F3's Guide to the Hottest Curries
Image of Indian Karahi cooking pot.
Etymologically, curry seems to be an Anglicised form of the Tamil கறி kaṟi meaning 'sauce' or 'relish for rice' that uses the leaves of the curry tree. This agrees with most Indians I've talked to who maintain that the term curry refers to the sauce in the dish. Indeed it's an odd exchange where English gained the term 'curry' and India gained the word 'gravy'.
It was the Portuguese who brought chillies to the sub-continent with the establishment of their trading post in Goa in 1510. Though black pepper is native to India, chillies grew faster and gave fruity flavours and varying heat to the dishes in which they were cooked. Dried chilli powders (eg Kashmiri chilies) can also yield intense red colour to the dish. The Portuguese also brought tomatoes and potatoes.
Kaṟi is described in a mid-17th century Portuguese cookbook by members of the British East India Company, who were trading with Tamil merchants along the Coromandel Coast of southeast India. It it here that we have the first description of curry powder as a "spice blend ... called kari podi or curry powder".
Of course, there were the rich peoples' houses (replete with two ovens, cooking troughs and armies of slaves), and I will come to those later... First I'm going to look at a more modest kitchen (or more commonplace), such as the reconstructed kitchen in the Museum of London (pictured). This would be from a much poorer household with a table for food preparation, a bench for serving, a shelf for earthenware, hooks to hold pots and utensils. The cooking area was a small trough for charcoal embers on which an iron grid would be placed. This grid could be moved aside so that earthenware ollae could be nestled directly in the coals. There is no oven here (though some types of ovens might be present in even fairly modest households). However, an earthenware testum would almost certainly be present as a mobile oven that could be used for baking with the charcoal embers.
The first appearance in the dish's anglicised form (spelled currey) was in Hannah Glasse's 1747 book The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. In general, the troughs would not have had any flue or ventilation, hence the use of charcoal as the main heat source. Even many of the oven types would not have had a flue either and the smoke would have been emitted straight into the kitchen. The lives of Roman kitchen slaves would not have been pleasant.
The British lumped all sauce-based dishes under the generic name 'curry'. It was introduced to English cuisine from Anglo-Indian cooking in the 17th century, as spicy sauces were added to plain boiled and cooked meats. Curry was first served in coffee houses in Britain from 1809, and has been increasingly popular in Great Britain, with major jumps in the 1940s and the 1970s. During the 19th century, curry was carried to the Caribbean by Indian indentured workers in the British sugar industry. It was the British who also brought curry to Japan, where, as a result it is considered an European rather than an Asian dish.
Bangladeshi immigrants opened many curry houses in the UK during the 1970s and it was here that the practice of ordering and eating intensely hot curries began. This probably started with BIR (British Indian Restaurant) version of the Vindaloo curry and then the even spicier Phaal Curry.
Now a brief note on curry 'heat'. Chilli heat is expressed on the Scoville scale. The Scoville scale is the standard measure of how hot a chilli is. It runs from zero, meaning extremely mild, into the millions, meaning ridiculously hot. What is actually measured is the amount of capsaicin in the chilli. This is the chemical that gives chillies their heat. It's a strange chemical in that one end likes to be in liquid and the other end likes to be in fat. This is why capsaicin buries into your tongue and is hard to eliminate. It's also why milk or yoghurt is better at getting rid of the chilli heat than water, tea or beer. Note also that adding black pepper to a curry can increase the perceived heat without increasing the Scoville rating.
The current record holder for the world's hottest curry is the so-called 'The Widower'. The curry, which is filled with 20 Naga Infinity Chillis - the second hottest on the planet - is so dangerous to make it has to be prepared by chefs wearing goggles and a face mask. The curry is prepared at Bindi restaurant in Grantham, Lincolnshire. The recipe is as follows:
20 infinity naga chillies, pictured right, (about 4 million Scovilles)
1 small tea spoon of pure naga extracts (6 million Scovilles)
5 scotch bonnets
8 finger chillies
3 tsp of extra hot chilli powder
Bindi spice mix
Chopped onions
Tablespoon of salt
Of course, unless you know the exact ingredients and how much to add of the Bindi spice mix it becomes difficult to replicate the curry.
The current top ten of the hottest curries available is as follows:
| Curry | 10+ | 6 000 000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Widower | 10 | 1 000 000 |
| 2. Nigeria Challenge BIR Curry | 10 | 1 000 000 |
| 3. BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry | 10 | 1 000 000 |
| 4. Naga Chicken | 10 | 1 000 000 |
| 5. Phaal | 10 | 1 000 000 |
| 6. Bhut Jolokia | 10 | 1 000 000 |
| 7. Vindaloo | 10 | 175 000 to 600 000 |
| 8. Debal Curry | 10 | 300 000 to 500 000 |
| 9. Sambar | 10 | 250 000 to 500 000 |
| 10. Madras | 9 | 300 000 |
| 11. Garlic Chilli | 9 | 150 000 |
| 12. Chettinad | 8-9 | 50 000 |
| 13. Jalfrezi | 7-8 | 40 000 |
| 14. Karahi | 7 | 30 000 |
The Widower, Naga, Phaal, Bhut Jolokia and Vindaloo are all designed to be intensely hot curries. The remainder on the list can vary a lot in intensity depending on how they are prepared. As a result, I have collected their recipes and present them on this site. I've even developed two of my own insanely hot curries that lie between the Widower and the Naga Chicken curry, which are now presented on this page.
I am a big fan of chillies, partly that's possessing the supertaster gene that makes people sensitive to bitter flavours but have a preference for pure hot spice. I've also been eating chillies for decades, so have developed a tolerance. As a result I have prepared and consumed all the curries on the list above, apart from The Widower.
As I've dealt with The Widower, above I'll now go through the remaining recipes on the list and provide an image and a link to the recipe for each classic curry. The first two curries here are based on my own Insanity chilli paste and Naga chilli pickle. The first curry ranks higher as it's based on goat meat and incorporates more of the Insanity chilli paste.
2. Nigeria Challenge BIR Curry
Image of Nigeria challenge BIR goat Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10++
What it Looks Like: A curry with a thick dark reddish-brown sauce
The Nigeria Challenge BIR Goat Curry is based on my own Insanity chilli paste and Naga chilli pickle as the main sources of heat. Scotch bonnets, nagas, Carolina reapers and piri-piries are combined for heat and flavour. It's also very flavoursome, if you can survive the intense heat, that is! This ranks higher than the next curry, a catfish version, as more of the spice paste is used
You can find the recipe for my version of the Nigeria Challenge BIR Goat Curry at the F3 Nigeria Challenge BIR Goat Curry recipe page.
3. BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry
Image of BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: A curry with a thick dark reddish-brown sauce
The BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry is based on my own Insanity chilli paste and Naga chilli pickle as the main sources of heat. Scotch bonnets, nagas, Carolina reapers and piri-piries are combined for heat and flavour. It's also very flavoursome, if you can survive the intense heat, that is! This ranks lower than the preceding curry, a goat meat version, as less of the spice paste is used
You can find the recipe for my version of the BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry at the F3 BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry recipe page.
4. Naga Chicken Curry
Image of a Naga Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: A curry with a thick dark reddish-brown sauce
The Naga Chicken Curry is based on the commercial Naga Chilli Pickle as the main source of heat. However, as Naga chillies, like the related Scotch bonnet have a fruity flavour that they impart to the chilli, my version is slightly hotter than that you would normally encounter in a curry house. It's also slightly more flavoursome, if you can survive the intense heat, that is!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Naga Chicken curry at the F3 Naga Chicken curry recipe page.
5. Naga Curry
Image of a Naga Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: A curry with a thick brown sauce
The Naga Curry is my own invention, a truly hot curry of beef and lentils with a really thick sauce that contains lots and lots of fresh naga jalokia chillies. I wanted a curry that was hotter than a phaal (see below) but which really captured the aromatic and fruity flavours of the naga jalokia chilli.
It should be noted that the lentils that thicken this curry do mediate the heat slightly; however, there are so many chillies in this dish it doesn't really make that huge a difference. After all there are 11 naga jalokia chillies used in the recipe in total!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Naga beef and lentil curry at the F3 Naga curry recipe page.
6. Phaal
Image of a Phaal/Phall Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: Dark red/brown with a thick sauce and plenty of freshly chopped chilli
The Phaal (also Phall, fall, faal, phal or fal) has been a British Indian Recipe mainstay since the 1980s. It was the super-hot curry that was typically not printed on the menu, but that those in the know could order anyway. Typically it's made with hot pepper sauce (typically Scotch bonnet) and plenty of chopped chillies (habanero and jalepeño). My version also includes dried ghost pepper powder (bhut jalokia) that makes it spicier than normal. This was the second curry (after Vindaloo) that was designed to be super-hot and was often employed as a curry house challenge to see who could survive eating it.
Phaals actually originate in Punjab, based on a Bengali original (see the recipe for Bengali Hot Dry Meat Curry), though but the Bengali version is a dry curry and this gravy-based curry is really a curry restaurant invention. Though not typically on the menus of British or American curry restaurants, the Phaal can be specially ordered in some. The most famous of these is the Brick Lane Curry House in New York which creates a Phaal with ten different kinds of chillies and where the chefs wear a face mask whilst preparing it.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Phaal/Phall curry at the F3 Chicken Phaal/Phall recipe page.
For the recipe of the original Phaal, see the F3 Phaal Chicken Curry recipe and the classic BIR Chicken Phaal recipe is also available.
7. Bhut Jolokia Murgh
Image of a Bhut Jolokia Murgh Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: A yellow-brown curry with a thick texture
The Bhut Jolokia Murgh Curry is in the same class as the Phaal/Vindaloo but is much newer on the scene. The bhut jalokia itself is an interspecific hybrid of the Indian Naga Jalokia chilli and a white version of the chilli is what gives it its alternate name of 'Ghost Pepper'. The core of the curry is a garlic, onion and ginger puree containing dried bhut jolokia chillies. Like a jalfrezi it's fished with sliced, raw, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Bhut Jolokia Murgh curry at the F3 Bhut Jolokia Murgh recipe page.
8. Vindaloo
Image of a Pork Vindaloo Curry.
Scoville Rating: 175 000 to 600 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: Bright red with a smooth tomato-based sauce
The Vindaloo was the first of the hot curries to become available in British curry houses. It's now a staple on the menu of many curry restaurants. A large number of chillies are placed in the Vindaloo Masala on which the Vindaloo curry is based, with a few additional chillies in the curry. A Vindaloo also contains a lot of black pepper, which makes it hotter on the palate than the basic chilli content might suggest. This was the first BIR curry designed specifically to be hot and used as a challenge to see who could survive eating it. Today, despite being a hot curry, many restaurant Vindaloos are returning to their Goan roots, and tend to be more flavoursome and more complex in flavour.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Vindaloo curry (using Vindaloo Masala) at the F3 Vindaloo recipe page.
The recipe for Vindaloo Masala can be found on the F3 Vindaloo Masala recipe page
Restaurant-style Vindaloo made with Vindaloo paste
The traditional Goan Vindhalo recipe on which Vindaloo is based can be found on the F3 pork Vindhalo recipe page
The Portuguese recipe for Carne de Porco em Vinho D’alhos is also available so you can see the evolution of the dish. The classic British Indian Restaurant recipe can be found on the BIR Chicken Vindaloo recipe page. For a vegetarian version you can prepare BIR Mushroom Vindaloo.
9. Debal/Devil's Curry
Image of a Debal/Devil's Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: Dark ochre with a smooth chilli-based sauce
Though not as well known as the Vindaloo, a Debal comes from the Portuguese creole Kristang people of Malacca in Malaysia. It used to be a speciality dish served for Christmas, but under the name 'Devil's Curry' is becoming more commonly known outside Malaysia. Debal is effectively the Malaysian version of Vindaloo, made with the vinegar and chillies that the Portuguese brought with them (though today tamarind juice is used more commonly than vinegar). A debal curry is actually fairly simple, made with chicken/pork and potatoes. The real secret of this curry is the spicy and aromatic spice paste that really lifts the dish and makes it something special. This is really a curry that deserves to be better known, and which is actually fairly simple to make at home.
You can find the recipe for an authentic version of Debal/Devil's at the F3 Debal recipe page.
The recipe for Deval/Devil's curry can be found on the F3 Debal Curry recipe page
Deval/Devil's curry recipe
10. Sambar
Image of a Spicy Sambar Curry.
Scoville Rating: 250 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Bright red with a smooth tomato-based sauce
A Sambar is not typically a hot curry. The original version (which I also have on this site) is a South Indian vegetarian curry based on lentils (actually split pigeon peas), which gives the dish a yellow colour. However some BIRs add more fresh chopped chillies to the base flavour mix. So, if you encounter a sambar on a menu, you should check out the heat as it could be anywhere from very mild to 'blow your head off'. Note that Sambar is vegetarian, so unless you can find a paneer version of the recipes above, this is the first hot curry accessible to vegetarians.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Sambar curry (using Vindaloo Masala) at the F3 Sambar recipe page.
The recipe for an authentic South Indian (Tamil Nadu) Sambar can be found on the F3 Tamil Nadu Sambar Curry recipe page
11. Madras
Image of a Spicy Madras Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Dark red to orange with a thick sauce
Madras is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. It is another curry that can be highly variable in its spiciness; ranging from mild to hot. Madras is the curry that for me, stops being really hot. Indeed, its the curry I order when I don't really want excessive heat. However, opinions differ and many people I know think that a madras is the curry that starts getting too hot for them. The restaurant-style madras curry is typically made with green birds' eye chillies and Kashmiri chillies. I like to add some Scotch bonnet powder to mine for an extra kick, but that is optional. It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Vindaloo.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Madras Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Madras Curry recipe page and the Garlic Chicken Madras page. For a vegetarian version you could try the Mushroom Madras recipe.
12. Garlic Chilli Chicken
Image of a Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 150 000 to 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8
What it Looks Like: A red sauce with plenty of freshly chopped chilli
Garlic Chilli Chicken is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and chilli powder (it can also be served garnished with extra fresh chillies). It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Madras.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Garlic Chilli Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry recipe page or the Tandoori Garlic Chilli Chicken recipe.
13. Chettinad
Image of a Chettinad Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 100 000
F3 Subjective Rating: ~8
What it Looks Like: Dark brown with a thick, rich and flavourful sauce
Chettinad is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This is based on a traditional South Indian curry from Chettinad. The curry is flavoured with plenty of crisp-fried curry leaves in an onion-based gravy. The Indian Restaurant version is typically spicier than the traditional version, but despite being fairly spicy it's a grown-up highly flavoursome curry with a blend of spices and coconut cream. If you want both spiciness and taste then this is the curry for you.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Chicken Chettinad curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Chettinad Curry recipe page.
For a more authentic version of Chicken Chettinad, see my recipe at the F3 Traditional Chicken Chettinad curry recipe, the BIR Chicken Chettinad or the BIR lamb Chettinad recipe.
14. Jalfrezi
Image of a Lamb Jalfrezi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 80 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: Orange-brown with a thick sauce and plenty of vegetables
Jalfrezi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This, again, typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and a generous garnished of sliced green finger chillies. This was my first taste of a hot curry in Manchester's Curry Mile and I enjoyed it straight away. Possibly, as well as the heat it's also quite a hearty stew. This is my go-to dish when preparing a curry for myself at home. It's often the curry I will ask for at a restaurant, too... though I do typically ask for extra chillies as a garnish!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Jalfrezi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Jalfrezi Curry recipe page.
For my even hotter Africanized version of chicken Jalfrezi (weighing in at 1 000 000+ Scoville units) see the F3 Fiery Chicken Jalfrezi curry recipe page. For a more typical BIR-style jalfrezi see my BIR Lamb jalfrezi recipe. For a more traditonal Jalfrezi, here is an Indian lamb jalfrezi. If you would like a vegetarian version of Jalfrezi, why not prepare a Paneer Jalfrezi.
15. King Prawn Karahi
Image of a King Prawn Karahi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 30 000 to 30 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: A bright orange curry with a loose and spicy sauce
Karahi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant that's named for the Karahi (also korai and Kadai) is named after the traditional balti dish in which it's cooked. This is generally accepted as a just over a medium-hot style of curry. The heat in this dish comes from fresh, chopped, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the King Prawn Karahi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style King Prawn Karahi Curry recipe page. For something even hotter, why not try the Naga Bhuna Karahi which is prepared like a typical karahi but includes naga chillies and has more like the heat of a Vindaloo.
Image of Nigeria challenge BIR goat Curry.
Image of BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: A curry with a thick dark reddish-brown sauce
The BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry is based on my own Insanity chilli paste and Naga chilli pickle as the main sources of heat. Scotch bonnets, nagas, Carolina reapers and piri-piries are combined for heat and flavour. It's also very flavoursome, if you can survive the intense heat, that is! This ranks lower than the preceding curry, a goat meat version, as less of the spice paste is usedYou can find the recipe for my version of the BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry at the F3 BIR-style Hot-hot Catfish Curry recipe page.
4. Naga Chicken Curry
Image of a Naga Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: A curry with a thick dark reddish-brown sauce
The Naga Chicken Curry is based on the commercial Naga Chilli Pickle as the main source of heat. However, as Naga chillies, like the related Scotch bonnet have a fruity flavour that they impart to the chilli, my version is slightly hotter than that you would normally encounter in a curry house. It's also slightly more flavoursome, if you can survive the intense heat, that is!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Naga Chicken curry at the F3 Naga Chicken curry recipe page.
5. Naga Curry
Image of a Naga Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: A curry with a thick brown sauce
The Naga Curry is my own invention, a truly hot curry of beef and lentils with a really thick sauce that contains lots and lots of fresh naga jalokia chillies. I wanted a curry that was hotter than a phaal (see below) but which really captured the aromatic and fruity flavours of the naga jalokia chilli.
It should be noted that the lentils that thicken this curry do mediate the heat slightly; however, there are so many chillies in this dish it doesn't really make that huge a difference. After all there are 11 naga jalokia chillies used in the recipe in total!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Naga beef and lentil curry at the F3 Naga curry recipe page.
6. Phaal
Image of a Phaal/Phall Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: Dark red/brown with a thick sauce and plenty of freshly chopped chilli
The Phaal (also Phall, fall, faal, phal or fal) has been a British Indian Recipe mainstay since the 1980s. It was the super-hot curry that was typically not printed on the menu, but that those in the know could order anyway. Typically it's made with hot pepper sauce (typically Scotch bonnet) and plenty of chopped chillies (habanero and jalepeño). My version also includes dried ghost pepper powder (bhut jalokia) that makes it spicier than normal. This was the second curry (after Vindaloo) that was designed to be super-hot and was often employed as a curry house challenge to see who could survive eating it.
Phaals actually originate in Punjab, based on a Bengali original (see the recipe for Bengali Hot Dry Meat Curry), though but the Bengali version is a dry curry and this gravy-based curry is really a curry restaurant invention. Though not typically on the menus of British or American curry restaurants, the Phaal can be specially ordered in some. The most famous of these is the Brick Lane Curry House in New York which creates a Phaal with ten different kinds of chillies and where the chefs wear a face mask whilst preparing it.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Phaal/Phall curry at the F3 Chicken Phaal/Phall recipe page.
For the recipe of the original Phaal, see the F3 Phaal Chicken Curry recipe and the classic BIR Chicken Phaal recipe is also available.
7. Bhut Jolokia Murgh
Image of a Bhut Jolokia Murgh Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: A yellow-brown curry with a thick texture
The Bhut Jolokia Murgh Curry is in the same class as the Phaal/Vindaloo but is much newer on the scene. The bhut jalokia itself is an interspecific hybrid of the Indian Naga Jalokia chilli and a white version of the chilli is what gives it its alternate name of 'Ghost Pepper'. The core of the curry is a garlic, onion and ginger puree containing dried bhut jolokia chillies. Like a jalfrezi it's fished with sliced, raw, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Bhut Jolokia Murgh curry at the F3 Bhut Jolokia Murgh recipe page.
8. Vindaloo
Image of a Pork Vindaloo Curry.
Scoville Rating: 175 000 to 600 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: Bright red with a smooth tomato-based sauce
The Vindaloo was the first of the hot curries to become available in British curry houses. It's now a staple on the menu of many curry restaurants. A large number of chillies are placed in the Vindaloo Masala on which the Vindaloo curry is based, with a few additional chillies in the curry. A Vindaloo also contains a lot of black pepper, which makes it hotter on the palate than the basic chilli content might suggest. This was the first BIR curry designed specifically to be hot and used as a challenge to see who could survive eating it. Today, despite being a hot curry, many restaurant Vindaloos are returning to their Goan roots, and tend to be more flavoursome and more complex in flavour.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Vindaloo curry (using Vindaloo Masala) at the F3 Vindaloo recipe page.
The recipe for Vindaloo Masala can be found on the F3 Vindaloo Masala recipe page
Restaurant-style Vindaloo made with Vindaloo paste
The traditional Goan Vindhalo recipe on which Vindaloo is based can be found on the F3 pork Vindhalo recipe page
The Portuguese recipe for Carne de Porco em Vinho D’alhos is also available so you can see the evolution of the dish. The classic British Indian Restaurant recipe can be found on the BIR Chicken Vindaloo recipe page. For a vegetarian version you can prepare BIR Mushroom Vindaloo.
9. Debal/Devil's Curry
Image of a Debal/Devil's Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: Dark ochre with a smooth chilli-based sauce
Though not as well known as the Vindaloo, a Debal comes from the Portuguese creole Kristang people of Malacca in Malaysia. It used to be a speciality dish served for Christmas, but under the name 'Devil's Curry' is becoming more commonly known outside Malaysia. Debal is effectively the Malaysian version of Vindaloo, made with the vinegar and chillies that the Portuguese brought with them (though today tamarind juice is used more commonly than vinegar). A debal curry is actually fairly simple, made with chicken/pork and potatoes. The real secret of this curry is the spicy and aromatic spice paste that really lifts the dish and makes it something special. This is really a curry that deserves to be better known, and which is actually fairly simple to make at home.
You can find the recipe for an authentic version of Debal/Devil's at the F3 Debal recipe page.
The recipe for Deval/Devil's curry can be found on the F3 Debal Curry recipe page
Deval/Devil's curry recipe
10. Sambar
Image of a Spicy Sambar Curry.
Scoville Rating: 250 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Bright red with a smooth tomato-based sauce
A Sambar is not typically a hot curry. The original version (which I also have on this site) is a South Indian vegetarian curry based on lentils (actually split pigeon peas), which gives the dish a yellow colour. However some BIRs add more fresh chopped chillies to the base flavour mix. So, if you encounter a sambar on a menu, you should check out the heat as it could be anywhere from very mild to 'blow your head off'. Note that Sambar is vegetarian, so unless you can find a paneer version of the recipes above, this is the first hot curry accessible to vegetarians.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Sambar curry (using Vindaloo Masala) at the F3 Sambar recipe page.
The recipe for an authentic South Indian (Tamil Nadu) Sambar can be found on the F3 Tamil Nadu Sambar Curry recipe page
11. Madras
Image of a Spicy Madras Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Dark red to orange with a thick sauce
Madras is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. It is another curry that can be highly variable in its spiciness; ranging from mild to hot. Madras is the curry that for me, stops being really hot. Indeed, its the curry I order when I don't really want excessive heat. However, opinions differ and many people I know think that a madras is the curry that starts getting too hot for them. The restaurant-style madras curry is typically made with green birds' eye chillies and Kashmiri chillies. I like to add some Scotch bonnet powder to mine for an extra kick, but that is optional. It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Vindaloo.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Madras Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Madras Curry recipe page and the Garlic Chicken Madras page. For a vegetarian version you could try the Mushroom Madras recipe.
12. Garlic Chilli Chicken
Image of a Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 150 000 to 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8
What it Looks Like: A red sauce with plenty of freshly chopped chilli
Garlic Chilli Chicken is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and chilli powder (it can also be served garnished with extra fresh chillies). It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Madras.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Garlic Chilli Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry recipe page or the Tandoori Garlic Chilli Chicken recipe.
13. Chettinad
Image of a Chettinad Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 100 000
F3 Subjective Rating: ~8
What it Looks Like: Dark brown with a thick, rich and flavourful sauce
Chettinad is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This is based on a traditional South Indian curry from Chettinad. The curry is flavoured with plenty of crisp-fried curry leaves in an onion-based gravy. The Indian Restaurant version is typically spicier than the traditional version, but despite being fairly spicy it's a grown-up highly flavoursome curry with a blend of spices and coconut cream. If you want both spiciness and taste then this is the curry for you.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Chicken Chettinad curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Chettinad Curry recipe page.
For a more authentic version of Chicken Chettinad, see my recipe at the F3 Traditional Chicken Chettinad curry recipe, the BIR Chicken Chettinad or the BIR lamb Chettinad recipe.
14. Jalfrezi
Image of a Lamb Jalfrezi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 80 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: Orange-brown with a thick sauce and plenty of vegetables
Jalfrezi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This, again, typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and a generous garnished of sliced green finger chillies. This was my first taste of a hot curry in Manchester's Curry Mile and I enjoyed it straight away. Possibly, as well as the heat it's also quite a hearty stew. This is my go-to dish when preparing a curry for myself at home. It's often the curry I will ask for at a restaurant, too... though I do typically ask for extra chillies as a garnish!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Jalfrezi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Jalfrezi Curry recipe page.
For my even hotter Africanized version of chicken Jalfrezi (weighing in at 1 000 000+ Scoville units) see the F3 Fiery Chicken Jalfrezi curry recipe page. For a more typical BIR-style jalfrezi see my BIR Lamb jalfrezi recipe. For a more traditonal Jalfrezi, here is an Indian lamb jalfrezi. If you would like a vegetarian version of Jalfrezi, why not prepare a Paneer Jalfrezi.
15. King Prawn Karahi
Image of a King Prawn Karahi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 30 000 to 30 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: A bright orange curry with a loose and spicy sauce
Karahi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant that's named for the Karahi (also korai and Kadai) is named after the traditional balti dish in which it's cooked. This is generally accepted as a just over a medium-hot style of curry. The heat in this dish comes from fresh, chopped, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the King Prawn Karahi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style King Prawn Karahi Curry recipe page. For something even hotter, why not try the Naga Bhuna Karahi which is prepared like a typical karahi but includes naga chillies and has more like the heat of a Vindaloo.
Image of a Naga Chicken Curry.
Image of a Naga Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: A curry with a thick brown sauce
The Naga Curry is my own invention, a truly hot curry of beef and lentils with a really thick sauce that contains lots and lots of fresh naga jalokia chillies. I wanted a curry that was hotter than a phaal (see below) but which really captured the aromatic and fruity flavours of the naga jalokia chilli.It should be noted that the lentils that thicken this curry do mediate the heat slightly; however, there are so many chillies in this dish it doesn't really make that huge a difference. After all there are 11 naga jalokia chillies used in the recipe in total! You can find the recipe for my version of the Naga beef and lentil curry at the F3 Naga curry recipe page.
6. Phaal
Image of a Phaal/Phall Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10+
What it Looks Like: Dark red/brown with a thick sauce and plenty of freshly chopped chilli
The Phaal (also Phall, fall, faal, phal or fal) has been a British Indian Recipe mainstay since the 1980s. It was the super-hot curry that was typically not printed on the menu, but that those in the know could order anyway. Typically it's made with hot pepper sauce (typically Scotch bonnet) and plenty of chopped chillies (habanero and jalepeño). My version also includes dried ghost pepper powder (bhut jalokia) that makes it spicier than normal. This was the second curry (after Vindaloo) that was designed to be super-hot and was often employed as a curry house challenge to see who could survive eating it.
Phaals actually originate in Punjab, based on a Bengali original (see the recipe for Bengali Hot Dry Meat Curry), though but the Bengali version is a dry curry and this gravy-based curry is really a curry restaurant invention. Though not typically on the menus of British or American curry restaurants, the Phaal can be specially ordered in some. The most famous of these is the Brick Lane Curry House in New York which creates a Phaal with ten different kinds of chillies and where the chefs wear a face mask whilst preparing it.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Phaal/Phall curry at the F3 Chicken Phaal/Phall recipe page.
For the recipe of the original Phaal, see the F3 Phaal Chicken Curry recipe and the classic BIR Chicken Phaal recipe is also available.
7. Bhut Jolokia Murgh
Image of a Bhut Jolokia Murgh Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: A yellow-brown curry with a thick texture
The Bhut Jolokia Murgh Curry is in the same class as the Phaal/Vindaloo but is much newer on the scene. The bhut jalokia itself is an interspecific hybrid of the Indian Naga Jalokia chilli and a white version of the chilli is what gives it its alternate name of 'Ghost Pepper'. The core of the curry is a garlic, onion and ginger puree containing dried bhut jolokia chillies. Like a jalfrezi it's fished with sliced, raw, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Bhut Jolokia Murgh curry at the F3 Bhut Jolokia Murgh recipe page.
8. Vindaloo
Image of a Pork Vindaloo Curry.
Scoville Rating: 175 000 to 600 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: Bright red with a smooth tomato-based sauce
The Vindaloo was the first of the hot curries to become available in British curry houses. It's now a staple on the menu of many curry restaurants. A large number of chillies are placed in the Vindaloo Masala on which the Vindaloo curry is based, with a few additional chillies in the curry. A Vindaloo also contains a lot of black pepper, which makes it hotter on the palate than the basic chilli content might suggest. This was the first BIR curry designed specifically to be hot and used as a challenge to see who could survive eating it. Today, despite being a hot curry, many restaurant Vindaloos are returning to their Goan roots, and tend to be more flavoursome and more complex in flavour.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Vindaloo curry (using Vindaloo Masala) at the F3 Vindaloo recipe page.
The recipe for Vindaloo Masala can be found on the F3 Vindaloo Masala recipe page
Restaurant-style Vindaloo made with Vindaloo paste
The traditional Goan Vindhalo recipe on which Vindaloo is based can be found on the F3 pork Vindhalo recipe page
The Portuguese recipe for Carne de Porco em Vinho D’alhos is also available so you can see the evolution of the dish. The classic British Indian Restaurant recipe can be found on the BIR Chicken Vindaloo recipe page. For a vegetarian version you can prepare BIR Mushroom Vindaloo.
9. Debal/Devil's Curry
Image of a Debal/Devil's Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: Dark ochre with a smooth chilli-based sauce
Though not as well known as the Vindaloo, a Debal comes from the Portuguese creole Kristang people of Malacca in Malaysia. It used to be a speciality dish served for Christmas, but under the name 'Devil's Curry' is becoming more commonly known outside Malaysia. Debal is effectively the Malaysian version of Vindaloo, made with the vinegar and chillies that the Portuguese brought with them (though today tamarind juice is used more commonly than vinegar). A debal curry is actually fairly simple, made with chicken/pork and potatoes. The real secret of this curry is the spicy and aromatic spice paste that really lifts the dish and makes it something special. This is really a curry that deserves to be better known, and which is actually fairly simple to make at home.
You can find the recipe for an authentic version of Debal/Devil's at the F3 Debal recipe page.
The recipe for Deval/Devil's curry can be found on the F3 Debal Curry recipe page
Deval/Devil's curry recipe
10. Sambar
Image of a Spicy Sambar Curry.
Scoville Rating: 250 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Bright red with a smooth tomato-based sauce
A Sambar is not typically a hot curry. The original version (which I also have on this site) is a South Indian vegetarian curry based on lentils (actually split pigeon peas), which gives the dish a yellow colour. However some BIRs add more fresh chopped chillies to the base flavour mix. So, if you encounter a sambar on a menu, you should check out the heat as it could be anywhere from very mild to 'blow your head off'. Note that Sambar is vegetarian, so unless you can find a paneer version of the recipes above, this is the first hot curry accessible to vegetarians.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Sambar curry (using Vindaloo Masala) at the F3 Sambar recipe page.
The recipe for an authentic South Indian (Tamil Nadu) Sambar can be found on the F3 Tamil Nadu Sambar Curry recipe page
11. Madras
Image of a Spicy Madras Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Dark red to orange with a thick sauce
Madras is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. It is another curry that can be highly variable in its spiciness; ranging from mild to hot. Madras is the curry that for me, stops being really hot. Indeed, its the curry I order when I don't really want excessive heat. However, opinions differ and many people I know think that a madras is the curry that starts getting too hot for them. The restaurant-style madras curry is typically made with green birds' eye chillies and Kashmiri chillies. I like to add some Scotch bonnet powder to mine for an extra kick, but that is optional. It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Vindaloo.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Madras Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Madras Curry recipe page and the Garlic Chicken Madras page. For a vegetarian version you could try the Mushroom Madras recipe.
12. Garlic Chilli Chicken
Image of a Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 150 000 to 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8
What it Looks Like: A red sauce with plenty of freshly chopped chilli
Garlic Chilli Chicken is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and chilli powder (it can also be served garnished with extra fresh chillies). It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Madras.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Garlic Chilli Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry recipe page or the Tandoori Garlic Chilli Chicken recipe.
13. Chettinad
Image of a Chettinad Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 100 000
F3 Subjective Rating: ~8
What it Looks Like: Dark brown with a thick, rich and flavourful sauce
Chettinad is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This is based on a traditional South Indian curry from Chettinad. The curry is flavoured with plenty of crisp-fried curry leaves in an onion-based gravy. The Indian Restaurant version is typically spicier than the traditional version, but despite being fairly spicy it's a grown-up highly flavoursome curry with a blend of spices and coconut cream. If you want both spiciness and taste then this is the curry for you.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Chicken Chettinad curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Chettinad Curry recipe page.
For a more authentic version of Chicken Chettinad, see my recipe at the F3 Traditional Chicken Chettinad curry recipe, the BIR Chicken Chettinad or the BIR lamb Chettinad recipe.
14. Jalfrezi
Image of a Lamb Jalfrezi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 80 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: Orange-brown with a thick sauce and plenty of vegetables
Jalfrezi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This, again, typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and a generous garnished of sliced green finger chillies. This was my first taste of a hot curry in Manchester's Curry Mile and I enjoyed it straight away. Possibly, as well as the heat it's also quite a hearty stew. This is my go-to dish when preparing a curry for myself at home. It's often the curry I will ask for at a restaurant, too... though I do typically ask for extra chillies as a garnish!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Jalfrezi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Jalfrezi Curry recipe page.
For my even hotter Africanized version of chicken Jalfrezi (weighing in at 1 000 000+ Scoville units) see the F3 Fiery Chicken Jalfrezi curry recipe page. For a more typical BIR-style jalfrezi see my BIR Lamb jalfrezi recipe. For a more traditonal Jalfrezi, here is an Indian lamb jalfrezi. If you would like a vegetarian version of Jalfrezi, why not prepare a Paneer Jalfrezi.
15. King Prawn Karahi
Image of a King Prawn Karahi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 30 000 to 30 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: A bright orange curry with a loose and spicy sauce
Karahi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant that's named for the Karahi (also korai and Kadai) is named after the traditional balti dish in which it's cooked. This is generally accepted as a just over a medium-hot style of curry. The heat in this dish comes from fresh, chopped, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the King Prawn Karahi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style King Prawn Karahi Curry recipe page. For something even hotter, why not try the Naga Bhuna Karahi which is prepared like a typical karahi but includes naga chillies and has more like the heat of a Vindaloo.
Image of a Phaal/Phall Chicken Curry.
Image of a Bhut Jolokia Murgh Curry.
Scoville Rating: 1,000,000+
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: A yellow-brown curry with a thick texture
The Bhut Jolokia Murgh Curry is in the same class as the Phaal/Vindaloo but is much newer on the scene. The bhut jalokia itself is an interspecific hybrid of the Indian Naga Jalokia chilli and a white version of the chilli is what gives it its alternate name of 'Ghost Pepper'. The core of the curry is a garlic, onion and ginger puree containing dried bhut jolokia chillies. Like a jalfrezi it's fished with sliced, raw, finger chillies.You can find the recipe for my version of the Bhut Jolokia Murgh curry at the F3 Bhut Jolokia Murgh recipe page.
8. Vindaloo
Image of a Pork Vindaloo Curry.
Scoville Rating: 175 000 to 600 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: Bright red with a smooth tomato-based sauce
The Vindaloo was the first of the hot curries to become available in British curry houses. It's now a staple on the menu of many curry restaurants. A large number of chillies are placed in the Vindaloo Masala on which the Vindaloo curry is based, with a few additional chillies in the curry. A Vindaloo also contains a lot of black pepper, which makes it hotter on the palate than the basic chilli content might suggest. This was the first BIR curry designed specifically to be hot and used as a challenge to see who could survive eating it. Today, despite being a hot curry, many restaurant Vindaloos are returning to their Goan roots, and tend to be more flavoursome and more complex in flavour.
You can find the recipe for my version of the Vindaloo curry (using Vindaloo Masala) at the F3 Vindaloo recipe page.
The recipe for Vindaloo Masala can be found on the F3 Vindaloo Masala recipe page
Restaurant-style Vindaloo made with Vindaloo paste
The traditional Goan Vindhalo recipe on which Vindaloo is based can be found on the F3 pork Vindhalo recipe page
The Portuguese recipe for Carne de Porco em Vinho D’alhos is also available so you can see the evolution of the dish. The classic British Indian Restaurant recipe can be found on the BIR Chicken Vindaloo recipe page. For a vegetarian version you can prepare BIR Mushroom Vindaloo.
9. Debal/Devil's Curry
Image of a Debal/Devil's Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: Dark ochre with a smooth chilli-based sauce
Though not as well known as the Vindaloo, a Debal comes from the Portuguese creole Kristang people of Malacca in Malaysia. It used to be a speciality dish served for Christmas, but under the name 'Devil's Curry' is becoming more commonly known outside Malaysia. Debal is effectively the Malaysian version of Vindaloo, made with the vinegar and chillies that the Portuguese brought with them (though today tamarind juice is used more commonly than vinegar). A debal curry is actually fairly simple, made with chicken/pork and potatoes. The real secret of this curry is the spicy and aromatic spice paste that really lifts the dish and makes it something special. This is really a curry that deserves to be better known, and which is actually fairly simple to make at home.
You can find the recipe for an authentic version of Debal/Devil's at the F3 Debal recipe page.
The recipe for Deval/Devil's curry can be found on the F3 Debal Curry recipe page
Deval/Devil's curry recipe
10. Sambar
Image of a Spicy Sambar Curry.
Scoville Rating: 250 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Bright red with a smooth tomato-based sauce
A Sambar is not typically a hot curry. The original version (which I also have on this site) is a South Indian vegetarian curry based on lentils (actually split pigeon peas), which gives the dish a yellow colour. However some BIRs add more fresh chopped chillies to the base flavour mix. So, if you encounter a sambar on a menu, you should check out the heat as it could be anywhere from very mild to 'blow your head off'. Note that Sambar is vegetarian, so unless you can find a paneer version of the recipes above, this is the first hot curry accessible to vegetarians.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Sambar curry (using Vindaloo Masala) at the F3 Sambar recipe page.
The recipe for an authentic South Indian (Tamil Nadu) Sambar can be found on the F3 Tamil Nadu Sambar Curry recipe page
11. Madras
Image of a Spicy Madras Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Dark red to orange with a thick sauce
Madras is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. It is another curry that can be highly variable in its spiciness; ranging from mild to hot. Madras is the curry that for me, stops being really hot. Indeed, its the curry I order when I don't really want excessive heat. However, opinions differ and many people I know think that a madras is the curry that starts getting too hot for them. The restaurant-style madras curry is typically made with green birds' eye chillies and Kashmiri chillies. I like to add some Scotch bonnet powder to mine for an extra kick, but that is optional. It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Vindaloo.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Madras Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Madras Curry recipe page and the Garlic Chicken Madras page. For a vegetarian version you could try the Mushroom Madras recipe.
12. Garlic Chilli Chicken
Image of a Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 150 000 to 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8
What it Looks Like: A red sauce with plenty of freshly chopped chilli
Garlic Chilli Chicken is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and chilli powder (it can also be served garnished with extra fresh chillies). It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Madras.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Garlic Chilli Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry recipe page or the Tandoori Garlic Chilli Chicken recipe.
13. Chettinad
Image of a Chettinad Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 100 000
F3 Subjective Rating: ~8
What it Looks Like: Dark brown with a thick, rich and flavourful sauce
Chettinad is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This is based on a traditional South Indian curry from Chettinad. The curry is flavoured with plenty of crisp-fried curry leaves in an onion-based gravy. The Indian Restaurant version is typically spicier than the traditional version, but despite being fairly spicy it's a grown-up highly flavoursome curry with a blend of spices and coconut cream. If you want both spiciness and taste then this is the curry for you.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Chicken Chettinad curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Chettinad Curry recipe page.
For a more authentic version of Chicken Chettinad, see my recipe at the F3 Traditional Chicken Chettinad curry recipe, the BIR Chicken Chettinad or the BIR lamb Chettinad recipe.
14. Jalfrezi
Image of a Lamb Jalfrezi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 80 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: Orange-brown with a thick sauce and plenty of vegetables
Jalfrezi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This, again, typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and a generous garnished of sliced green finger chillies. This was my first taste of a hot curry in Manchester's Curry Mile and I enjoyed it straight away. Possibly, as well as the heat it's also quite a hearty stew. This is my go-to dish when preparing a curry for myself at home. It's often the curry I will ask for at a restaurant, too... though I do typically ask for extra chillies as a garnish!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Jalfrezi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Jalfrezi Curry recipe page.
For my even hotter Africanized version of chicken Jalfrezi (weighing in at 1 000 000+ Scoville units) see the F3 Fiery Chicken Jalfrezi curry recipe page. For a more typical BIR-style jalfrezi see my BIR Lamb jalfrezi recipe. For a more traditonal Jalfrezi, here is an Indian lamb jalfrezi. If you would like a vegetarian version of Jalfrezi, why not prepare a Paneer Jalfrezi.
15. King Prawn Karahi
Image of a King Prawn Karahi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 30 000 to 30 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: A bright orange curry with a loose and spicy sauce
Karahi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant that's named for the Karahi (also korai and Kadai) is named after the traditional balti dish in which it's cooked. This is generally accepted as a just over a medium-hot style of curry. The heat in this dish comes from fresh, chopped, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the King Prawn Karahi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style King Prawn Karahi Curry recipe page. For something even hotter, why not try the Naga Bhuna Karahi which is prepared like a typical karahi but includes naga chillies and has more like the heat of a Vindaloo.
Image of a Pork Vindaloo Curry.
Image of a Debal/Devil's Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 10
What it Looks Like: Dark ochre with a smooth chilli-based sauce
Though not as well known as the Vindaloo, a Debal comes from the Portuguese creole Kristang people of Malacca in Malaysia. It used to be a speciality dish served for Christmas, but under the name 'Devil's Curry' is becoming more commonly known outside Malaysia. Debal is effectively the Malaysian version of Vindaloo, made with the vinegar and chillies that the Portuguese brought with them (though today tamarind juice is used more commonly than vinegar). A debal curry is actually fairly simple, made with chicken/pork and potatoes. The real secret of this curry is the spicy and aromatic spice paste that really lifts the dish and makes it something special. This is really a curry that deserves to be better known, and which is actually fairly simple to make at home.You can find the recipe for an authentic version of Debal/Devil's at the F3 Debal recipe page.
The recipe for Deval/Devil's curry can be found on the F3 Debal Curry recipe page
Deval/Devil's curry recipe
10. Sambar
Image of a Spicy Sambar Curry.
Scoville Rating: 250 000 to 500 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Bright red with a smooth tomato-based sauce
A Sambar is not typically a hot curry. The original version (which I also have on this site) is a South Indian vegetarian curry based on lentils (actually split pigeon peas), which gives the dish a yellow colour. However some BIRs add more fresh chopped chillies to the base flavour mix. So, if you encounter a sambar on a menu, you should check out the heat as it could be anywhere from very mild to 'blow your head off'. Note that Sambar is vegetarian, so unless you can find a paneer version of the recipes above, this is the first hot curry accessible to vegetarians.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Sambar curry (using Vindaloo Masala) at the F3 Sambar recipe page.
The recipe for an authentic South Indian (Tamil Nadu) Sambar can be found on the F3 Tamil Nadu Sambar Curry recipe page
11. Madras
Image of a Spicy Madras Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Dark red to orange with a thick sauce
Madras is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. It is another curry that can be highly variable in its spiciness; ranging from mild to hot. Madras is the curry that for me, stops being really hot. Indeed, its the curry I order when I don't really want excessive heat. However, opinions differ and many people I know think that a madras is the curry that starts getting too hot for them. The restaurant-style madras curry is typically made with green birds' eye chillies and Kashmiri chillies. I like to add some Scotch bonnet powder to mine for an extra kick, but that is optional. It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Vindaloo.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Madras Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Madras Curry recipe page and the Garlic Chicken Madras page. For a vegetarian version you could try the Mushroom Madras recipe.
12. Garlic Chilli Chicken
Image of a Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 150 000 to 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8
What it Looks Like: A red sauce with plenty of freshly chopped chilli
Garlic Chilli Chicken is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and chilli powder (it can also be served garnished with extra fresh chillies). It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Madras.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Garlic Chilli Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry recipe page or the Tandoori Garlic Chilli Chicken recipe.
13. Chettinad
Image of a Chettinad Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 100 000
F3 Subjective Rating: ~8
What it Looks Like: Dark brown with a thick, rich and flavourful sauce
Chettinad is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This is based on a traditional South Indian curry from Chettinad. The curry is flavoured with plenty of crisp-fried curry leaves in an onion-based gravy. The Indian Restaurant version is typically spicier than the traditional version, but despite being fairly spicy it's a grown-up highly flavoursome curry with a blend of spices and coconut cream. If you want both spiciness and taste then this is the curry for you.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Chicken Chettinad curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Chettinad Curry recipe page.
For a more authentic version of Chicken Chettinad, see my recipe at the F3 Traditional Chicken Chettinad curry recipe, the BIR Chicken Chettinad or the BIR lamb Chettinad recipe.
14. Jalfrezi
Image of a Lamb Jalfrezi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 80 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: Orange-brown with a thick sauce and plenty of vegetables
Jalfrezi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This, again, typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and a generous garnished of sliced green finger chillies. This was my first taste of a hot curry in Manchester's Curry Mile and I enjoyed it straight away. Possibly, as well as the heat it's also quite a hearty stew. This is my go-to dish when preparing a curry for myself at home. It's often the curry I will ask for at a restaurant, too... though I do typically ask for extra chillies as a garnish!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Jalfrezi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Jalfrezi Curry recipe page.
For my even hotter Africanized version of chicken Jalfrezi (weighing in at 1 000 000+ Scoville units) see the F3 Fiery Chicken Jalfrezi curry recipe page. For a more typical BIR-style jalfrezi see my BIR Lamb jalfrezi recipe. For a more traditonal Jalfrezi, here is an Indian lamb jalfrezi. If you would like a vegetarian version of Jalfrezi, why not prepare a Paneer Jalfrezi.
15. King Prawn Karahi
Image of a King Prawn Karahi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 30 000 to 30 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: A bright orange curry with a loose and spicy sauce
Karahi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant that's named for the Karahi (also korai and Kadai) is named after the traditional balti dish in which it's cooked. This is generally accepted as a just over a medium-hot style of curry. The heat in this dish comes from fresh, chopped, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the King Prawn Karahi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style King Prawn Karahi Curry recipe page. For something even hotter, why not try the Naga Bhuna Karahi which is prepared like a typical karahi but includes naga chillies and has more like the heat of a Vindaloo.
Image of a Spicy Sambar Curry.
Image of a Spicy Madras Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8-9
What it Looks Like: Dark red to orange with a thick sauce
Madras is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. It is another curry that can be highly variable in its spiciness; ranging from mild to hot. Madras is the curry that for me, stops being really hot. Indeed, its the curry I order when I don't really want excessive heat. However, opinions differ and many people I know think that a madras is the curry that starts getting too hot for them. The restaurant-style madras curry is typically made with green birds' eye chillies and Kashmiri chillies. I like to add some Scotch bonnet powder to mine for an extra kick, but that is optional. It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Vindaloo.You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Madras Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Madras Curry recipe page and the Garlic Chicken Madras page. For a vegetarian version you could try the Mushroom Madras recipe.
12. Garlic Chilli Chicken
Image of a Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry.
Scoville Rating: 150 000 to 300 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 8
What it Looks Like: A red sauce with plenty of freshly chopped chilli
Garlic Chilli Chicken is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and chilli powder (it can also be served garnished with extra fresh chillies). It ranks amongst the curry styles that most Indian Restaurants are likely to serve and it's heat rating is typically between that of a Jalfrezi and a Madras.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Garlic Chilli Chicken curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry recipe page or the Tandoori Garlic Chilli Chicken recipe.
13. Chettinad
Image of a Chettinad Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 100 000
F3 Subjective Rating: ~8
What it Looks Like: Dark brown with a thick, rich and flavourful sauce
Chettinad is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This is based on a traditional South Indian curry from Chettinad. The curry is flavoured with plenty of crisp-fried curry leaves in an onion-based gravy. The Indian Restaurant version is typically spicier than the traditional version, but despite being fairly spicy it's a grown-up highly flavoursome curry with a blend of spices and coconut cream. If you want both spiciness and taste then this is the curry for you.
You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Chicken Chettinad curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Chettinad Curry recipe page.
For a more authentic version of Chicken Chettinad, see my recipe at the F3 Traditional Chicken Chettinad curry recipe, the BIR Chicken Chettinad or the BIR lamb Chettinad recipe.
14. Jalfrezi
Image of a Lamb Jalfrezi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 80 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: Orange-brown with a thick sauce and plenty of vegetables
Jalfrezi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This, again, typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and a generous garnished of sliced green finger chillies. This was my first taste of a hot curry in Manchester's Curry Mile and I enjoyed it straight away. Possibly, as well as the heat it's also quite a hearty stew. This is my go-to dish when preparing a curry for myself at home. It's often the curry I will ask for at a restaurant, too... though I do typically ask for extra chillies as a garnish!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Jalfrezi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Jalfrezi Curry recipe page.
For my even hotter Africanized version of chicken Jalfrezi (weighing in at 1 000 000+ Scoville units) see the F3 Fiery Chicken Jalfrezi curry recipe page. For a more typical BIR-style jalfrezi see my BIR Lamb jalfrezi recipe. For a more traditonal Jalfrezi, here is an Indian lamb jalfrezi. If you would like a vegetarian version of Jalfrezi, why not prepare a Paneer Jalfrezi.
15. King Prawn Karahi
Image of a King Prawn Karahi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 30 000 to 30 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: A bright orange curry with a loose and spicy sauce
Karahi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant that's named for the Karahi (also korai and Kadai) is named after the traditional balti dish in which it's cooked. This is generally accepted as a just over a medium-hot style of curry. The heat in this dish comes from fresh, chopped, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the King Prawn Karahi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style King Prawn Karahi Curry recipe page. For something even hotter, why not try the Naga Bhuna Karahi which is prepared like a typical karahi but includes naga chillies and has more like the heat of a Vindaloo.
Image of a Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry.
Image of a Chettinad Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 100 000
F3 Subjective Rating: ~8
What it Looks Like: Dark brown with a thick, rich and flavourful sauce
Chettinad is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This is based on a traditional South Indian curry from Chettinad. The curry is flavoured with plenty of crisp-fried curry leaves in an onion-based gravy. The Indian Restaurant version is typically spicier than the traditional version, but despite being fairly spicy it's a grown-up highly flavoursome curry with a blend of spices and coconut cream. If you want both spiciness and taste then this is the curry for you.You can find the recipe for my version of the hot Chicken Chettinad curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Chicken Chettinad Curry recipe page.
For a more authentic version of Chicken Chettinad, see my recipe at the F3 Traditional Chicken Chettinad curry recipe, the BIR Chicken Chettinad or the BIR lamb Chettinad recipe.
14. Jalfrezi
Image of a Lamb Jalfrezi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 50 000 to 80 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: Orange-brown with a thick sauce and plenty of vegetables
Jalfrezi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant. This, again, typically seems to be more standardised in curry houses, with the heat primarily coming from plenty of chopped green finger chillies and a generous garnished of sliced green finger chillies. This was my first taste of a hot curry in Manchester's Curry Mile and I enjoyed it straight away. Possibly, as well as the heat it's also quite a hearty stew. This is my go-to dish when preparing a curry for myself at home. It's often the curry I will ask for at a restaurant, too... though I do typically ask for extra chillies as a garnish!
You can find the recipe for my version of the Jalfrezi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style Jalfrezi Curry recipe page.
For my even hotter Africanized version of chicken Jalfrezi (weighing in at 1 000 000+ Scoville units) see the F3 Fiery Chicken Jalfrezi curry recipe page. For a more typical BIR-style jalfrezi see my BIR Lamb jalfrezi recipe. For a more traditonal Jalfrezi, here is an Indian lamb jalfrezi. If you would like a vegetarian version of Jalfrezi, why not prepare a Paneer Jalfrezi.
15. King Prawn Karahi
Image of a King Prawn Karahi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 30 000 to 30 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: A bright orange curry with a loose and spicy sauce
Karahi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant that's named for the Karahi (also korai and Kadai) is named after the traditional balti dish in which it's cooked. This is generally accepted as a just over a medium-hot style of curry. The heat in this dish comes from fresh, chopped, finger chillies.
You can find the recipe for my version of the King Prawn Karahi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style King Prawn Karahi Curry recipe page. For something even hotter, why not try the Naga Bhuna Karahi which is prepared like a typical karahi but includes naga chillies and has more like the heat of a Vindaloo.
Image of a Lamb Jalfrezi Curry.
Image of a King Prawn Karahi Curry.
Scoville Rating: 30 000 to 30 000
F3 Subjective Rating: 7-8
What it Looks Like: A bright orange curry with a loose and spicy sauce
Karahi is another staple of the British Indian Restaurant that's named for the Karahi (also korai and Kadai) is named after the traditional balti dish in which it's cooked. This is generally accepted as a just over a medium-hot style of curry. The heat in this dish comes from fresh, chopped, finger chillies.You can find the recipe for my version of the King Prawn Karahi curry at the F3 Restaurant-style King Prawn Karahi Curry recipe page. For something even hotter, why not try the Naga Bhuna Karahi which is prepared like a typical karahi but includes naga chillies and has more like the heat of a Vindaloo.