Cinnamon Club

THE VIRGIN MEDIA ‘BOLLYWOOD BURNER’

Facts about the 'world's hottest curry'...

The 'Bollywood Burner' curry was commissioned by Virgin Media to celebrate its Bollywood Movies On Demand service. Believed to be the World's Hottest Curry, Virgin Media will be submitting the recipe for the 'Bollywood Burner' to the Guinness Book of Records for inclusion.

Bollywood Movies On Demand is a specialist section on Virgin Media giving Bollywood fans access to 30 Indian films to watch whenever they choose. Starting at £2 per film, the section will include a mixture of the latest Bollywood blockbusters, alongside some old classics. More information is available at www.virginmedia.com/ondemand 

In Britain the term 'curry' has come to mean almost any Indian dish although the style of cooking is thought to have been around for many centuries. The earliest known recipe for meat in spicy sauce with bread appearing on tablets was found near Babylon in Mesopotamia, and dated around 1700 B.C.

Experts often promote the health benefits of curry, derived from its rich, spicy ingredients. Used as a common antiseptic in India, turmeric is used regularly to treat cuts or burns, Anise leaves in curry are used to treat digestive problem and Red chili peppers are very rich in vitamin C.

The Bollywood Burner's hottest ingredient is the Naga pepper, which has previously held the record for the world's hottest pepper and measures over 800,000 on the Scoville Scale – the official measure of piquancy of peppers. A Jalapeno pepper, ordinarily considered hot by most diners, is a paltry 8,000 on the scale by comparison.

Other commonly known peppers further down the Scoville Scale include the Tabasco (30,000), Cayenne (30,000) and Anaheim pepper (500). The Bell pepper has a zero rating on the scale.

On the Scoville Scale, the Naga pepper is so hot, it is only one rung below Standard US Grade Pepper spray and FN 303 irritant ammunition!

The Scoville Scale is named after Wilbur Scoville who developed the test in 1912. Further reading - http://www.chilliworld.com/FactFile/Scoville_Scale.asp

Vivek Singh, Executive Chef of the Cinnamon Club created the 'Bollywood Burner'. The Dish is inspired from a traditional Hyderbadi speciality of filled chillies simmered in sesame tamarind sauce.