We travelled to a sleepy town near the capital of Assam to unravel the secrets behind one of the fieriest chillies in the world
There are many things about India that are universally accepted. Mostly, those things are cliches and only a few have any truth to them. One example of the latter kind is that Indian food can be spicy. Well, we have a love for all things spicy. The intensity varies according to palates and regions but it is a dominant trait in most Indian cuisine.
Not surprisingly, in our quest to find a secret ingredient that is typically Indian, we found ourselves in Guwahati, Assam, as we decided to trace the origins of the deadly Ghost pepper aka Bhoot Jholokia – once hailed as the spiciest chilly in the world. Helping us on this journey was none other than celebrity chef of global renown, Kelvin Cheung.
Having spent a major part of his childhood in and around a Chinese restaurant that belonged to his family, Cheung is a pro when it comes to Asian food. Growing up in Canada gave him a distinct outlook towards food and he has honed his culinary skills to cater to a wider audience. His specialities include typical Asian and Indian cuisine. Interestingly, he even serves a Ghost pepper-derived sauce at his restaurant, Bastian, in Mumbai, which is regularly frequented by famous foodies including actors, cricketers and even politicians. “Indians generally like spicy food,” he tells us. “But they also like the other flavours. You can’t make bland food for them. There is so much variety here when it comes to ingredients that I am discovering new things practically every day.”
This was one of the reasons why Kelvin joined us on this leg of the journey which was to take us into the heart of Assam to check out the famed chilly which is used extensively in Assamese cuisine.
Bu hikaye BBC TopGear India dergisinin April 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye BBC TopGear India dergisinin April 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR KARI FT. EUROGRIP
What happens when you do track days in the name of pushing the limits of a tyre
ROOKIE BLUES
Acosta Urged for Patience as KTM Chases Ducati
THE VALUE OF TIME
Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen
DJI Osmo Action 4
Being an automotive journalist, our job entails us to ride motorcycles of all kinds and not to forget, the life behind driving some exotic set of wheels as well.
WAR WORDS WORLDS
Indians might not have played a deciding role in the previous world wars but now, our participation is much more evident
XTREME MACHINE
Maserati's racing history is a patchwork of epic highs and long absences, so can the MCXtrema - a track only version of its latest supercar-bring back the glory days?
WET AND WILD
No doors, no roof, no boot, but at least there's a windscreen... Paul Horrell pulls on his waterproof trousers and takes the Nomad 2 for a spin
STREAM W0RKS
This is an MG. Yes, really. Turns out it's got form in streamliners too...just ask Stirling Moss
A map and a compass.
Dacia got a foothold in the UK with cheapness, now it wants toughness on its CV. Can the new Duster handle Morocco's heat and locate a Dakar team in the desert - no GPS allowed?
A RECKLESS DEVELOPMENT?
Farewell, V10, this is the new Lamborghini Temerario, a 907bhp V8 hybrid. A worthy Huracán successor, or a misstep from the Italian firm?