Spiciest Food in the World

My ongoing search for the spiciest food in the world has led me to discover the intriguing Phaal curry from Southern India.

According to various sources this is in fact the world spiciest food, having been awarded the title by 'Guinness World Records' for containing the "Most Potent Pepper on Earth". It is so hot that on the popular TV show 'Man v Food'  the host proclaims it as "Hotter than Vindaloo Curry".

The fiery dish contains 10 different kinds of hot peppers which are complemented by ginger, fennel seeds, and a mixture of dried habanero, Naga Jolokia, and Trinidad’s Scorpion chilli's. It is so hot it can burn your tongue and even make your nose bleed. One of the ingredients, the Naga Jolokia Chilli is about 855,000 SHU (Schovile Heat Unit) which is 700 times hotter than average Tabasco. It also contains Trinidad's Scorpion chilli peppers, the spiciest peppers in the world which record over 1.2 million SHU's. Wild varieties have even crossed 2 million SHU's, however these are far to dangerous to use in restaurants.

Now for something different. Its not exactly the Phaal curry I talked about, because it wont contain those devilish Scorpion peppers, but its close enough for me, and I'll be directing you on how to prepare it.

If you feel fit to take on this monster of a challenge, then I will share with you the recipe used to make this practically volcanic curry. Be warned though, this isn't to be taken lightly and is very hot so please take care. In other words, "WARNING" this is very spicy.

What do you need?

• 1.5 lbs of beef or chicken (depending on your choice), chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 1 large onion, finely chopped.
• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped.
• 1 ounce fresh ginger, finely chopped.
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 14 ounces of tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• 12 fresh chilli peppers.
• 300g of chopped tomatoes

Spices:  

• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds
• 3 teaspoon of chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 teaspoon of garam masala
• (Optional) want more spicy? add some 4 teaspoons of Patak's Madras Paste.



Directions:

1. Fry the meat in a pan using half of the oil for 5-10 minutes.
2. Fry the onion, garlic, and ginger until they become golden.
3. Mix the spices with water to make a paste.
4. Add the onion mixture, Patak's Madras Paste (optional), cumin seeds, coriander, fenugreek, ginger and garlic and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and chillies and stir these new ingredients to bring a gentle simmer.
6. Cook again for another 10 -15 minutes.
7. Finally, check the seasoning of the dish and serve with coriander. Also, if you desire, you can remove the large pieces of chilli before serving.

Phaal Curry



-Alexander Jason Sumendap