Oh, the burn!

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Hot plate No. 1: Hyderabad Chilly Chicken

Capsaicin kickoff

By Jiyeon Yoo, Metromix and Shannon Shih, Special to Metromix

For some, a steaming bowl of chili-laced magma on a 125-degree summer day is extreme sport; for others, it’s tea time. Whatever your tolerance for capsaicin—the compound that gives peppers their ruthless, below-the-belt kick—one can appreciate the cleansing, detoxifying benefits of sweating it all out. Just ask any self-respecting culinary tradition outside the milquetoast Western world.

If our very unscientific theory holds true, the hottest stuff is to be found in outer-lying neighborhoods, where the concentration of spice is equivalent to the concentration of the ethnic communities. On a sweltering summer day, we head out to the Gateway Cities of Artesia, Bellflower and Paramount before hightailing north to the San Gabriel Valley. But a mini-tour of spicy L.A. should involve an iron will—and iron stomach—that’s not our own. We’re no dummies; this is a job left to a professional. Say hello to Eddie Lin.

Credit:deedee deGelia