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The hazmat team shuts down the street..
Shoppers dive for cover as chef's eyewatering chilli sauce causes a terror alert - Times Online
From The TimesOctober 3, 2007
Shoppers dive for cover as chef's eyewatering chilli sauce causes a terror alert
Steve Bird
For three hours a mysterious cloud of acrid smoke hovered over some of London's busiest streets. As shoppers ran coughing and spluttering for cover, police sealed off three roads and evacuated homes and businesses in the heart of Soho, fearing a chemical attack or a dangerous toxic leak.
As the ambulance service sent in its Hazardous Area Response Team Unit, firefighters wearing specialist breathing apparatus entered the deserted streets to seek out the source.
Soon after 7pm on Monday they emerged from the smoke carrying a huge cooking pot containing about 9lb of smouldering dried chillies.
The firefighters had smashed down the door of the Thai Cottage restaurant in D'Arblay Street and seized the extra-hot bird's eye chillies which had been left dry-frying. They were being prepared as part of a six-month batch of nam prik pao, a super-hot Thai dip to accompany prawn crackers.
Thai staff at the restaurant, who are used to the smell of the sauce being prepared, were baffled initially by the commotion. Chalemchai Tangjariyapoon, the chef, said: “I was making a spicy dip with extra-hot chillies that are deliberately burnt. To us it smells like burnt chilli and it is slightly unusual. I can understand why people who weren't Thai would not know what it was. But it doesn't smell like chemicals. I'm a bit confused.â€
Supranee Yodmuang, the waitress on duty, said: “The first we knew about it was at about 4.30 in the afternoon when the fire brigade came. They led us out to where the streets had been cordoned off and we waited there for about three hours.
“They said there was a chemical smell and I remember saying to someone that maybe the smell was the chillies, but then we said that that was not possible. When we came back at 7.30pm we saw the door had been smashed and there were fire brigade and police waiting outside. I was a bit scared but they were very nice about it and we showed them that the ventilation was working. Next time we might put some posters up to say we are cooking the dip. The restaurant has been here for 17 years and this has never happened before.â€
Sue Wasboonma, the owner, said: “The smoke didn't go up into the sky because of the rain and the heavy air. It's the hottest thing we make. We are very proud of this dish. It is home-cooked and the customers love it.â€
Daniel Spinath, the owner of Crepe Affaire, a neighbouring restaurant, said: “It was a very sharp and hot smell. It got in the back of your throat. I have eaten at the Thai Cottage and the food is very good.â€
The chef mixes the charred chillies with 4½ of garlic flakes, more than 2lb of dried shrimps, 6½lb of palm sugar, 2½lb of shrimp paste, more than 2lb of tamarind and 9 pints of vegetable oil. It is served cold.
Nam prik pao
4 tbsp oil; 3 tbsp chopped garlic; 3 tbsp chopped shallots; 3 tbsp chopped dried red chillies; 1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 2 tsp palm sugar
Heat the oil, add the garlic and shallots and fry briefly. Remove from oil and set aside. Add chillies and fry until they start to change colour. Remove and set aside. In a pestle and mortar, pound the shrimp paste, add the chillies, garlic and shallots. Over a low heat return all the ingredients to the oil, and fold into a uniform paste. The resulting thick, slightly oily red/black sauce will keep almost indefinitely. If you wish you can add more fish sauce and/or sugar to get the flavour you want.
Shoppers dive for cover as chef's eyewatering chilli sauce causes a terror alert - Times Online
From The TimesOctober 3, 2007
Shoppers dive for cover as chef's eyewatering chilli sauce causes a terror alert
Steve Bird
For three hours a mysterious cloud of acrid smoke hovered over some of London's busiest streets. As shoppers ran coughing and spluttering for cover, police sealed off three roads and evacuated homes and businesses in the heart of Soho, fearing a chemical attack or a dangerous toxic leak.
As the ambulance service sent in its Hazardous Area Response Team Unit, firefighters wearing specialist breathing apparatus entered the deserted streets to seek out the source.
Soon after 7pm on Monday they emerged from the smoke carrying a huge cooking pot containing about 9lb of smouldering dried chillies.
The firefighters had smashed down the door of the Thai Cottage restaurant in D'Arblay Street and seized the extra-hot bird's eye chillies which had been left dry-frying. They were being prepared as part of a six-month batch of nam prik pao, a super-hot Thai dip to accompany prawn crackers.
Thai staff at the restaurant, who are used to the smell of the sauce being prepared, were baffled initially by the commotion. Chalemchai Tangjariyapoon, the chef, said: “I was making a spicy dip with extra-hot chillies that are deliberately burnt. To us it smells like burnt chilli and it is slightly unusual. I can understand why people who weren't Thai would not know what it was. But it doesn't smell like chemicals. I'm a bit confused.â€
Supranee Yodmuang, the waitress on duty, said: “The first we knew about it was at about 4.30 in the afternoon when the fire brigade came. They led us out to where the streets had been cordoned off and we waited there for about three hours.
“They said there was a chemical smell and I remember saying to someone that maybe the smell was the chillies, but then we said that that was not possible. When we came back at 7.30pm we saw the door had been smashed and there were fire brigade and police waiting outside. I was a bit scared but they were very nice about it and we showed them that the ventilation was working. Next time we might put some posters up to say we are cooking the dip. The restaurant has been here for 17 years and this has never happened before.â€
Sue Wasboonma, the owner, said: “The smoke didn't go up into the sky because of the rain and the heavy air. It's the hottest thing we make. We are very proud of this dish. It is home-cooked and the customers love it.â€
Daniel Spinath, the owner of Crepe Affaire, a neighbouring restaurant, said: “It was a very sharp and hot smell. It got in the back of your throat. I have eaten at the Thai Cottage and the food is very good.â€
The chef mixes the charred chillies with 4½ of garlic flakes, more than 2lb of dried shrimps, 6½lb of palm sugar, 2½lb of shrimp paste, more than 2lb of tamarind and 9 pints of vegetable oil. It is served cold.
Nam prik pao
4 tbsp oil; 3 tbsp chopped garlic; 3 tbsp chopped shallots; 3 tbsp chopped dried red chillies; 1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 2 tsp palm sugar
Heat the oil, add the garlic and shallots and fry briefly. Remove from oil and set aside. Add chillies and fry until they start to change colour. Remove and set aside. In a pestle and mortar, pound the shrimp paste, add the chillies, garlic and shallots. Over a low heat return all the ingredients to the oil, and fold into a uniform paste. The resulting thick, slightly oily red/black sauce will keep almost indefinitely. If you wish you can add more fish sauce and/or sugar to get the flavour you want.
