LavaStorm Curry Recipe (VERY HOT) by Richard Sayce
Here’s a magnificently spicy dish that goes beyond description on the heat scale. If you managed to eat my phaal curry then you’ll certainly find this one a greater challenge!
The curry, which I’ve aptly named ‘LavaStorm’, is inundated with numerous hot chillies, chilli flakes, and chilli powder. It has a delicious composition of various accompanying ingredients for an experience of great flavour, not just extreme heat.
The working title of this recipe was ‘the curry that’s so hot there’s no word to describe it’. Good luck if you try this one. You’ll need it!
This very hot curry recipe (pictured on this page with lamb) is from my Gourmand award-winning books Curry Compendium and Indian Restaurant Curry at Home Volume 2, which are available at Amazon and all good book sellers. Also available in kindle format to read on any device.
Please scroll down to see the accompanying YouTube video for this lavastorm curry recipe.
Books by Richard Sayce
INGREDIENTS
- 5 TBSP (75ml) Oil or Ghee
- 10cm Cassia Bark
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 Green Cardamom Pods, split open
- 60g Finely Chopped Onion
- 30-40g Red Pepper, sliced (about quarter of one)
- 2 tsp Ginger/Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
- 2 tsp Extra Hot Chilli Powder or 3-4 tsp ‘regular’ Chilli Powder
- 2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 1¼ tsp Mix Powder
- ¼-½ tsp Salt
- 6 TBSP Tomato Paste
- 3 TBSP Molten Lava Chilli Paste (see below)
- 1 TBSP Chilli Flakes
- 1-2 tsp Chilli/Naga Pickle (optional)
- 330ml+ Base Gravy
- Pre-cooked Chicken/Lamb/Beef/Vegetables, etc.
- 2-3 tsp Onion Paste, optional
- 2 tsp fresh Lime or Lemon Juice
- 8-10 Green Chillies, finely sliced width-wise
- 2 tsp Honey & 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 TBSP Natural Yoghurt
- Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
- A Tomato Slice for garnishing
SPACEHOLDER
MOLTEN LAVA CHILLI PASTE
A blend of fresh garlic and various hot RED chillies. Feel free to experiment. For this recipe I blend the following ingredients with a little water. (Remove the membrane/seeds from the chillies for less heat.)
This will make more than the 3 TBSP required for the curry recipe, but feel free to add it all!
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3 Garlic Cloves
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1 tsp Tandoori Masala
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2 ‘Naga’ Chillies
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4 Thai Red Chillies
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2 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Chillies
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1-2 ‘regular’ supermarket Red Chillies (medium heat)
METHOD
- Add the ghee and/or oil to a frying pan on medium high heat.
- Add the cassia bark, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods. Fry for 30-45 seconds to infuse the oil, stirring frequently.
- Add the finely chopped onion and sliced red pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the onions brown on the edges. Stir often.
- Now add the ginger/garlic paste and fry for 15-25 seconds, or until the sizzling subsides.
- Add the kasuri methi, chilli powders, mix powder, and salt. Pour over 30ml of base gravy to help mix the spices and prevent burning.
- Fry for 30-40 seconds, constantly stirring and ensuring flat distribution of the spices in the pan. If the spices show signs of starting to stick to the pan and burning, add a little water or base gravy to loosen things up. It’s very important to cook the spice powders out properly.
- Add the tomato paste, molten lava chilli paste, chilli flakes, and the optional chilli/naga pickle. Turn up the heat to high and cook for 45 seconds while stirring diligently, until the oil separates and tiny craters appear.
- Add the pre-cooked chicken/lamb/vegetables, etc., and mix well into the sauce.
- Add 75ml of base gravy, stir into the sauce, and leave on high heat (avoiding stirring/scraping unless showing signs of imminent burning) until the sauce is reduced a little, and the craters form once again.
- Add a second 75ml of base gravy, stir and scrape the bottom and sides of the pan once when first added, then allow the sauce to reduce again.
- Now add the final 150ml of base gravy, fresh lime or lemon juice, honey, sugar, finely sliced green chillies, and the optional onion paste. Stir and scrape once when first added.
- Leave to cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the desired consistency is reached. Add a little more base gravy if desired to thin the sauce out as to your preference. Avoid stirring/scraping unless the curry shows signs of starting to burn.
- Taste the curry and cook for longer if evident that the chilli powders have not cooked out enough. Add more sugar, salt or lemon/lime juice as to your preference.
- Just before the end of cooking turn the heat to low and stir in the natural yoghurt. This will help with appearance.
- There should be a lot of excess oil on the surface. Spoon it off from the top of the curry if you want to be health conscious.
- Serve, sprinkling the finely chopped coriander leaves on top, and garnishing with a slice or two of tomato.
Watch the Video
NOTES
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When handling fresh chillies, use extreme caution. Wash your hands immediately afterwards and avoid touching your face or other sensitive parts.
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Caution is advised when cooking this curry. Ensure extractor fans in the kitchen are turned on full, and windows open. Wearing a mask is advised!
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Misty Ricardo’s Curry Kitchen is not accountable for any physical or psychological effects that may or may not occur during and after cooking and consuming this very hot curry recipe.
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