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This chicken balti recipe will get you restaurant quality results.
I first learned to make chicken Balti at a restaurant called Shababs in Birmingham’s Balti Triangle.
This is the recipe I learned that day and it is the chicken Balti I make most often and also teach at my cookery classes.
It’s the real deal unlike so many chicken Balti recipes out there.
Chicken balti cooked in an authentic stainless steel balti bowl.
One of the key ingredients in a true chicken Balti is the Balti bowl itself.
You can cook this chicken balti in any pan and it will still be delicious.
That said, part of going out for a balti is experiencing having your curry served to you sizzling hot in the same balti bowl it was cooked in.
I recommend picking up a couple of Balti bowls if you want that experience. They aren’t expensive and can be purchased right here from the Birmingham Balti Bowl Company.
I am not affiliated with them but highly recommend their product.
Use a real Balti bowl to cook this chicken Balti and you will love being able to experience an authentic Balti at home.
Most chicken Baltis served at restaurants are not actually Baltis.
Unfortunately, these days most Baltis are not cooked the way they should be.
They are still delicious but the presentation is all wrong. Most chefs cook their Baltis in a regular frying pan and then serve the curry in an ornamental Balti pan.
As I said above, you could do this too. But just think about that sizzling hot chicken Balti you could be dining from if you use a real stainless steel Balti bowl.
How I got to know Balti…
Andy Munro is one of the leading experts on all things Balti. You can read more about him and the Birmingham balti scene right here.
I met up with Andy recently and he showed me his Birmingham, Balti Birmingham.
We visited all of his favourite Balti restaurants and Shababs was one of them. That opened my eyes to the real thing. A good chicken Balti is a work of art.
Make it as it should be and you will be in Balti heaven!
The base sauce
The slow cooked base curry sauce is another of the most important ingredients in a true chicken Balti. It’s easy to make and one of my recipes is here.
My site features many recipes that call for the base curry house style sauce.
The smooth base is one of the things that makes a British curry, British. If you want that famous flavour and texture, you’ve got to make the base!
Can I make a Balti without making the base sauce?
Yes and no. In order to get a Balti right, the base sauce must be used. You can still make a delicious curry without it as I show in my chicken Balti from scratch recipe here.
Baltis should be quite thick when served. Perfect for soaking up with hot naans.
Pre-cooked meat
Another important ingredient in an authentic chicken Balti is pre-cooked chicken.
In my chicken Balti from scratch recipe I cooked the chicken from raw. It works but adding pre-cooked chicken such as my tandoori chicken or stewed chicken will get you superior results.
Cooking the chicken first adds another layer of delicious flavour.
The tandoori method gives an amazing flavour of smoky, marinated and grilled chicken. The meat juices can also be added to the sauce.
The stewed chicken option offers succulently cooked chicken with lots of sauce you can add with your base sauce.
Here I used tandoori chicken in my Balti. It was amazing!
Dig in!
If you like this chicken Balti recipe, you might like to try some of these favourites too…
Chicken Balti from Scratch
Aubergine Balti
Balti Dhal Fry
Yield: 1 - 2
CHICKEN BALTI
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee
- 1/4 medium onion - finely chopped
- 1 tomato - diced
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 2 fresh green bird's eye chilli peppers
- 1/2 large green or red pepper roughly chopped
- 2 - 4 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbs tandoori masala
- Curry Base Sauce
- 2 tsp Mixed powder
- 225g (1/2 lb) - tandoori chicken
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the ghee or oil in a large frying pan or balti pan over high heat.
- Toss in the chopped onion and allow to fry for about 3 minutes or until the onion is beginning to turn soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. About 30 seconds should do the job. You just want to cook off the rawness.
- Spoon in the tandoori masala and curry powder.
- Now add the green chillies, bell peppers, chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Give this all a good stir to combine.
- Add about half of the base curry sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Throw in the chicken pieces and top as needed with more base sauce. Remember, Baltis are quite dry curries so don't add too much. If you do, you could always cook it down.
- Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the chicken is heated through. Stir in more base sauce as needed.
- Add the cider vinegar and simmer for another minute.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the coriander into the curry and season with salt and pepper to taste and then add the lime juice.
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FAQs
Mix the turmeric, cumin, ground coriander and garam masala together. Tip into the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for 2 mins (step 3). Pour in the passata and 150ml water, then drop in the chunks of pepper. When starting to bubble, lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 mins or until the chicken is tender.
What is the difference between a curry and a Balti? ›
Curries are usually made in regular pots, while Balti curry is made in a special pan called a “balti.” Also, Balti curry has a mix of spices and ingredients, and it's often served right from the pan it was cooked in, which makes it different from other curries.
What are the ingredients in Balti powder? ›
Ingredients: Mustard Powder, Coriander, Salt, Cumin, Fenugreek, Fennel, Cardamom, Cassia, Onion Powder, Paprika, Caraway, Chilli Powder, Cinnamon, Ginger, White Pepper, Turmeric, Rusk: Wheat Flour (calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), Salt; Spice Extracts (Turmeric, Paprika, Coriander, Cumin, Garlic), Nutmeg, ...
What level of spice is chicken Balti? ›
Most standard baltis however are cooked to a medium level of spice, hotter than a korma or a pasanda, but less spicy than a jalfrezi or madras. Restaurants are usually flexible however, and you can ask them to dial the spice up or down if you prefer, or choose one of the other traditional styles.
What does Balti mean in a curry? ›
A balti or bāltī gosht (Urdu: بالٹی گوشت, Hindi: बाल्टी गोश्त) is a type of curry served in a thin, pressed-steel wok called a "balti bowl". The name may have come from the metal dish in which the curry is cooked, rather than from any specific ingredient or cooking technique.
Is chicken balti good for you? ›
Balti spices such as, cardamom and black pepper are all thought to ease digestion problems. Three common Balti ingredients – garlic, onion and chili peppers – have been found to help reduce high cholesterol levels.
What is the closest curry to a Balti? ›
The Karahi curry is a spicy dish and is a particular favourite in Northern India and Pakistan. It is related to the Balti and Jalfrezi as all of them are stir fried dishes. A Karahi is actually the name for a type of Indian iron round bottomed wok in the same way that a Balti is a flat bottomed metal dish too.
What Indian dish is similar to Balti? ›
Karahi. Karahi dish is similar to a balti, and so can sometimes be interchanged with balti recipes. The most well known karahi dish is made with chicken and hails from Northern India.
Is Balti an authentic Indian dish? ›
Where did Balti come from in the first place? Good question. According to some sources, the style of cooking originated in the Baltistan region of Northern Pakistan. Others say the name actually comes from the Urdu word for bucket, referring to the wok-like pot in which Baltis are commonly served.
What is Balti sauce made of? ›
A tomato based sauce with peppers, cumin and coriander.
The dish that it's cooked in is an Indian cast iron, round-bottomed wok with two handles calle a karahi. The curry is characteristically a meat (or veg) dish with a thick, spicy tomato-based sauce. Usually, it's heavy on the chilli heat with a little tanginess from the yoghurt that's added.
What is balti curry paste made from? ›
Water, Rapeseed Oil, Spices (15% ) [Cumin (3%), Paprika, Turmeric, Coriander (2%), Spices, Fennel], Maize Flour, Salt, Acids (Acetic Acid, Citric Acid), Tamarind, Cracked Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Cracked Coriander Seed, Dried Crushed Red Chilli, Black Kalonji Seed, Dried Coriander Leaf.
Is a Balti healthy? ›
Balti is considered as a healthy curry dish since healthy spices like turmeric powder, garam masala are used and it contains generous vegetables like tomatoes and bell peppers along with the main ingredient like chicken, meat, seafood or paneer.
Where does Balti Curry originated from? ›
The Balti was invented in Birmingham during the 1970s, when the city's Pakistani residents created a fusion dish inspired by traditional Kashmiri recipes but cooked in a way that was more appealing to western tastes.
What do you cook in a Balti dish? ›
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 world, you can make it at home and at a fraction of the cost.
What does Balti taste like? ›
What Does Balti Sauce Taste Like? The basic ingredients used to prepare the curry are garlic, onion, and chilli peppers. A balti curry is generally cooked over a high flame with spiced vegetables or fresh meat. It can be cooked with additional spices or made into a mild variety with fewer spices.
What is the difference between chicken tikka masala and chicken tikka Balti? ›
Balti is a deep dish in which the food is prepared. The curry differs from normal curries because the exotic collection of fresh spices and herbs are used, creating a thicker richer and distinctive flavour.
What is Balti chicken tikka masala? ›
A balti curry is first cooked over a high flame with spiced fresh meat and vegetables; then cooked again with extra spices; before being served in the traditional round-bottomed balti dish. There are so many ways of preparing a Balti Tikka Masala and this version is perfectly wonderful and memorable.
