Phall Curry
Posted: Sat May 28, 2011 10:39 amPhall Curry is the hottest of all Indian curries. Actually, it is not Indian. It is said to have been invented by Indian restaurateurs in England in the 70s. They were tired of gangs of drunk guys that came in to the restaurants after the pub closed at 11 pm and often abused the staff. The usual way to show ones masculinity was to order the hottest dish on the menu and show that one could eat it. Thus, the Phall Curry was born as a revenge from the staff, although it most probably never emerged on any menu. Phall stems from the word Phallos.
Obviously, there is no official recipe. Here is my version.
For two servings, fry 400 g lamb till brown. Set aside.
In a pot, fry one finely chopped onion in vegetable oil until brown. During the last minute, add 8 chopped cloves of garlic and a piece of grated ginger. Then add half a jar of curry paste (you could make your own, but a pre-made will do in this dish) and 2-3 heaped tablespoons of hot crushed chili. Stir.
Add the pre-cooked meat, a couple of chopped tomatoes, a bay leaf, a spoonful of tomato purée and a little water. Also, add some potato in chunks. Salt.
Let simmer until the potato is soft (about 40-60 minutes). By then, the meat should be tender too.
Chop a handful of hot green chili peppers. Add to the pot together with a spoonful of yoghurt to thicken.
Garnish with slices of Habañero chili and serve with rice.
NOTE: In retrospect, I should have added more chili since the dish was edible without too much effort. I think the purpose of this dish is to cause pain, but then chili tolerance is individual.
Obviously, there is no official recipe. Here is my version.
For two servings, fry 400 g lamb till brown. Set aside.
In a pot, fry one finely chopped onion in vegetable oil until brown. During the last minute, add 8 chopped cloves of garlic and a piece of grated ginger. Then add half a jar of curry paste (you could make your own, but a pre-made will do in this dish) and 2-3 heaped tablespoons of hot crushed chili. Stir.
Add the pre-cooked meat, a couple of chopped tomatoes, a bay leaf, a spoonful of tomato purée and a little water. Also, add some potato in chunks. Salt.
Let simmer until the potato is soft (about 40-60 minutes). By then, the meat should be tender too.
Chop a handful of hot green chili peppers. Add to the pot together with a spoonful of yoghurt to thicken.
Garnish with slices of Habañero chili and serve with rice.
NOTE: In retrospect, I should have added more chili since the dish was edible without too much effort. I think the purpose of this dish is to cause pain, but then chili tolerance is individual.
I could actually feel the blood flowing through my veins, into the heart, and out again! Amidst all of this fire, though, there was balance between the flavours like salt, sour etc. It was a real dish, and a successful one. Since then, I've tried many times to duplicate this salad but never succeeded. It always ends up with something that is only hot and lacks the fantastic flavours she presented me with.
