PrintThe Phaal Challenge at Brick Lane Curry House: Spiciest Curry Ever?
Spicy food lovers have strangely unique egos. You certainly don't find self-professed sweet tooth fanatics boasting about how much sugar they can cram down their throat, nor do those who prefer the salty end of the spectrum parrot about how they're connoisseurs of umami.
No, the fans of spiciness are not just content with self-infliction of pain—they have to make sure everyone knows about how much heat they can handle. Make the mistake of mentioning how you had a spicy Thai dish the other night, and they will either scoff at you, or smile at you, patronizingly: "You think that's spicy?"
I mention all this, not because I'm hating on these people, but because I'm a shameless member of this club. The ominously dark wine-red promising a fiery punch to my tastebuds makes me excited. I've come to equate the biting, searing pain on my tongue with pleasure. And, yes, I'm admittedly pretty cocky about it. After all, you don't train a sweet tooth—that's something you're born with. High tolerance of spiciness? That takes skill! Years of training and experience of stripping away sensitivity on your tastebuds!
So when I heard that the phaal, "spiciest curry dish ever," was available as a challenge at Brick Lane Curry House I had to go. How could I pass up this chance to further destroy my stomach lining?
Phaal: The Taste of Pain
The phaal is ready for your belly.
The phaal is considered one of the hottest curries, if not the hottest, available at Indian restaurants, although it seems it's about as authentic an Indian dish as chicken tikka masala is. Made with at least 10 to 12 ground chillies, it's described on Brick Lane Curry House's menu as "an excruciatingly hot curry, more pain and sweat than flavor. For our customers who do this on a dare, we will require you to state a verbal disclaimer not holding us liable for any physical or emotional damage after eating this curry." Anyone who manages to finish the phaal gets a place on Brick Lane Curry House's P'hall of Fame, a certificate of honor, and a free beer.
Well, they are spot-on about the pain and sweat. There really is no other way to describe this dish other than scorchingly hot—the kind of spiciness that seems deceivingly tolerable at first, only to build up to a raging furnace in your throat and in every crevice of your mouth. I offered a taste to one of dining companions, who immediately got tears in her eyes after a spoonful, and even took a time-out for a few minutes from her own curry just to get over the heat.
My Eating Strategy
Buffer the phaal with other food.
The fact that it's more curry sauce than the meat you order with it makes it even harder to stomach. I tried to dampen the heat by padding it with my sesame naan, only to have the spiciness soak through and make it completely useless. Ditto for the biryani. Luckily, my waiter gave me a small dish of raita, a yogurt condiment with cucumber, carrots and spices, heavily hinting that I would probably need it. I grinned foolishly, saying I'd be fine and probably wouldn't need it. He insisted, and left it at my table. Smart man: water is completely useless in this challenge—the only thing that helped alleviate the burning in my mouth for a few moments was the coolness of the raita.
Oh Yes, I Finished It
All done!
In spite of the pitying glances from my dining companions (the staff was a bit more helpful with their amused but encouraging smiles every time they passed our table), I managed to finish my phaal, a little sweatier than I started out, along with a dull buzz reverberating in my ears. I got my free Kingfisher, although at this point I could barely drink a fourth of it.
Certificate for being a Phaal Curry Monster.
In addition, I was presented with a Certificate of Honor showing that I "demonstrated extraordinary courage (and rather dubious judgment) risking life, limb, and dignity against the insurmountable Phaal, earning a free beer and the coveted title of Phaal Curry Monster." Yes, monster, not master, as I mistakenly read at first. No matter. You probably have to be some kind of monster to be able scarf this baby down.
You Too Can Defeat the Phaal, But Proceed With Caution
My suggested strategy if you're gonna tackle the phaal: do not dawdle. Shovel it in. Speed and efficiency is necessary if you want to finish this in a timely manner with the least amount of difficulty. Is it impossible? No—it's completely do-able if you can handle most spicy dishes. The thing about the phaal that's tricky is that it's a slow, searing sensation that just gets stronger over time. Other than that, it's really no spicier than those dark capsicum peppers lurking in various Asian dishes—it's just that it's like you're eating a giant, creamy spoonful at once.
That said, this should only be done if you're feeling confident of your spiciness tolerance. I wouldn't go so far as to say the phaal is delicious—it tastes more of heat than anything else, with one person aptly describing it as having a smokey, "cigarette ash" taste. Memorable, sure. But for a more pleasurable dining experience, I would opt for one of the many other curries or vegetable specials on their menu. Or make the phaal pain a communal experience, and tackle it with a few of your friends, so you don't suffer all by your lonesome. Then all of you can scoff at others when they mention they ate something "super spicy" the other night. Psh.
Brick Lane Curry House
306-308 East 6th Street, New York NY 10003 (map)
(212) 979-8787 / (212) 979-2900
bricklanecurryhouse.com
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27 Comments:
What kind of beer did you win?
Raphael at 2:34PM on 06/23/08
Love the Phaal, and the Vindaloo. Congratulations, it's not that easy.
JustinH at 2:38PM on 06/23/08
IT TASTES LIKE BURNING!!
Robyn Lee at 2:40PM on 06/23/08
I thought only males had to prove machismo. Damn girl, you must have an iron esophagus! Better you than me. Two words - Acid Reflux. ;-)
PerkyMac at 2:46PM on 06/23/08
that was probably the most intense capsicum experience of my life. speaking of ego, i'm pretty proud that i actually accomplished it :) my certificate of honour is definitely on my wall. but dang if that wasn't the strooooong stuff.
arobotar at 2:51PM on 06/23/08
@Raphael: Kingfisher! wish I could have finished more of it, though. :(
@PerkyMac: Oh, trust me... there were many Pepcids consumed that night...
@arobotar: SURVIVORS!! mwaharhar. I think you handled it even better than I did!
Emily Koh at 2:59PM on 06/23/08
Do you know how many other people have joined the Phall of Fame?
Adam Kuban at 3:05PM on 06/23/08
i've finished the phaal three times, maybe four. I can handle the heat, but it's true: this dish doesn't taste great. you eat it for the endorphin rush and the bragging rights, not because it's delicious.
that said, i found the vegetable to be the hardest, and the chicken to be the easiest to finish. do NOT get the goat- in order to get at the meat, you have to suck on and gnaw at the bones, which only increases your misery.
Emily is right, shoveling the food in quickly and swallowing with a minimum amount of chewing (recommended protein for this strategy- the paneer cubes) is the easiest way to get the job done, but somehow that strategy seems to contradict the spirit of the endeavor. And it won't do anything to mitigate the 'second pain' associated with this dish.
i've made things hotter than this just by dousing burritos with some comically strong hot sauce, but in a restaurant, i've never been served anything hotter, with one exception- the extra hot chicken at Prince's Hot Chicken in Nashville is also brutally, eye-wateringly spicy.
That said, good for BLCH for actually making something hot enough that even smug heat seekers have trouble finishing.
mr guy at 3:15PM on 06/23/08
@Adam: You can see the list of people who finished at the website... but there's probably a lot more than the ones listed, since there's some people who don't send in their photos to be listed on the site.
... YOU SHOULD DO IT. In fact, I challenge everyone at SE to do it, just so we can all bombard the P'hall of Fame. Haha. :)
Emily Koh at 3:47PM on 06/23/08
It's actually ordered fairly regularly at my local Indian joint (Jaipore in Brewster) says the waiter anyway.
JustinH at 4:32PM on 06/23/08
one would imagine the smokey "cigarette ash" taste would come from your tastebuds being decimated by the heat!
mlo at 4:38PM on 06/23/08
I wrote a feature about my quest for the spiciest dish in Manhattan a few years ago for TIME OUT/NY. I couldn't find anything to touch that Brick Lane Phaal.
Glad to know it's still burning!
Gourmet Guy at 4:44PM on 06/23/08
I started sweating just looking at that picture... goodness... Congrats on getting the free beer!
foodinmouth at 4:52PM on 06/23/08
Yay Emily! What a great post. I had an experience at Wild Wings in SC, where I had the spiciest wings on the menu. Oh yes, there were tears and even the pressure changed in my ears.
Jenn Sit at 5:50PM on 06/23/08
I love Brick Lane's phaal!
I didn't get a certificate or a free beer for finishing it, though! Grumble, grumble. :)
Since the first time I had it in the restaurant, I've had it delivered a few times at home. It's better that way since you don't have to be self-conscious about the inevitable runny nose. ;)
leewnyc at 9:06PM on 06/23/08
I've done hot wing challenges when I lived back in Florida that nearly made me throw up. The kitchen staff cooks with gloves and masks and they open up every window and door in the joint. The hardest one I did was to eat a dozen wings in less than 10 minutes, and then you can't drink anything for 5 minutes afterwards. It's been a while since I've done one of these challenges, might be time to get back in the game.
fishermb at 9:14PM on 06/23/08
Emily, I think I am definitely up for the challenge, as I am drawn to spicy even when it hurts. I am also, however, curious about the after effects (even pepperoni on pizza gives me heartburn!). The thrill of victory aside, how were you holding up later on?
liwinegirl at 9:30PM on 06/23/08
Emily, you make me proud to be Korean. :) Now I wonder if I can do it......
Moosie82 at 11:05AM on 06/24/08
@liwinegirl: I was feelin' pretty bubbly and felt like a dragon had breathed fire into my belly for two hours. Okay, maybe that's a little over-the-top... but it does stick with you for a bit, haha. All worth it for bragging rights, though!
@Moosie82: As I told my other friend who is Korean and was interested in trying it... "You already have a leg up by being Korean!" Hahaha.
Emily Koh at 9:19PM on 06/24/08
haha great story! Capsaicin in chillies is water insoluble so drinking water won't help. However, the good news is capsaicin is fat or alcohol soluble. So drinkin a glass of milk, yogurt, or even beer will help "wash" the nightmarish solution down and get your tongue ready for more! Love your stories!
billyjoe at 11:13AM on 06/25/08
too bad the phaal has zero taste and only heat. and even the heat wasn't balanced, it only hit the back of the mouth
i ate one, but wasn't impressed
thewnyc at 6:22PM on 06/28/08
The dish tastes absolutely terrible which adds to the chore of eating it. It is indeed one of the spiciest dishes I've ever eaten. I thought that being half Malaysian would help me deal with it, but I was the last of my group to finish it. Five of us ordered it, all but one finished it.
Uhm, anyone else get a burning sensation when doing the #1? Cuz I sure did... that spicy!
dcdomain at 12:23AM on 03/02/09
Me and my buddy Mike are going there tomorrow to take on the challenge. We love all that is hot and will be sure not to dissapoint. I will chronicle our tale of heat heroics next week. Wish us luck. I hope we are not asking the waiter for a fire hose to put out the flames!
sagatman at 10:09AM on 03/20/09
We came, we saw, we were defeated. This dish did a number on our stomachs and we had to throw in the towel. Looking back on it, I know what our biggest mistakes were, and I think that I will go back and complete the challenge one day. What we did wrong was drink way too much liquids(lots of water and 2 yogurt drinks), as well as eat a lot of appetizers. The death blow was mixing a lot of rice in with the curry. The curry has to be eaten fast. I know for next time. I did enjoy the taste though!
We did get a picture with the cook in his gasmask. That ruled. LETS GO RANGERS!
sagatman at 10:05AM on 03/23/09
did it today. so proud. still burping up heat hours later and drinking some beers. worried about how i'm gonna feel in a few hours. we didn't use yogurt or milk or anything to pad the heat except for some rice and naan. i find a nice glass of coke helps a lot, maybe its the sugar or the carbonation? water does nothing. i actually enjoyed the taste of it too, but the worst part was that it's so hot it's hard to even think straight. my friend and i would be in mid sentence and just trail off, losing our concentration. my advice to those who want to try this: be sure that you really actually can tolerate heavy spice. i eat spicy food frequently but the sheer buildup of heat with this dish is very overwhelming. also don't rush yourself but don't fill up on acoutrements like bread because it is a very filling dish. also when you do finally finish, take your time and rest a bit. we really savored our free beers and within about half an hour we felt fine but full. great way to spend an afternoon though! and i must add that the service and quality of this restaurant is really good, especially for a 6th street indian joint. i'll definitely go back for other (less painful) dishes in the future.
santoslhalper at 6:55PM on 04/05/09
Do they make the Phaal vegetarian?
paraffinshot at 11:07PM on 05/20/09
My sister and I did the P'haal challenge today. We each finished in about 20, maybe 25 minutes. She was sweating and her eyes were tearing. I didn't sweat but I actually had two bouts of dizziness, my hands shook a little and my ears clogged up for about two minutes towards the end. But we got through it pretty easily. Our trick was not to touch the water or any drink at ALL. The only thing we added was maybe 1/4 of the rice bowl.
MY trick was to save the chicken for the end. The sauce did NOT soak into the chicken and by the end the temperature had gone down considerably, so the chicken almost had a cooling effect.
I do NOT recommend anyone does this at the 53rd St. location - they don't have a liquor license so they gave us a coupon for a free beer...which we can redeem down on 6th St. So we have to go to the Village anyway. That was a big disappointment. They also didn't take our picture - we have to email it to the guy in the Village.
Amybeth4 at 6:00PM on 07/29/09