Chicken Naga

[Haselsh1]

Here in very sunny Lincolnshire down at the coast, we have a fab Indian restaurant called 'Spice of Life' to which I am definitely not affiliated. Sue and I have been there a couple of times in the last couple of weeks and we have had Chicken Naga with mushroom rice and a Peshwari Naan. The obligatory two pints of Cobra have also been ordered but strangely, no need for a Raita. Now my thinking is that Naga chillies call for a Raita but so far this dish has been bloody hot but not too hot. We have both loved eating this as it has been totally pleasurable. I remember years ago eating vindaloo and nearly passing out at the sheer heat of the damn thing. What are your thoughts...? Also, do you have a wine you can recommend to drink with a fiery curry...? White of course.

[Barry]

I would never recommend drinking wine with curry. The delicacy and subtlety of the wine will be lost, totally subsumed by the spices in the curry.

I always drink lager, especially Indian brews such as ‘Kingfisher’ or ‘Cobra’ when eating out in an Indian restaurant.

[Effem]

Never had a Chicken Naga, mainly because I have never seen it on a menu to have a play with :eyebrows:

I still love my Prawn Patia when it's cooked to perfection. Take a forkful or two of it and it doesn't seem at all hot, but a minute or so later . . . . . . . . ! :lol:

I would never drink any wine with a curry, nor a beer either for that matter. I like orange juice and a very fizzy lemonade. Nice.

[vandergraafuk]

As a seasoned chillie nut, I first tried the naga chillies at work when some bright spark at work thought it would be a laugh to put them out in the office for the gannets. I tried them and loved the difference in where the flavours and heat consumed the tongue. It's a very different heat to normal chillies/ chillie powder. I agree I have had hotter vidaloo's. it maybe that the restaurant was holding back. Some of my colleagues did look like their heads were about explode when the tried the nuts. Quite funny really

[goraman]

Indian food is best paired with a nice lager beer.

[UV101]

Spooky!!! I went out for a curry last night and had a chicken naga!! Very nice it was too.......along with a cobra or 4!!! And on a school night!

Edit.....bloody hot it was ;)

[Covenant]

How about a Dorset Naga?
http://www.peppersbypost.biz/dorsetnaga/index.html

[jollyfix]

Nearly all curry houses use mr Naga (from a jar), yes its hot, but more flavour than heat.
Only a few dishes use fresh chillies. Most heat in curries comes from chilli powder, and some powder better than others, a light colour chilli powder is light because they grind all the chilli the seeds and piff. A dark chilli powder does not and has more flavour.

[Alex_UK]

I must admit, I can't see the point in really hot food, to me it just isn't a pleasurable experience and takes away all the lovely flavours - I don't mind a bit of spice but I avoid anything too strong. And even then I'd agree that wine isn't the way to go - or at least just buy the cheapest they have 'cos you won't be able to tell the difference anyway! Give me a Cobra or Kingfisher with a curry every time. :)

[jollyfix]

when you get used to heat you can still taste the flavours,but yes i too can't see the point of over the top spice heat. The thing is one persons spicy is another's mild.

[StanleyB]

Spicy and hot are two different things. You can cook a spicy dish without a single pepper in it. Or you can cook a pepper dish without a single spice in it.

[Haselsh1]

Spicy and hot are two different things. You can cook a spicy dish without a single pepper in it. Or you can cook a pepper dish without a single spice in it.

I so have to agree. Hot is hot, spicy is awesome. Naga chicken is as fiery as hell but so full of taste and flavour when compared to Vindaloo or Phall. I also agree with the person who commented on the Cobra beer. This really is my favourite curry house tipple. The Naga chicken at Jamal's on Cleethorpes seafront has Naga pickle and chillies in it. Fab stuff.