If you are a hot curry lover like me then you will have to try this Carolina Reaper Karahi curry even if only once!
Grandads Cookbook is a collection of recipes from various sources reproduced here for convenience. Recipes are accredited to their original author where known and links are provided to any online source materials.
Karahi Curries
These intensely fiery phaal style curries originated in the British Asian communities in Birmingham UK using blends of very hot chillies like ghost peppers, naga, habanero or scotch bonnets. These are the hottest curries generally available, even hotter than vindaloo, far too hot for the majority of people.
Home Grown Chillies
I usually make my hot curries using dried Naga and store bought Scotch Bonnets but this year I’m growing my own.
On my allotment I have an entire greenhouse dedicated to growing chillies and I am attempting to grow three of the worlds top ten hottest including the Carolina Reaper.
The seed packet for the Carolina Reapers came with a warning not to handle the ripened chillies without wearing surgical gloves!
Zouk Chilli Challenge
I have to warn you, this curry is not for the faint hearted. The Zouk Tea Bar restaurant in Manchester UK holds an annual event where customers are given 30 minutes to finish their curry using Carolina Reaper chillies with those who finish the dish winning a prize.
The curry is so fiery that customers are asked to sign a disclaimer before attempting the challenge.
The Very Hot Chilli Peppers
Generally any chilli hotter than the habanero or scotch bonnet is considered to be very hot, well above those used in everyday cooking.
The active element in chillies which gives the heat is an oil called capsaicin and is concentrated in the seeds and the white membrane which attaches them to the inner wall. Removing the membrane and seeds before cooking reduces the heat considerably.
The heat of peppers is measured on the Scoville scale and ranges from the humble salad bell pepper at zero all the way up to the Pepper X at a brain numbing 3 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The Carolina Reaper in my recipe comes in at up to 2.2 million SHU.
By comparison the Scotch Bonnet or Jalapeño’s that we buy in the shops come in at 100,000 to 350,000 SHU.
The extreme heat chillies right at the top of the scale have been developed mainly for competition entries and are only available from specialist growers.
It’s Not All About The Heat
Not everything about cooking with very hot chillies is about the heat. These chillies bring with them amazing flavours and although they be a challenge to get started with that shouldn’t put you off from trying them.
If you already have some degree of tolerance to chilli heat but are wary of going further then you can build up to the hotter dishes.
Roasting the peppers gives some amazing flavours and brings out the sweetness while reducing the heat a little.
Tips For Cooking With Very Hot Chilli Peppers
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Wear Gloves: The oil in chilli peppers that gives the heat, capsaicin is potent and will stick to your skin so for handling any of the super hot peppers I recommend wearing rubber gloves, especially anyone with sensitive skin. And whatever you do don’t rub your eyes or anywhere else sensitive. You will regret it, believe me I know.
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Reduce The Amount of Chilli: Only use a single chilli to start with but if you are concerned the heat will blast your tongue off, then use half a chilli next time and see how it feels.
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Remove The Core: The majority of capsaicin that gives the heat is in the white membrane and seeds in the core so de-seeding and removing the membrane will reduce the heat.
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Roast The Chilli Before Use: Roasting chilli peppers reduces the heat and brings out some wonderful flavours including their fruitiness and sweetness.
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Substitute a Cooler Chilli: Don’t stick rigidly to a recipe that calls for an extremely hot chilli. Substituting for one lower down the scale will still give plenty of heat without the volcano effect.
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Build Up The Heat Slowly: Everybody’s tolerance to the heat is different but the majority of people won’t use any chilli hotter than a habanero. If you want to try even hotter peppers then build up the heat slowly trying progressively hotter ones until you reach your limit.
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Heat Isn’t For Everyone: I know people who cannot tolerate even the slightest amount of heat in their meals, they find it unpleasant. If though like most families everyone is different then make your meal with a small amount of chilli and those who like it hotter can stir in some chopped chilli afterwards.
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Yoghurt and Raita: Dairy products like milk, yoghurt or raita counteract capsaicin so having some on the table to ease the burn should help. Drinking water doesn’t really help it just spreads the oil around.
So, Put the Toilet Roll in the Fridge and Lets get Cooking!
I can only talk through personal experience but sometimes not all the chilli heat is absorbed by the body and suffice to say that sometimes it’s as hot on the way out as it is on the way in!
Carolina Reaper Karahi – The World’s Hottest Curry
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast chopped, or use lamb
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 carolina reaper peppers chopped, remember to wear gloves
- 1 medium onion chopped
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes or use equivalent fresh
- 1 cup chicken stock or use vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Juice from fresh limes + lime wedges for serving
- coriander and/or parsley chopped, for serving
- spicy chilli flakes for serving
- 2 cups cooked rice for serving
Conversions
Instructions
- Season the chopped chicken with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or wok to medium heat.
- Add the peppers and onion. Cook them down about 5 minutes, until the peppers and onions have softened. It's a good idea to cook in a well-ventilated room with carolina reaper peppers.
- Add the chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring a bit, until the chicken is mostly cooked through.
- Next, add in the garlic, ginger and most of the green onions. Cook another minute, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add in the curry powder, paprika, cardamom, turmeric and cumin. Give it a stir.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth and stir. Bring to a quick boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or more to let the flavors develop, and the chicken to cook through.
- Serve the spicy chicken curry over prepared white rice, then squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice over the top.
- Top with extra green onions, parsley or cilantro, spicy chili flakes and lime slices or wedges.
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