Masala means spicy in hindi. A lot of Indian restaurants tone down the spice in their food for the local taste here in the US. But a lot of Indian people like more spice than their American counterparts. You can ask the server to make the food extra spicy, but be careful! ;) To be on the safe side, you can just ask for some hot peppers on the side or some spicy chutney, and then you can add it on your own terms.

Speaking of spiciness, I read an article a few days ago in the news about this hot pepper that grows in Northeast India and Bangladesh that the locals call Bhut Jolokia “ghost chili”, because you could die and turn into a ghost if you eat it. It is supposed to be that spicy. Surprisingly, some people use it for stomach ills. People into hot pepper measure the spice units in capsicums. I guess that is the part that makes the pepper spicy. Anyway, I guess that the ghost chili is supposed to be 2000 times spicier than a jalapeno. Isn’t that crazy?