Travelodge Foodies : Birmingham Balti Recipe

Balti spicesAn email landed in my inbox the other day asking if I would like to recreate a dish that has specifically been created in Birmingham. In collaboration with Travelodge, they kindly picked me as a person who has ‘knowledge of the Midlands’. So what better way to tempt people to Brum than to show off some of our local delicacy? The Balti is a classic hot dish, so if you’re reading this, I hope you  love spicy food!

Birmingham Balti DishesBirmingham is renowned for famous food, such as Cadbury and the well known Balti Triangle. And if you know me at all, you’ll know I love a good curry, especially after a night on the tiles (remember that time I was invited to Lasan for an 8 course tasting session?). Thanks to being given a generous £100 in food vouchers from a lovely PR company for a mass shop,  I wanted to try to recreate my own Balti dish from scratch.

A balti curry is a curry cooked over a high flame with spicy fresh meat (with vegetables if you wish!) with extra spices and served in the traditional round-bottomed balti dish (I used normal plates as my we’re still buying things for our apartment.) As much as we may enjoy food from our local curry houses, it’s also important to remember that we can also make delicious meals at home from scratch – and at a fraction of the cost! Please note: Balti dishes can be adapted in various ways, but below are the ingredients I used for my own dish. Most of the spices I would expect most homes to already have in their cupboards…

Spices

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins
Spices that you will need for the Balti:

    1 table spoon of fresh coriander, chopped

1 teaspoon of Garam Masala

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of ground cloves

1 teaspoon of  cinnamon

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 tablespoon of tomato purée

4 green chillies – chops

2 large chicken breasts, diced

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2cm of fresh ginger

1 onion, chopped,

salt and pepper to season

1 garlic clove

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large pan. Add chopped onion and stir for 2-3 minutes until soft.
  • Combine all spices (minus ginger and garlic) into one dish and crumble with a spoon.
  • Chop chicken into cubes and cook for 10 minutes, making sure the spices completely cover the chicken.

Chicken Balti Cooking

  • Keep checking to make sure spices aren’t burning!
  • After 10 minutes, pour in chicken stock and and add pinch of salt and tomato puree.
  • Add ginger and garlic to mixture.
  • Stir together and lower the heat. Cook for a further 20 minutes until chicken and spices are cooked.
  • Finally add the coriander and tomato. Cook for a further 3 minutes.
  • Serve piping hot with boiled rice and naan bread.

IMG_5893IMG_5896The curry was hot, but considering I’m a Korma girl I thoroghly enjoyed this meal. Don’t forget to read the Birmingham Travelodge blog for some more Brummie food inspiration! What do you think of this recipe. Would you attempt at making it? Please do let me know in the comment box below…

Join the Conversation

  1. Please get a spatula immediately! :’D Great recipe. Home cooked curries are always the nicest.

    1. I bought one yesterday 😉

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