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For some time now, one of my favorite restaurants has been engaged in a pleasant little game: trying to kill me.
It started out innocently enough... I very much enjoy spicy food, and I ordered their Chicken Vindaloo. They asked me how spicy I wanted it, and I assured them I wanted it spicy. They delivered, and were quite impressed by my ability to eat it that way.
Since then, I often come back to that restaurant and almost always order the Chicken Vindaloo. And every time I come back, they make it even spicier. No, it's not just my imagination, the waiters have very pointedly asked me how the spice is today.
Tonight, we went to another of my favorite local indian restaurants. I've eaten at this one frequently as well, but I don't often order spicy meals there. They don't have chicken vindaloo, and it takes a certain mood for me to order lamb vindaloo. Tonight, I was in such a mood, and once again my ability to eat spicy food impressed the staff.
About halfway through the meal, the staff brought over another dish to our table and set it down next to me. We were confused, as this was something we hadn't ordered, but the manager assured us it was a complimentary dish for me to try, something spicy since they had noticed I liked spicy foods. They said it was something normally served to indian patrons who enjoy food like the lamb vindaloo.
The dish consisted primarily of red onions, with a sauce reminiscent of the flavoring used for kimchee. There were also some deep green peppers in among the onions that I wisely avoided... the other restaurant puts one of those in the bowl with its chicken vindaloo, and they're far too hot for me. Off to the side from the onions was a more traditional salad... corn, chick peas, and some other green vegetables... possibly chopped cucumber? Not certain exactly. It was a cooling balance for the spice of the red onions, and oh gods were they spicy... I very much enjoyed them, but when the heat actually hit me it was far more intense than even the spiciest kimchee I have ever had. In fact, it may be hands-down the spiciest food I have ever eaten. It left my lips numb for several minutes and gave me a numb/tingling/burning sensation that travelled slowly all the way down my throat and settled in my stomach. Not in a bad way though, at all. I still have some leftovers from the meal, including some of the salad, and I intend to eat both tomorrow. According to the manager, it was just called spicy onion salad... I don't know what it would be called in Indian, he didn't say. Next time I'm in there I'm definitely planning to order it again, and maybe I'll see about finding out what spices are used in it... I'd love to make some modifications to my kimchee recipe. :)
It started out innocently enough... I very much enjoy spicy food, and I ordered their Chicken Vindaloo. They asked me how spicy I wanted it, and I assured them I wanted it spicy. They delivered, and were quite impressed by my ability to eat it that way.
Since then, I often come back to that restaurant and almost always order the Chicken Vindaloo. And every time I come back, they make it even spicier. No, it's not just my imagination, the waiters have very pointedly asked me how the spice is today.
Tonight, we went to another of my favorite local indian restaurants. I've eaten at this one frequently as well, but I don't often order spicy meals there. They don't have chicken vindaloo, and it takes a certain mood for me to order lamb vindaloo. Tonight, I was in such a mood, and once again my ability to eat spicy food impressed the staff.
About halfway through the meal, the staff brought over another dish to our table and set it down next to me. We were confused, as this was something we hadn't ordered, but the manager assured us it was a complimentary dish for me to try, something spicy since they had noticed I liked spicy foods. They said it was something normally served to indian patrons who enjoy food like the lamb vindaloo.
The dish consisted primarily of red onions, with a sauce reminiscent of the flavoring used for kimchee. There were also some deep green peppers in among the onions that I wisely avoided... the other restaurant puts one of those in the bowl with its chicken vindaloo, and they're far too hot for me. Off to the side from the onions was a more traditional salad... corn, chick peas, and some other green vegetables... possibly chopped cucumber? Not certain exactly. It was a cooling balance for the spice of the red onions, and oh gods were they spicy... I very much enjoyed them, but when the heat actually hit me it was far more intense than even the spiciest kimchee I have ever had. In fact, it may be hands-down the spiciest food I have ever eaten. It left my lips numb for several minutes and gave me a numb/tingling/burning sensation that travelled slowly all the way down my throat and settled in my stomach. Not in a bad way though, at all. I still have some leftovers from the meal, including some of the salad, and I intend to eat both tomorrow. According to the manager, it was just called spicy onion salad... I don't know what it would be called in Indian, he didn't say. Next time I'm in there I'm definitely planning to order it again, and maybe I'll see about finding out what spices are used in it... I'd love to make some modifications to my kimchee recipe. :)
