The Naga Morich is a superhot pepper from Northeast India and Bangladesh. It is closely related to the bhut jolokia, or ghost pepper, and reaches up to 1.5 million Scoville Heat Units.
Scoville Heat Units: 1 million- 1.5 million SHU
Capsicum Chinense
The Naga Morich is the local name of the Naga pepper. It is cultivated in Bangladesh and Northeast India. It is known for being closely related to another well known pepper, the Bhut Joloka, aka "Ghost Pepper", which is one of the original superhot chili peppers. The Bhut Jolokia reaches over 1 Million Scoville Heat Units, making it an extremely hot chili pepper. However, the Naga Morich gets even hotter.
It also known as the snake or serpent chili.
How Hot is the Naga Morich?
The Naga Morich pepper heat level ranges from 1 million to 1.5 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU) on the Scoville Scale, making it one of the hottest peppers in the world. Compare this with a typical jalapeno pepper, which measures about 5,000 SHU, and you'll find the hottest Naga Morich is about 300 times hotter. That is quite hot! When eating them, the heat is more of a blooming heat, starting off somewhat slow, then building to an intensity some find hard to handle.
The current hottest pepper in the world is the Carolina Reaper, which measures in at over 2 Million SHU. The Naga Morich quite close, being comparable in heat to the Dorset Naga or the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion.
The Naga Morich was used to create the Dorset Naga, a related pepper that is technically a subspecies.
Look and Flavor of the Naga Morich
Once you get past the blazing heat, the Naga Morich offers an intensely fruity, almost floral, flavor and aroma. It is ideal for making sauce and hot sauces, or for dehydrating and grinding into chili pepper flakes or chili powders.
The pods themselves ripen from green to a vibrant orange or red color, with a bumpy, wrinkly skin. They grow to about 4-5 centimeters long.
Cooking with Naga Morich Peppers
If you enjoy the intense heat of superhot chili peppers, this pepper will deliver for you. It is important that you respect the heat of these peppers. I enjoy growing them and drying them in my dehydrator for making my own spicy chili flakes or making my own superhot seasoning blends. I also enjoy crushing up whole pods and adding them to a pepper grinder that I can use to grind over certain foods, like pizza. The pods last longer that way.
Try cooking a pod into a large pot of chili or gumbo, one of my favorite dishes. A single pepper will bring a wonderful heat and intensity to the entire dish. If that heat is too much for your family and friends, use a half a pod or less.
Always wear gloves when handling hot peppers, as the oils can get onto your skin and cause burning sensations. If this happens, learn how to stop the chili pepper burn on your skin and in your mouth.
TRY SOME OF THESE Superhot Chili RECIPES
- The Hottest Damn Hot Sauce I Ever Made – Hot sauce made with superhot peppers
- 5-Alarm Superhot Chicken Wings
- Reaper Chips (superhot tortilla chips)
Looking for Naga Morich Seeds and Sauces?
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Got any questions? Contact me anytime. I'm happy to help.
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