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In
recent days, the media has been awash with reports about the
"World's Hottest Curry" and celebrities from Jonothan Ross
to Chris Evans have put their taste buds on the line to try out the
fiery concoctions.
For many
years the "Curry Hell" produced by the late Abdul
Latif in Newcastle laid claim to the title until recently when Chef
Vivek Singh from the fashionable Cinnamon Club in London, produced
his "Bollywood Burner" and claimed it as the world's
hottest, the fiery ingredient being Dorset Naga chillies.
Not to be
outdone, The Chilli Company has now come up with "Satan's Ashes"
to challenge both the others weighing in with the lip melting Naga
Morich chilli to achieve the desired results.
With these
three already claiming the title, organisers of National
Curry Week have challenged their
makers to go head to head in their "Can
You Handle the Heat" competition
sponsored by Fox's XXXMints.
All three have accepted the challenge.
"We
are looking for a fiery dish that is edible and enjoyable for those
with the courage and fortitude to try it," said organiser
Peter Grove. "We are definitely not looking for a dish to put
people in the toilet or even worse, the hospital and that is why some
of the best Indian chefs in the country are taking the challenge very seriously."
"The
Bollywood Burner", "Satan's Ashes" and Rukon Latif's
"Curry Hell" will be joined by offerings from other top
chefs such as Udit Sarkhel of Mango & Silk and ex of Bombay
Brasserie and award-winning chef Chad Rahman of Mumtaj in St Albans.
Until
recently the Red Savina was quoted as the hottest chilli in the world
at 570,000 SHUs (Scoville Heat Units), which compared with Scotch
Bonnets at 325,000 SHUs and Jalapenos at just 8,000.
Vivek Singh
upped the ante by using the Dorset Naga from Bangladesh developed by
Joy and Michael Michaud at 923,000 SHUs. Gerald Fowler and his Chilli
Pepper Company went one better by using the Naga Morich rated just
above the Dorset Naga.
Can it get
any hotter? It certainly can. Dr Paul Bosland recently grew the Bhut
Jolokia Chilli in New Mexico and claimed a new world record at
1,001,304 SHUs followed by Frontal Agritech of Assam who claim the
same chilli at 1,041,427 SHUs requiring the use of gloves, masks and
protective clothing. Even that is not the end of the story. Warwick
University recently claimed a Bangladesh Naga Morich measuring
1,598,227 SHUs and one shudders to think the intestinal collapse that
would cause.
The
XXXMints "Can You Handle the Heat"
battle of the chillies will take place at Excel in London Docklands
26/27 November 2008 during World Food Market as part of National
Curry Week (23-29 November) which this year is raising funds for
Oxfam. For further information www.nationalcurryweek.co.uk.
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