Curry conundrum, curry for a wimp.

[D.P.]

Korma, Tikka, Thai Green etc.

Thai Green is fiery hot!, and far hotter than Thai red, yellow or Massuman curries. The curry paste for green curries is like 50% bird-eye chilies. Plus there is a lot of ter stuff going on like decent quantities of galangal and ginger which the OP may not be accustomed to, let alone the fish sauce.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Rogan josh and Bhuna are normally quite mild. I don't do hot things but love curry, I'll have those normally. Masala is also mild.

The menu should tell you which is hot or not, you can ask the waiter too.

 

[Toxophilus]

Thai Green is fiery hot!, and far hotter than Thai red, yellow or Massuman curries. The curry paste for green curries is like 50% bird-eye chilies. Plus there is a lot of ter stuff going on like decent quantities of galangal and ginger which the OP may not be accustomed to, let alone the fish sauce.

Thai curries can be unbelievably spicy and I do agree the Green curry is probably the hottest as the chillies have not ripened and so have less sugar content and adding a little bitterness to the taste.

I did get to know the owner of our local Thai takeaway (sadly bought out and nowhere as good now) and she told me that she actually made the curries for the UK market what they would consider mild

 

[tomparker95]

Rogan josh isn't generally mental spicy, it's lovely.

 

[Glaucus]

it doesn't matter what a thai curry has, since when did Indian restaurants serve Thai food

 

[Wizzfizz]

At the same time they started serving chow mein

 

[robfosters]

it doesn't matter what a thai curry has, since when did Indian restaurants serve Thai food

Not noticed indian restaurants doing it, but certainly takeaways that used to do chinese food only have all added a thai section to their menu.

It's not something I order though as I genuinely like the sauces that supermarkets do for thai curries. As long as it's got plenty of lemongrass and lime, I'm happy. Make it up and stir in a nice dollop of coriander. Indian curries, different story though. I can never get them as good as my local, award winning, indian restaurant.

 

[D.P.]

Thai curries can be unbelievably spicy and I do agree the Green curry is probably the hottest as the chillies have not ripened and so have less sugar content and adding a little bitterness to the taste.

I did get to know the owner of our local Thai takeaway (sadly bought out and nowhere as good now) and she told me that she actually made the curries for the UK market what they would consider mild

Thai food is generally the hottest in the world, much hotter than Indian which is actually mostly pretty mild in most parts.

It's not the fact the chili's are green, it's that so many are used and they use very hot variety. Red, yellow and massuman have very little chili added to them and are milder varieties.


I love Thai food, they always emphasize certain tastes. They are either really spicy, or super dour, or very salty, or bitter, or sharp, etc.

 

[Glaucus]

I love Thai food, they always emphasize certain tastes. They are either really spicy, or super dour, or very salty, or bitter, or sharp, etc.

or all of the above, the noodle salads are amazing salty, sour, sweet, crunchy, refreshing, spicy. just everything and yet so balanced.

 

[Vern1961]

OP not alone, just the smell of Indian food makes me retch - at the end of the day some people can take spicy food and others can't. Don't necessarily indicate a lack of 'nads, just how people are. Same with garlic, you either love it or hate it.

And are people eating Indian food really enjoying it? I remember many years ago on a Saturday night shift when it was customary for those who indulged to order in a curry one guy attempting a Bangalore Phall (allegedly hottest item on the menu). He was sweating, wheezing and turning bright red and doubt he consumed the full plate (plenty of water afterwards!).

Spiciest I get is Dolmio Spaghetti Bolognese, so I doubt a holiday to India would be very practical either!

 

[Glaucus]

of course people enjoy it. You get immune, not only that but chillis release endorphines. so there's the whole pain/pleasure thing if you go realy hot.
had a phall sunday night for myself with no one else around, so it wasn't for bragging sake. you just build up a tolerance and it builds up pretty fast if you eat lots of food with chilli in it.
when i was a kid even a korma was to hot, how times change.
cant imagine not liking it so many cruisines you cant have. feel sorry for you no thai food.

 

[tom_nieto]

If you're going to an indian restaurant, you don't have to have curry.

I only like curries made by myself, not from restaurants/takeaways so I always have a shashlik instead; skewered chicken, onion and peppers cooked in the tandoor. A couple of chapatis and some mint sauce and I'm sorted

Absolutely this. Go for a tandoori mixed grill and some breads of different varieties. If it's not on the menu, ask the waiter to make one for you as a main course.

I absolutely love spicy food, but spicy /= Indian necessarily.

 

[Avenged7Fold]

Thai food is generally the hottest in the world, much hotter than Indian which is actually mostly pretty mild in most parts.

I generally find the spicy dishes in Korean food hotter. It is funny that the general food culture in areas of the world birth dishes that are considered inedible in some countries but mild in their country of origin.

With these places catering to our market, you dont get a true sense of real spice until you try it in those countries i suppose.

 

[Scam]

There's so many places/regions that do spicy food. It really goes to show how bland western food can be in comparison. Trying to narrow it down to "the spiciest" is a bit pointless. One that springs to mind is Sichuan/Hunan food;

http://www.eater.com/2015/4/20/8447099/spicy-food-indian-chinese-thai

Sichuan dishes often use a combination of fresh green and dried red chiles, red chile oil, and Sichuan peppercorns

For those on here saying they can't handle Indian food I'd love to see them try a dish with Sichuan peppercorns in. Those things make your mouth go numb immediately, it's quite a strange sensation There's a food very well-regarded places in London but I can't persuade my girlfriend to come funnily enough...

I don't see why she wouldn't want to try a Sichuan hotpot

 

[Toxophilus]

I generally find the spicy dishes in Korean food hotter. It is funny that the general food culture in areas of the world birth dishes that are considered inedible in some countries but mild in their country of origin.

With these places catering to our market, you dont get a true sense of real spice until you try it in those countries i suppose.

You do develop a tolerance to chillies thought so if you were born eating them, then there is no wonder that the dishes need to be tamed.

 

[ttaskmaster]

at the end of the day some people can take spicy food and others can't.

Moreover, different people like different spicys - I'm not big on chillis and things, but I enjoy horseradish and English mustard in quantities that make most chilli lovers weep!!

 

[Mark A]

And are people eating Indian food really enjoying it? I remember many years ago on a Saturday night shift when it was customary for those who indulged to order in a curry one guy attempting a Bangalore Phall (allegedly hottest item on the menu). He was sweating, wheezing and turning bright red and doubt he consumed the full plate (plenty of water afterwards!).

There are always going to be some people that just order the hottest thing on the menu to prove how tough they are, then look like an idiot when they are trying not to let on its too hot for them but are bright red and sweating from places they didn't even know they could sweat from.

Wasn't curry one of the UKs favourite foods for a while? So people must like eating it, I know i certainly do. I'd have curry every day if I could.

 

[Kill_Phil]

Korma isn't a curry, it's a disgrace.

I genuinely lol'd

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Korma, Tikka Masala, Chasni = Puke, it's basically a litre of cream with some other stuff added to take the edge off the blandess of it.

Bhoona/Bhuna = normal curry tbh, has zero chillies in it, it's probably what people who don't like spicy curries should order. It's not hot, it's also not full of cream like the above.

Stick to chicken tikka over lamb too unless it's a decent chef who knows how to cook lamb properly. It should be tender and melt in the mouth and you shouldn't need to give your jaw a workout.

 

[esoteric]

Well I'm home now, here's an update.

We went to an Indian place and sat in for the meal. I had a poppadom to start which came with 3 dishes, 1 of salad and the other 2 were sauces. One looked like garlic and herb dip but it had like a fresh taste to it and was sweet to taste and a bit minty, the other dish had diced onions in a brownish/reddish sauce that was a bit like vinegar but again was really nice and sweet tasting.

Then we had starters, I chose Samosa which came which a lemon slice to drizzle and a bit of salad, I chose beef filling. Overall it was nice but a bit dry. I swapped a Samosa for an Onion Bhaji which was nice too. I considered having chicken chat because I know I like it but I wanted to try new stuff.

So for the main dish I chose a chicken pasanda with pilau rice. The pasanda was sweet with no hotness at all, I didn't dislike it but wasn't overly fond of it either, it was just "alright", I ate most of it tho and only left some because I felt full.

Overall it was a good experience and something I want to repeat and be more adventurous with. What I want next is a rogen josh.