Hi all. I've been making curries for the last year based off this forum, and really, I have been making them hotter, hotter and hotter. I have been putting in 20 bird eye + 2 big kashmir dried + 1 tsp extra hot chilli powder. I try to give it layers of chilli flavour but don't like overdoing the powder due to its unpleasant powderiness if too much is added.

I am wanting it to go even hotter and more chilli complex so I may look at a different variety of chilli. I tried some Mr Naga paste, I love it but I was surprised that it wasn't as hot as I was expecting.

Anyways all of this thought about me chilli got me quite curious. How hot do these curries get in the wild? Which country/region has the hottest? I mean I think you have to go regional because countries are too big to really classify. Some obvious candidates are Thailand and India, but I am wondering Mexican, Carribean, Malaysia? I would generally exclude the UK phall because I don't think its that traditional and the ones I have had have been pretty horrible, no good flavour just the taste of raw chilli powder.

Can anyone offer any insights? How hot do you go and how do you get there? Have you travelled anywhere and found anything interestingly hot?

I felt similarly frustrated once.

I can echo what Phil says about stale spices. I noticed an enormous difference when I stopped buying "spices" from supermarkets and started buying from those small indian supermarkets. I look at the date on the packet and make sure they arent too old. I also seal them in airtight containers. I'd also recommend trying Ghee instead of oil.

Also I'd suggest cooking with a window open and if you want a "smell test" go outside underneath the window to smell then you can take a much more accurate smell reading. I find this works better in cold, damp weather.

To me/for me, chilli is a bit of a wonder. I once OD'd on Ibuprofen and gave myself an Ulcer, experienced no negative side effects from heavily spiced and very hot curry, actually more the opposite effect of easing the pain.
Along side red wine (in moderation has similar effects), chilli is most definitely a wonder food/drug.

I know this is all anecdotal but I notice these effects after consuming large doses of chilli:
- Cold/flu relief
- Unexplained increased happiness/euphoria
- Increased concentration
- Improved verbal articulation
- Heightened senses
- Creative impulse surges

Ok the results are in! I doubled the cooking time, because I had lamb I did not have to worry about the tenderness being effected by long cooking periods. The result was, indeed, a much much smoother curry.

So I think the idea of removing the chicken to let the sauce cook off a bit is a good idea.

I just wonder how this is implemented in restaurant kitchens? Perhaps the gravy is on the heat all day so its already pretty smooth. Idk.

I use Mr Naga quite a bit and I do enjoy it. I think if you want a bit of chilli depth with a long finish then it works quite well. I usually use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons in my curry.

How much do students pay? This is pretty inspiring stuff.

Ok so curry night is swiftly approaching again.
Goal: How to achieve greater depth in smoothness whilst retaining the existing attributes.

I will be using Lamb this time (shouldn't matter). The base was left to sit for over 24 hours before freezing.

Coriander to be added half way through cooking.

I will resist the urge to spoon in the base in a slight hurry like I usually do. I will wait until each ladle is cooked before adding the next. Popadoms will be made available to me throughout cooking time to help assist in this matter.

I feel I need to clarify, its that hit in the back middle of the roof of your mouth, I'm not getting that. Argggh.

Bulbs...no cloves...lol.

Ok so the results are in...dream curry yes or no.

Firstly Frank/Phil your suggestions definately helped. The depth was much greater. It was a vibrant and somewhat midrange. Thankyou both!

However if I was to make an analogy, it was like an amazing rock band, superb all round, playing without a bass player. Those low notes were missing. The hits to the back-middle of my palate still werent there.

I'm not even sure that taste is appropriate but I would like to be able to hit it if I wish.

I strayed from your advice slightly due to time pressure. Cooking time was 3 hours. No cooling time could be afforded.

Very close, just missing that bass now.

Ok base is bubbling away I also fried the onions and garlic for much longer than usual as well.
BTW the base recipe is Admins base based off that rick stien show where RS stole the recipe from a real curry house.

15 bulbs of garlic. Mmmm I think thats what gives it that authentic flavour.