My hottest curry was in a restaurant called The Handi in Drummond Street, London (an excellent street full of curry houses near Euston Station) about 12 years ago. The hottest on the menu was a Vindaloo (already at phal- like temperatures compared to other places), but in a fit of bravado brought on by too much Guiness, I order the Vindaloo with a 'please make it hot this time!' comment.

Any they sure did, although it was still edible and pretty tasty. My companion that evening had a foot in plaster due to a skiing accident, but after eating the curry he claimed he couldn't feel the pain in his foot anymore.

The incredulous chef popped out of the kitchen to watch us finish it.

Here's a recipe I say on the Food Channel-

Its not BIR cooking as such but is *very* similar to some curries I've had from kebab shops where there is only one sort of curry available and it sits around in a big pot all day, rather than the base/frying pan cook to order method.

It reminds me a lot of curry I used to get from a take away on Balham Hill in London.

Ingredients (as I cooked it)

Leg / Shoulder of Lamb trimmed and cubed (enough for 3-4 servings)

3 Onions
8 cloves garlic
2" Ginger
440g Tin Tomatos

level dessert spoon (each) of turmeric, ground cumin and ground coriander
2 tsp chilli powder

125g spinach cooked down and pureed with a little water
50g spinach leaves
3-4 large green chillis chopped and pureed with a little water
1 tsp garm masala

Fry the onions in 3 tbsp of oil untill very soft but not coloured (low heat)
Puree the onions with the ginger,garlic, tomatoes and a little water (100ml?)

return sauce to pan and add the meat and level dessert spoon of salt
simmer away on a low heat.
after about 1hr 20min add the chilli powder,cumin,coriander and turmeric

continue to cook on a very low heat until the meat is cooked (hopefully the oil will separate out for that genuine curry effect) -
about 1 hour more (I don't think its very sensitive to overcooking)
add the pureed spinach and cook for 10 mins.

add the pureed chilis and (optionally) the raw spinach leaves and cook for a few mins more.

Observations-

The base is similar to many others

The long cooking time with the meat in the sauce is key to the taste here. Mutton would be even better as it could take an even longer cooking (or lamb shanks). The curry I had from the takeaway would often have bits of lamb bone in as well, I guess adding a 'stock' type flavour.

The pureed spinach really adds a huge depth to the taste (and a fantastic colour)- not spinachy per se (for that we add the raw spinach),

The original recipe had 15 cloves of garlic but I baulked at that!

You could vary chilli powder and pureed chillis - this gives a *hot* one!

The tinned tomatos could be replaced with passata/paste/ketchup if you like.

Hope you enjoy this