Sweat it out with these hot foods for a hot day

If you're sweltering through summer, these spicy meals will soon cool you down.

Fire chicken with blue cheese Source: Adam Liaw

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It might seem contrary, but eating hot food on a hot day really does cool you down. Spicy food triggers the same response in the body as high temperatures - it makes you sweat, which ultimately makes you feel cooler.

This is the reason why cuisines from the more scorching parts of the world are often the spiciest. Think of a Mexican mole, Liberian chilli sauce, Indian vindaloo, or a Jamaican jerk chicken. The hotter the temperature, the hotter the food.

Not that we need an excuse to fire up the insides. Eating just to the edge of pain is something of an obsession around here. Go gently...

Be a jerk

Ultimate jerk chicken. Source: Ainsley's Caribbean Kitchen / Dan Jones

If you're serious about your jerk marinade, you'll use scorching Scotch bonnet chillies and plenty of 'em. Jerking in Jamaica will often result in dishes only locals dare handle.

Vindaloo my darling

Fish vindaloo Source: Born to Cook: Jack Stein Down Under

Despite it's reputation as India's hottest curry, the kashmiri chillies used in this fish vindaloo recipe only have a Scoville Scale heat rating of 1000-2000 - which is to say jump right in, the water's fine.

Fire your chicken

Fire chicken with blue cheese Source: Adam Liaw

The Korean name for this dish is buldak, which literally translates to "fire chicken". Yup, it's that hot. The intense heat goes extremely well with a cold beer, which is probably the reason why this street food dish is also served in bars all over Seoul.

Pepper your fish

Sichuan spicy water fish fillet Source: Alan Benson

It's not just chilli that will cool you down, the numbing heat of Sichuan peppers and fresh chillies does the job just as well. A light meal like this spicy water fish dish perfectly suits a searing summers day.

Curry on cooling

Creamy red lentil and coconut dahl Source: Clare Winfield

You can dahl the spice up or down, depending on how much heat you like. In this version, the fire comes from mustard, as well as chilli.

Cayenne the heat

Rabbit and andouille gumbo. Source: Murdoch Books / Mark Roper

A stew as dark and murky as the Louisiana swamps it hails from, gumbo comes in many variations. Here the intense flavour of rabbit is a good match for a decent hit of cayenne pepper and hot sauce.

Sauce on everything

Judy’s extra hot Liberian chilli sauce Source: Amy Brown

Liberian home cook Judy Cole says this volcanic chilli sauce, "will take you to Africa and back again!" Now that's one way to travel!

Stir up the birds

Classic tom yum soup Source: Wok Vs Pot with Marion and Silvia

Tom yum soup is known as one of Thailand's fierier dishes thanks to tiny birds' eye chillies. What they lack in size, birds' eye make up for in power, so do go easy.

Explode your salad

Mexican quinoa salad Source: Smith Street Books

Put some jalapeño bombs in a quinoa salad and cool will be your middle name.

Barbecue made extra

BBQ peri peri chicken Source: Smith Street Books

Peri peri seasoning is a must-have in cupboards from Portugal to South Africa. DIY and you can make it as flaming as you can stand.

Hot not sour

Asam laksa Source: Chris Chen

If its hot and steamy, you need to go hot and sour in the form of a laksa. There's no question that the right amount of added chilli, tamarind and galangal will have you sweating it out in no time.