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Birmingham chicken balti
Fast, high-heat curry from the Balti Triangle
The balti was born in the 1970s in the Pakistani and Kashmiri restaurants of Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath in Birmingham, an area still called the Balti Triangle. It is cooked fast in a thin steel bowl over fierce heat, so the sauce is reduced and the peppers keep some bite, and it is served sizzling in the same bowl and scooped up with a huge naan. Chef's tip: make the base sauce first and keep the final cook hot and quick; slow simmering turns it into a stew.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb boneless chicken thighsin bite-size pieces
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions1 blended, 1 cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tsp fresh gingergrated
- 14 oz chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 green pepperin chunks
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 handful fresh corianderchopped
- 4 naan breadsto serve
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Heat half the 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan and fry the blended half of the 1 onions for 10 minutes until golden. Add the 4 cloves garlic and 2 tsp fresh ginger for 1 minute, then the 14 oz chopped tomatoes, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp ground turmeric and 1 ½ tsp salt, and cook 10 minutes into a thick sauce.
21 minStep 2: Heat the rest of the oil in a wok or balti pan over a high heat, add the 1 tsp cumin seeds for 20 seconds, then the 1 ½ lb boneless chicken thighs. Stir-fry 5 minutes until sealed all over.
6 minStep 3: Add the base sauce, the rest of the 1 onions in chunks, 1 green pepper and 2 green chillies and cook fast, stirring, for 8–10 minutes until the sauce clings and the chicken reaches 165°F. A common mistake is adding water; the balti should be thick and glossy.
10 minStep 4: Crumble in the 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves and 2 tsp garam masala, toss for 1 minute and scatter with 1 handful fresh coriander. Serve sizzling with warm 4 naan breads.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does birmingham chicken balti take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of boneless chicken thighs?
- Chicken breast, same weight (cook a few minutes less so it stays juicy).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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