With this phaal curry recipe, you can make the spiciest, hottest curry in the world with chicken, loads of seasonings, and extra fiery ghost peppers. And, I'll show you how to make it even hotter!
Hottest Curry in the World - Phaal Curry!
It's spicy hot curry in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends, and when I say "spicy hot", I truly mean spicy hot! Why? Because today we're making Phaal Curry, and if you've never tried it, you're in for a wonderful experience.
This is a recipe for true spicy food lovers, so be warned. However, I discuss how you can lower that heat a bit in the Recipe Tips & Notes section below. And also how to make it even hotter!
But first...
What is Phaal Curry?
Phaal curry is considered one of the hottest curries in the world, and the hottest of Indian curries, even hotter than vindaloo. It is a British Asian curry that originated in Birmingham, UK restaurants.
It is often made with fiery habanero peppers or scotch bonnet peppers, though many restaurants are now making it with ghost peppers, which are incredibly hot for most people.
Phaal curry goes by other names and spellings, like phal or phall curry, fall curry, faal or fahl curry or paal curry. It is usually served as a tomato-based curry, which I have done here, and I am using ghost peppers, which not only bring the heat, but a wonderfully fruity flavor that I love.
Let's talk about how to make phaal curry, shall we?
Phaal Curry Ingredients
- Chicken Breast. Or you can use chicken thigh, or lamb.
- Vegetable Oil. For cooking.
- Ghost Peppers. You can sub in habaneros for more manageable heat, or use even milder peppers.
- Other Vegetables. Onion, green onion, garlic.
- Tomatoes. Tomato paste and diced tomatoes.
- Spices. Ginger, curry powder, paprika, cardamom powder, turmeric, cumin, salt and black pepper.
- Chicken Broth or Stock. Vegetable broth or stock is good, too.
- Lime Juice.
- For Serving. Chopped cilantro, spicy chili flakes or parsley, cooked rice.
How to Make Phaal Curry - the Recipe Method
First, season the chopped chicken with a bit of salt and pepper.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or wok to medium heat.
Add the ghost peppers and onion. Cook them down about 5 minutes, until the peppers and onions have softened. It's a good idea to cook in a well-ventilated room with ghost peppers. I tossed in a couple serrano pepper as well because I love them.
Add the chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring a bit, until the chicken is mostly cooked through.
Next, add in the garlic, ginger and most of the green onions. Cook another minute, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant.
Add in the curry powder, paprika, cardamom, turmeric and cumin. Give it a stir.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth and stir. Bring to a quick boil and reduce the heat.
Simmer for 15 minutes or more to let the flavors develop, and the chicken to cook through. The curry will thicken up a bit for you.
Serve the spicy chicken curry over prepared white rice, then squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice over the top.
Top with extra green onions, parsley or cilantro, spicy chili flakes and lime slices or wedges.
Boom! Done! Easy curry recipe, isn't it? Most curries are super easy to make, even the hottest curry in the world. Crazy hot! Perfect for my spicy food lover people.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The Peppers. Most phaal curry recipes will call for hot peppers, like the habanero pepper or scotch bonnet peppers, which are roughly 300,000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Scale. Those are definitely hot, but ghost peppers are very commonly used. Ghost peppers tip the heat scale at over 1 Million SHU. They really bring the heat!
- Lower the Heat. If you're looking for a milder version of this recipe that still has a good heat level, go with a single habanero pepper, but core it out first. Or, you can make it with serrano peppers, which are about 50,000 SHU. Still hot, but not crazy.
- Make it Even Hotter. Want to make this a true "hottest curry in the world" recipe? Make it with Carolina Reaper peppers, the hottest peppers in the world at the moment. Try it with other superhot chili peppers too, like 7-Pot peppers or scorpion peppers. Oh baby! You can also use extra hot chili powders, sauces and seasonings. Light it up!
- The Proteins. I used chunks of chicken breast for this recipe, but it realistically works with any protein. Try it with chicken breast, chicken thigh, chunks of lean pork, shrimp, fish, or tofu.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my phaall curry recipe. This one will really spice you up! I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Phaal Curry Recipe: The Hottest Curry in the World
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast chopped (or use lamb)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 ghost peppers chopped (use habanero peppers for less intense heat, or use extra hot peppers like 7 Pot peppers, scorpion peppers, or the hottest pepper in the world, the Carolina Reaper, for the hottest phaal curry ever!)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon curry powder I use 2 tablespoons in mine!
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes or use equivalent fresh
- 1 cup chicken broth or use vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Juice from fresh limes + lime wedges for serving
- Chopped cilantro and spicy chili flakes or parsley for serving
- 2 cups cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Season the chopped chicken with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or wok to medium heat.
- Add the ghost peppers and onion. Cook them down about 5 minutes, until the peppers and onions have softened. It's a good idea to cook in a well-ventilated room with ghost peppers.
- Add the chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring a bit, until the chicken is mostly cooked through.
- Next, add in the garlic, ginger and most of the green onions. Cook another minute, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add in the curry powder, paprika, cardamom, turmeric and cumin. Give it a stir.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth and stir. Bring to a quick boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or more to let the flavors develop, and the chicken to cook through.
- Serve the spicy chicken curry over prepared white rice, then squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice over the top.
- Top with extra green onions, parsley or cilantro, spicy chili flakes and lime slices or wedges.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Daniel Lincoln says
I just cooked this for dinner, really amazing. It's good, and the flavors blend beautifully together, and the color is vibrant as well.
I made a few tweaks for myself: I used ghee instead of oil to make it a bit richer, chicken thighs instead of breasts since those do better in curries, and I substituted one of the ghost peppers for a Carolina Reaper.
Still just slightly not hot enough, so I think I may add a couple normal red chilies next time in addition to the rest next time.
But it's a good recipe all around, cooking is all about making small adjustments, but the canvas you created is great.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Daniel! Glad you enjoyed it. I agree, recipe can be a guide, meant to be adjust to taste. Cheers!
Megan-Lee says
I just tried your recipe tonight and it was an absolute game changer! I decided to supplement the chicken for a firm tofu which I've never had in a curry before and it went really well too! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and can't wait to try the others out!
Mike H. says
You are very welcome Megan-Lee - enjoy!
Lee Nauger says
Hi In your phaal curry if i wanted to make it with Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Chillis how many would I use in the recipe above - Replace 1:1 ?
Mike Hultquist says
Lee, yes, 1:1 ratio, though you can adjust with more or less. Let me know how it goes!
Alice says
Hello Mike. I made this yesterday using your recipe. I used two tablespoons of ghost pepper flakes for the heat which was just perfect for my liking. I am the only one in the the household who can handle it so all the more curry for me. 🙂
Mike H. says
Haha, thank you, Alice. I am glad you are enjoying it!
Tom says
Hey Mike, I’m planning on making this recipe at the weekend. I have some dried Carolina reapers. Do you think it would be ok to rehydrate them and use as the recipe suggests? So cook them with the onions?
I was also going to stick to 3 reapers. Does this sound ok?
Many thanks,
Tom
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Tom. Yes, you can do that. Should work fine. Yes, 3 ghost peppers. It will be very spicy this way! If you're concerned, you can try it with just 1 and see how you like it. Let me know how it turns out for you! Enjoy!
Tom says
Hey Mike,
Made the curry tonight, absolutely fantastic recipe! I used a dry carolina reaper, so I crushed it and added it with the rest of the spices. I went for just the 1 reaper to start with, and cooked the onions with some red habeneros at the start (2). The spice was perfect for me, I think anymore would have been too much, the misses loved it too! Thanks for the recipe and response, will be sure to check out more if your recipes 🙂
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent!! Glad you enjoyed it, Tom!