Amul India – Spiciest Dish in Columbus Series

Similar to Fukuryu Ramen, before I met the lady of the farm, I’d never had Indian cuisine. The flavor profiles and spices used in Indian food are some of my favorite combos and we tend to use spice mixes that are similar in some of our hot sauces. When we moved to Columbus, we searched for the best Indian restaurant and landed on Amul India about five years ago. Since then, no other restaurant has come close in quality and consistency, so our search is complete.

At Amul India, as with most Indian restaurants here in Columbus, they have a spicy scale from one to six, six being the spiciest. Just like Hot Chicken Takeover sometimes has variability in how spicy their Holy is, so to does Amul. The first time I got a Level 6 the waiter double-checked that he’d heard correctly to make sure he wasn’t about to accidentally murder someone. I verified and it was definitely a kick to the face. Since that first trip, we primarily get takeout, opting for the Chicken Korma (Level 2 for the lady of the farm) and the Lamb Vindaloo (Level 6 for me). One additional spicy item that we’ve found on the menu is the Bullet Nan, pictured below with the Lamb Vindaloo.

The different levels of heat Amul offers are for any dish, but I prefer to go with the Vindaloo because just by existing it is “[insert protein choice] simmered with potatoes in a tangy hot sauce” and has protein options of chicken, lamb, shrimp, or fish. Pouring out the Vindaloo onto rice is always an adventure. The strong redness in the dish tends to get everywhere no matter how careful you are, so be prepared to clean up a bit. I offered the lady of the farm a whiff which got a nice “Whyyyyyyy?” response, indicating by smell alone, this dish smells pretty spicy.

Once mixed well with the rice, I dug in. With the vindaloo, you are immediately hit with that tang talked about in the description. As best we can figure, the spices are a combo of turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and cumin (potentially ginger as well). The spices with the heat are red pepper of some variety, cayenne or otherwise. The flavor is tremendous and I’m once again impressed with Amul and their dishes, but we’re not here for that, we’re here for the heat! After the first couple of bites, not much was going on in terms of heat level, so I tried straight from the container. A little extra kick there, but still not a ton of heat. We were unsure whether this was one of the days where they decided, “ehhh, they said Level 6, but who cares” or if my TRPV1 receptors were shot, so the lady of the farm braved a bite and confirmed that it wasn’t all that spicy. Disappointed with the spiciness on this particular day, but still incredibly flavorful, so not at all disappointed with the decision. Here’s another look at the vindaloo on a different day, a bit more angry red than our official trial.

Having recently found out about the Bullet Nan, I switched over to that to see if the green chiles that the nan is stuffed with would come with any kick. Sure enough they did! This is by far the spiciest bread we’ve tried in Columbus and it does not sacrifice flavor at all to bring the heat. Stuffed with garlic (along with the chiles), the Bullet Nan was a perfect tandem to the vindaloo, adding the extra heat I was craving. Dipped into the vindaloo, the flavor and heat combo was near perfect. Again, the lady of the farm braved a bite and while the heat didn’t overpower her, her nose definitely began to sweat a bit (a great indicator that something is spicy).

While this particular night would have put Amul at the bottom of the spiciest dish in Columbus list, I can confirm that when they ratchet it up to Level 6 for real, it had me sniffling quite a bit. From the previous experience, we’re placing this dish in the middle of the pack (because it’s our list and we do what we want). In terms of flavor, it’s probably one of the best out there and we highly suggest trying out Amul India if you’re ever in the Dublin, OH area. Again, we cannot recommend this place enough. A lot of folks point to Aab as a favorite, but Amul is the go-to in Columbus. Looking for vegetarian options? They’ve also got a Paneer Chili, “Fresh cheese cubes cooked with tomatoes, onions and green chiles.” Always packed on the weekends, so think about opting for takeout.

Look below for more in our spiciest dish in Columbus series and hit us up if you have any suggestions that are not already on our list!

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram or contact us via our contact page.

More From Our Quest To Find The Spiciest Dish