Chicken balti recipe
Balti is named after the wok-style pan in which it’s cooked, literally translating as 'bucket’. Now considered a modern British classic, this dish was made popular in Pakistani-owned restaurants across the UK, and mainly in Bradford and Birmingham. The cooking style is a fast stir-fry, with balti pans set over large stoves with vertical jet flames.
This particular recipe, from food writer Ben Mervis' The British Cookbook, has been adapted to better suit home kitchens, so the cooking process should be a little less intense.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp garlic purée (or 1 clove garlic, crushed)
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 200 g chicken breast, cut into 5 cm/2 inch chunks
- 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 0.5 tsp chilli powder
- 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
- 0.2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp fenugreek leaves
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 x 5 cm/2 inch piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into very thin sticks
- 1 handful coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 10 mint leaves, chopped
- 0.5 lemon
Details
- Cuisine: Pakistani/British
- Recipe Type: Curry
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Heat the oil in a wok-style pan over a medium heat, add the cumin and allow to splutter for 30 seconds. Add the garlic purée and grated ginger and fry for another 30 seconds, or until the raw smell of garlic disappears. Add the chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until sealed all over. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes until softened, then add the tomato purée (paste) and yogurt and cook for 8-10 minutes until the oil starts to separate.
- Add the chilli powder, black pepper, turmeric, fenugreek leaves and salt to taste, then cook for another 5-7 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Add the butter before turning off the heat and letting the butter melt.
- Before serving, add the fresh ginger, chopped coriander (cilantro), chillies and mint, then squeeze the lemon on top and stir through.
Recipe extracted from The British Cookbook by Ben Mervis (Phaidon, £39.95). Photography by Sam A. Harris.
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