Phall (Bengali: ফাল, lit. 'jump'), also spelt fall, faal, phaal, fahl or fal, is a curry that originated in the Bangladeshi-owned curry-houses of Birmingham, England and has also spread to the United States.[1] It is not to be confused with the char-grilled, gravyless, finger food phall from Bangalore.
 Chicken phaal from the Brick Lane Curry House, New York | |
| Alternative names | Fall, faal, phaal, phal, fal |
|---|---|
| Type | Curry |
| Place of origin | England |
| Region or state | Birmingham |
| Main ingredients | chilli peppers (or scotch bonnet, habanero or Carolina Reaper peppers), tomatoes, ginger, choice of protein |
| 205.5 (chicken) kcal | |
It is one of the hottest forms 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. Typically, the dish is a tomato-based thick curry and includes ginger and optionally fennel seeds.[2] Phall has achieved notoriety as the spiciest generally available dish from Indian restaurants.[3] It is, however, quite rare to find in comparison to vindaloo (which is usually the staple hottest curry of most Indian restaurants in the UK).
In 2008 in the UK, a charity competition in Hampshire was based on competitors eating increasingly hot phalls.[4] A Season 1 episode of Man v. Food in New York City featured host Adam Richman accepting a challenge involving eating a full serving of phall at Brick Lane Curry House in Manhattan.
References
edit- ^ "Lamb phall, vindaloo and madras curry recipes". Archived from the original on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
- ^ "Advice for Eating in an Indian Restaurant in Britain". BBC h2g2. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ^ 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 2008-07-14.