This Chicken Balti Curry Recipe is from Birmingham City Council and the Balti Triangle in Birmingham. Birmingham became Britain's balti capital following its arrival in the city in the 1970's courtesy of the city's Pakistani and Kashmiri communities.
A balti curry is a curry cooked over a high flame with spiced fresh meat and/or vegetables then cooked again with extra spices and served in the traditional round-bottomed balti dish. Though there are restaurants now serving the famous dish across the whole of the UK, what fun to make at home and at a fraction of the cost.
A balti curry is a curry cooked over a high flame with spiced fresh meat and/or vegetables then cooked again with extra spices and served in the traditional round-bottomed balti dish. Though there are restaurants now serving the famous dish across the whole of the UK, what fun to make at home and at a fraction of the cost.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- SPICES FOR BALTI
- ½ tsp mustard seeds, crushed
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 4 dried curry leaves, crushed
- 1 tsp palm sugar
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamom
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
- 3 green chilies, chopped
- 4 cardamom pods, split
- OTHER INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½"/1 cm fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 250 ml vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tsp tomato purée
- Salt to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large tomato, sliced
Preparation:
Serves 2
Assemble all the spices. You will find it easier to make the curry if you get all the spices ready beforehand.
Assemble all the spices. You will find it easier to make the curry if you get all the spices ready beforehand.
- Heat the oil in a large roomy pan until hot but not smoking, add the mustard seeds, cook for 30 seconds only then add the chopped onion, reduce the heat and cook for 3 - 5 minutes until soft. Add all the spices, the garlic and the ginger and cook on a medium heat taking care to ensure the spices don't burn.
- Add the chicken, sugar and stir well making sure all the chicken is coated in the spices. Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add the stock, tomato purée, a pinch of salt and the bay leaf. Stir then lower the heat and cook gently for 25 minutes. Finally add the cilantro/coriander and tomato, stir and cook for a further 3 minutes.
- Serve piping hot in balti dishes with naan breads on the side.
