Mix It Up Special Balti Food

BEST CHICKEN BALTI RECIPE

Steps:

• Grab your pan and heat up the oil, add your sliced onion. Stir fry and cook soft, then add the diced tomato. Cook the tomato soft on medium to high heat.
• Then reduce the heat and add the ginger garlic paste (or chopped ginger and garlic). Then add the spices all at once. turmeric, chili, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, garam masala and stir-fry for a minute or two.
• Now add your pre-cut chicken cubes and stir-fry for another minute on high heat before taking down the heat to slow/medium again. This helps the chicken flavors going!
• Then add the fenugreek leaves, tomato paste and cream, mix and stir cook for another minute on medium heat before pouring in the water.
• Mix all the content well and let cook on slow to medium heat so that the chicken kind of poaches slowly in the spiced curry sauce. Make sure to not turn up the heat too much as this may break down the curry and curdle and high heat can turn the chicken chewy and you don't want that. So, cook the chicken until it's cooked through, juicy but done. That usually takes around 10-15 minutes.
• Take from the heat and serve the chicken balti in the shallow pan. Garnish with a dollop or two of greek yogurt style thick curd, sprinkle some lime juice if you want and some freshly cut cilantro/coriander leaves. Enjoy still hot.

QUICK BALTI CURRY SPICE MIX RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Lightly crush mustard seeds in a pestle and mortar, if possible. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, then add seeds into a Ziploc or plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.
• Roughly chop coriander/cilantro leaves.
• Place curry leaves in palm of hand and squeeze gently to crack leaves and release some of the scent.
• Place remaining spices into a bowl and mix thoroughly to make sure they are all incorporated.
• Add mustard seeds, coriander/cilantro leaves, curry leaves, and finely chopped chilies. Stir well again.
• Spice mix is now ready to use with either chicken, beef, fish, prawns or vegetables.

CLASSIC CHICKEN BALTI CURRY

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Mix the garam masala , curry leaves, palm sugar , coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, nigella seeds , green chilies, and cardamom . Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large pan. Once it's hot but not smoking, add the lightly crushed mustard seeds. Cook for 30 seconds only and be aware of the hot oil splatter, as the seeds might pop a little.
• Add the chopped onion, lower the heat, and cook for approximately 3 to 5 minutes until soft but not colored.
• Add the garlic and ginger. Cook on medium heat, ensuring the spices don't burn.
• Add the chicken pieces and stir well to make sure all the chicken is coated in the spices. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid the spices from burning.
• Add the stock, tomato purée, a small pinch of salt, and the bay leaf. Stir well, lower the heat, and cook gently for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
• Add the cilantro and slices of tomato, stir and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve piping hot in balti dishes with naan bread on the side.

SPICED CHICKEN BALTI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan, fry the onions for 5 mins until golden and softened, then tip onto a plate. Add the chicken breasts, browning for a few mins on each side, then stir in the balti paste, quinoa and onions. Sizzle for a few mins, then pour in the tomatoes and stock and give everything a good mix. Bubble for 25 mins until the quinoa is tender and saucy.
• Stir in the cashews and most of the coriander with some seasoning, then pile into bowls and scatter over the rest of the coriander to serve.

VEGETABLE BALTI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the onion, garlic and apple and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the curry paste.
• Tip the fresh vegetables into the pan and add the tomatoes and stock. Stir in 3 tbsp of the coriander. Bring to the boil, turn the heat to low, put the lid on and cook for half an hour.
• Remove the lid and cook for another 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has reduced a little. There should be some liquid remaining, but not too much. Season with salt and pepper.
• Mix 1 tbsp of coriander into the yogurt to make a raita. Ladle the curry into bowls, drizzle over some raita and sprinkle with extra coriander. Serve with the remaining raita and warm mini naan breads.

BALTI SAUCE - BASIC SAUCE FOR ANYTHING GOES CURRY

Steps:

• Measure out the 8 spices into a bowl (first 8 ingredients). If using fresh chilis then leave those out for now. Warm up a large skillet or pot (ideally cast iron) and bring to med-high heat. Gently roast the spices in the dry skillet -- watching the mixture doesn't burn, keep stirring. After about a minute it will become fragrant and begin to get dark - take it off the heat and pour back into the bowl - set aside.
• Put the skillet back on the heat, add in the oil and bring back to medium high heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook thru until translucent. Once the onion is cooked, add in the ginger and garlic and mix well - watching the garlic doesn't burn. Next add the spice mixture back in, followed by the tinned tomatoes.
• Mix in about 1 cup of water - you want a thick sauce, but not too paste-like. Add in the salt, bay leaves and cardamom seeds.
• Grate the zest off of the lemon, add to the pot, along with the juice from 1/2 of the lemon. Save the other half for later, you may want to add more. Let it all simmer on medium-low.
• For a nice smooth sauce, remove the bay leaves and blend until smooth (an immersion blender works well).