 Chicken phaal from the Brick Lane Curry House, New York | |
| Alternative names | Fall, faal, phaal, phal, fal1 |
|---|---|
| Type | Curry |
| Place of origin | England |
| Region or state | Birmingham |
| Main ingredients | chilli peppers (scotch bonnet, habanero or Carolina Reaper peppers), tomatoes, ginger, choice of protein |
Phall (Bengali: ফাল, lit. 'jump')a is an extremely hot curry that originated in Britain, specifically in the Bangladeshi-owned curry-houses of Birmingham, England, in 1971.
British Bangladeshi curry
Phall is a curry that originated in the Bangladeshi-owned curry-houses of Birmingham, England, in 1971. It is not to be confused with the char-grilled, gravyless, finger food phall from Bangalore. It is the hottest form of curry regularly available, even hotter than the vindaloo, using many ground standard chilli peppers, or a hotter type of chilli such as scotch bonnet, habanero, or Carolina Reaper.23 The dish is a tomato-based thick curry and includes ginger and optionally fennel seeds.4 Phall has achieved notoriety as the spiciest generally available dish from Indian restaurants.5
In 2008 in the UK, a charity competition in Hampshire was based on competitors eating increasingly hot phalls.6
Notes
Notes
- Phall is also spelt fall, faal, phaal, fahl, and fal.
References
References
- "BBC Radio 4 - Radio 4 in Four - From balti to bhuna: the ultimate guide to curry". BBC. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- "From balti to bhuna: the ultimate guide to curry". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- Chapman, Pat (1988). Favourite Restaurant Curries. London: Piatkus, The Curry Club. p. 35. ISBN 978-0749917425.
- "Advice for Eating in an Indian Restaurant in Britain". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
- Koh, Emily: The Phaal Challenge at Brick Lane Curry House: Spiciest Curry Ever? (The Taste of Pain), 23 June 2008. Accessed on 20 June 2021.
- "Curry lovers take on hottest ever dish for charity". Southern Daily Echo. 5 March 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2008.