Hot Stuff

I've been sent a press release - why me? Heaven knows - informing me of a new way to beat the recession and its attendant stress and gloom: get outside of a takeway curry, and the spicier the better. Now, you may scoff, but hark! Scientists are on hand to flesh out this at-first-sight extravagant claim with hard facts. Oh yes. Red chilli peppers, you see, release stress-busting feelgood endorphins, and tomatoes are rich in mood-enhancing serotonin. So it must be true. And there's also - as this report on a study of 1,185 curry eaters acknowledges - the little matter of not having had to cook the stuff yourself. No wonder 92 percent of people say they feel 'happier' after eating a takeaway curry (at least until the digestive effects kick in). I feel it incumbent upon me to pass on this helpful list of the 'top five mood-improving curries'. They are:
1. Chicken/beef Madras.
2. Vindaloo.
3. Thai red curry.
4. Pasanda.
5. Jalfrezi.
Happy eating!