There’s a show on Netflix at the moment called We Are the Champions which looks at some weird and wonderful competitions that take place around the world.
One of these episodes features the first-ever World Championship of Chili Pepper Eating.
It follows the fortunes of several ‘characters’, including someone from the UK, as they prepare and take part in the competition and we discover that there is a circuit of events in which these people compete and actually make money.
Now, before you quit the day job to go on the chili eating tour, be warned, this is not about eating a few jalapenos! That’s because the chillies you need to eat to stand a chance of winning a competition like this are hot. Very hot. So hot in fact that the World Championship is described as “a test of human endurance and the razor’s edge of sanity and stomach,”
The competitors go through the Scoville scale of chillies, starting with jalapenos, which measure 5,000-8,000 on the scale and ending with the Giant California Reaper which measures 2.6 million on the scale.
Needless to say it doesn’t end well for the vast majority of the competitors but we won’t spoil it for you. Go and watch it for yourself and next time you are in an Indian restaurant crowing to your mates about ordering the vindaloo, well, remember the show and that to the people taking part in the competition it would have tasted like a korma to them!
We think this is a fitting way to end spice month and we are going out with a bang using a Naga chili which measures between 1 million and 1.5 million on the Scoville scale, so it’s not for the faint hearted!
Southern fried chicken wings with Naga chili jam
- 240g cornflour
- 240g plain flour
- 30g salt
- 10g dried thyme
- 6.5g dried basil
- 4g dried oregano
- 10g garlic powder
- 10g cracked black pepper
- 10g white pepper
- 30g paprika
- 3g ginger powder
- 20g mustard powder
- 200g full fat yoghurt
- 50g milk
- 1kg chicken wings
Mix together the milk and yoghurt, then pour over the
chicken wings mix well and leave for up to 24 hours but a minimum of 4 hours.
Once marinated set your deep fat fryer to 180oc. Mix together all the other dry
ingredients. Take out a chicken wing and cover it in the flour mix then deep
fry for 5 minutes till crispy and cooked through. Cover in the chilli jam and
be brave.
Naga
chilli jam
- 150g diced white onion
- 30g olive oil
- 25g minced garlic
- 120g diced red pepper
- 210g chopped tomatoes
- 50g sugar
- 40g white wine vinegar
- 10g salt
- 3g Naga chilli powder
In a frying pan on a medium heat add the oil and fry the
onions and peppers till golden brown and caramelised. Add the rest of the ingredients
and cook on a low heat till a jam like consistency. Transfer to a blender and
blend till smooth leave to cool.
About Chris Brown
Sous Chef of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
