Bhut jolokia (king chilli)

Flavour and aroma

extremely hot, fruity, slow-building. Intense, slow-building heat with a fruity, slightly sweet flavour underneath.

Heat

Very hot

Forms

fresh, dried, smoked, powder

How to use it

• use raw

  Use a sliver of fresh chilli, crushed into a chutney with tomato or fermented fish, or a single pod in a whole pot of curry.

• dry roast · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) technique

  Char a fresh or dried pod over a flame or on a dry pan for 1–2 minutes, then mash into chutney.

• infuse · Simmering technique

  Simmer one whole pod in a stew and remove it before serving.

• A sliver in north-east Indian pork and fish curries
• Crushed into fiery chutneys and pickles
• Infused into chilli oils and hot sauces
• Smoked or dried for long-keeping heat

Identifying good quality

Wrinkled, pointed pods 6–8 cm long, red when ripe, with thin, bumpy skin. Smoked dried ones are dark brown-red.

Origin and history

Origin: North-east India (Assam, Nagaland, Manipur); a Capsicum chinense type, with some C. frutescens ancestry.. Grown and used: Grown in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and neighbouring areas; now grown by chilli enthusiasts worldwide..

Bhut jolokia (raja mircha, king chilli) was certified the world's hottest chilli by Guinness World Records in 2007, at over a million Scoville units; hotter cultivars have since been bred. In Naga and Assamese cooking it is used fresh, dried or smoked in chutneys, pickles and pork dishes. Naga mircha is a registered Geographical Indication.

Well documented

In masalas, pastes and sauces

• Roasted tomato and king chilli chutney (Naga style)Sauce5 g per batch