A popular Manchester curry house is cooking up a fiery treat this week - bringing back "the world's hottest curry" for those bold enough to give it a try.
Zouk Tea Bar & Grill on Chester Street is cooking up the extremely spicy dish to celebrate National Chilli Day on Thursday February 24.
Chefs at the Manchester restaurant are preparing their popular chicken Karahi curry dish using the Carolina Reaper pepper for extra heat - which holds the Guinness Book of Record's title of World's Hottest Chilli.
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The last time chefs cooked up the special, which was in pre-lockdown times two years ago, punters were near queuing down the street to give it a try - not least because there's the added incentive of winning a Sunday roast platter if you can finish the entire plate off.
But this time they've made it even HOTTER - so much so you have to sign a disclaimer before eating the fiery feast.
Zouk owner Tayub Amjad said: "Last time we did this we were really surprised by how many people wanted to take up the challenge and give the Carolina Karahi a try.
"Manchester has some real chilli lovers out there! We’ve turned things up a notch this year and made it even hotter by including fresh reapers, dried reapers and reaper paste.
"So it’s a triple hit of heat and you even have to sign a disclaimer before you dig in."
If you are wondering what on earth would make someone try the Carolina Karahi, the restaurant says there are just some people who love the heat and seem to be less sensitive to such a hot chilli.
There is also a bit of an incentive to give it a try in the form of a free Sunday Roast Sharing platter for two if you manage to finish the dish.
Tayub added "Our food is usually more about flavour than heat but it’s National Chilli Day, so you’ve got to go all out.
"We have got the offer of a chance to come back and have a fabulous Sunday lunch for 2 on us if you complete it though.
"Plus, for anybody who manages to finish the reaper there is a free ice cream sundae to revive their tastebuds and their reaper is on us too."
Zouk decided on its popular and much-loved chicken karahi to transform into the extra hot dish which will only be available to buy on Thursday for £14.95.
A traditional karahi originates from the Northwest region of Pakistan, and is usually prepared in a wok and cooked over hot flames with tomatoes, ginger, garlic, peppercorns and cumin forming the sauce base.
A karahi can be cooked with chicken, lamb, seafood or vegetables but for the Carolina Reaper Karahi, Zouk includes 3 different types of reaper: fresh chillies, dried chillies and chilli paste.
The chefs apparently even struggle with the heat a little when preparing the dish and the team at Zouk believe it to be the world’s hottest curry.
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