Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: jb on November 29, 2005, 12:52 PM
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A few years ago I brought a book "The Balti Secrets of the Birmingham Balti Company" by Janet & Peter Lardner.Never cooked from it and pretty much forgot about it until I discovered this great site recently.
Has anyone else got this??? If so what was the results???
Very similar in layout to Kris Dhillon's book,it gives a recipe for the basic balti sauce (incl.fenugreek leaves & green cardamons),however the sauce also contains a balti masala blend which gives the sauce 'That Authentic Balti Flavour'.This spice actually has 17 different whole and ground spices!!
It seems one of the authors used to teach Balti cookery in the area,together they had a mail order business but they seem to have disappeared completely...
After the initial spice mix and balti sauce is made it looks very easy...Very tempted to have a go...
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Hi JB,
I've not heard of that one any chance you could post some extracts ::)
Cheers
cK
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Hi JB,
It sounds very interesting.
I have had this on order from Amazon for months with no luck!
Did you say you had the book?
Any chance of scanning it to the site for us all to share or alternatively send me some photocopies which I can scan and post! The base sauce recipe would be most interesting.
Regards
Ray
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Ive seen the book on amazon, but like so many other baliti books, i think it is out of print. Seems books regularly go out of print and only get another print if their is some kind of market.
Some books on e-bay are going for extortiate amounts of cash.
I also saw a second hand copy of 100 Best Balti Curries at my folks home town of Broadstairs when i was visiting the U.K in the summer. It costed only ?6 from the Albion Second Hand Book Shop on the high street.
Anyone interested can give them a ring or email them and they will send you the book through the post.
Im interested in the Balti Secrets Book though, any chance of a scan of some recipes?
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Yes I do have the book myself,it does look very promising but I guess u guys have heard that before!!
Fraid I can't scan any pages though as I've just moved and my PC is somewhat limited.
However I can post the interesting bits here no problem.
Ray Graham did u mean photocopy them and send them through the post???That might be better as there is quite a lot of of good stuff.Post your address and I'll sort them out on Wednesday,that will be quicker knowing my typing skills....
Have 2 say very addictive and very friendly forum!!!!!!!!
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A few years ago I brought a book "The Balti Secrets of the Birmingham? Balti Company" by Janet & Peter Lardner.Never cooked from it and pretty much forgot about it until I discovered this great site recently.
It seems one of the authors used to teach Balti cookery in the area,together they had a mail order business but they seem to have disappeared completely...
Im not sure if its the same one, but there was a janet on the in2curry site that charged ?50 a cookery lesson. I believe it was a scam and some - if not most were KD recipes with slight variations, also experimentation as we all do on this site - i remember a chicken tikka recipe that was identical to KD's - which is nothing remotely like a BIR. I think she emigrated. Probably wasnt short of a bob or two after all them cookery classes!...hey thats an idea....
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I bought the recipes, but as it's the way she made a living, never posted them .
Suiffice to say that I did't get what I wanted
It was about two years before this site
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Yes, i lifted the lid on her little scam back then - she got very defensive and the in2curry thread was removed. She disapeared after that. I also heard she did chinese lessons too - probably copied from chinese cookery secrets which is done by the same publishers as the curry secret. Shouldnt knock her for making money but tryin to scam us curry conoseurs is an insult.
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?50 is nothing there was a woman who advertised on this forum when it started who was charging more like ?150 a lesson and Pat Chapman charges a fair wedge as well, although Mark J has been and said it was very worthwhile. I wouldn't say someone who offers lessons is a scammer as you effectivly get what you pay for, 1 to 1 lessons in Indian cooking.
Personally I would consider KD and pat chapman scammers for selling so called restaurant recipe books when there obvioulsy not restaurant recipes. Even worse are the ebay scammers who rip of recipes from the various crap ebooks and probably this site, then sell them on there as the restaurant secret, now they are scum >:(
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Funny enough I've just found another book by Pat Chapman 'Favourite restaurant curries'.Never tried any recipes and I know he gets a lot of criticism but he actually names the different restaurants from where the recipes are taken,or is he just having us on???
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You can tell just by looking at the recipes, if it requires transfering to a casserole dish and putting in the oven for 40mins then he's having you on ;D
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Pat Chapman charges a fair wedge as well, although Mark J has been and said it was very worthwhile.?
It was ?250 for the morning and was bought for me as a suprise present, I did thoroughly enjoy it and he and his missus are smashing people.
Not sure if I would have forked out ?250 though :)
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Hi jb,
Ive been after that book for ages, its one of the few remaining 'real' BIR recipe books I dont yet have.
Any chance you can post the base and one recipe?
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O.K here goes just excuse the typing errors!!!!!!!!!!!!
BASIC BALTI SAUCE.....Serves 4
450g/1lb onions,peeled and quartered
25g/1oz fresh ginger,roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves,roughly chopped
salt to taste
450ml or 3/4 pt water
100g/4oz can toms chopped
60ml/4tbsp veg oil
20ml/4tsp fenugreek leaves,dried
2.5ml or 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 whole green cardamons,top pinched
30ml/2tbsp balti masala(see below for recipe)
METHOD
1.MIX TOGETHER THE WATER,ONIONS,GARLIC,GINGER AND SALT IN A PAN.BRING TO THE BOIL AND SIMMER FOR 10-15 MINUTES.
2.MEANWHILE,HEAT THE OIL IN A FRYING PAN,AND FRY ALL THE SPICES TOGETHER.ADD THE TINNED TOMATOES AND SIMMER FOR 10 MINUTES.
3.WHEN THE ONION MIXTURE IS COOKED,STIR IN THE TOMATO MIXTURE AND SIMMER TOGETHER FOR A FURTHER 10 MINUTES.
4.PLACE THE SAUCE IN A BLENDER AND BLEND UNTIL SMOOTH.IT IS NOW READY FOR USE.
CHICKEN BALTI RECIPE....serves 4
450g/1lb cubes chicken
100g/4oz onion chopped
5ml/1tsp garlic puree
5ml/1tsp tom puree
5ml/1tsp ginger puree
15ml/1tbsp balti masala
5ml/1 tsp ground cumin
5ml/1 tsp turmeric
5ml/1 tsp chilli powder
5ml/1 tsp ground coriander
5ml/1tsp fenugreek leaves(optional)
1-2 fresh green chillies chopped
450ml or 3/4 pint balti sauce
50g or 2oz ghee or veg oil
and for the garnish...
15ml/1tbsp fresh coriander leaves
2.5ml or 1/2 tsp balti garam masala
METHOD
1.MIX THE DRY SPICES WITH THE TOM. PUREE.ADD A DROP OF VEG.OIL IF THE PASTE IS TOO DRY AND THEN SET ASIDE.
2.HEAT THE GHEE/OIL IN THE PAN,AND FRY THE ONIONS UNTIL TRANSLUCENT.ADD THE GINGER AND GARLIC,AND STIR FRY FOR ONE MINUTE.
3.ADD THE SPICE PASTE AND STIR FRY FRO 2 MINUTES
4.ADD THE CHICKEN PIECES.COOK FOR 2 TO 3 MINUTES,STIRRING CONTINUOUSLY.
5.POUR IN THE BALTI SAUCE,ADD THE CHILLIES AND BRING TO THE BOIL.SIMMER THE SAUCE FOR 15 MINUTES OR UNTIL THE SAUCE HAS REDUCED AND THICKENED
6.REMOVE FROM THE PAN AND SPRINKLE GARAM MASALA AND FRESH CORRIANDER
SPICE MIXES TO FOLLOW!!!!
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Thanks JB
I notice how you fry the onions first and then add the garlic & ginger.
This is the opposite way round to the kushi method
It would give a very different result
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Right here are the two spice blends...(makes about 175g/6oz each)
BALTI MASALA
WHOLES SPICES...
75ml/5tbsp coriander seeds
30ml/2tbsp white cumin seeds
10ml/2tsp fennel seeds
10ml/2tsp black mustard seeds
5ml/1tsp fenugreek seeds
4-5 whole cloves
4 bay leaves
25g/1oz curry leaves
5ml/1tsp lovage seeds
2.5ml or 1/2 tsp onion seeds
3 x 5 cm cassia bark
15ml/1 tbsp fenugreek leaves
GROUND SPICES
7.5ml or 1 and 1/2 tsp chilli powder
10ml/2tsp ground ginger
5ml/1tsp ground cardamom
15ml/1tbsp garlic powder
15ml/1tbsp turmeric
1.ROAST ALL THE WHOLE SPICES BY PLACING THEM IN A NON STICK PAN IN A LOW OVEN FOR ABOUT 1-2 MINUTES....DO NOT BURN!!!!
2.WHEN COOLED,GRIND THE SPICE MIXTURE TO A POWDER
3.ADD THE REMAINING GROUND SPICES AND MIX WELL.
4.STORE IN AN AIR TIGHT JAR.
BALTI GRAM MASALA
WHOLE SPICES...
75ml/5 tbsp coriander seeds
40ml or 2 and 1/2 tbsp white cumin seeds
5 x 5 cm cassia bark
7.5ml or 1 and 1/2 tsp dried mint leaves
5 bay leaves
GROUND SPICES...
25ml or 5 tsp ground aniseed
13ml or 2 and 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
10ml/2 tsp ground cloves
5ml/1 tsp turmeric
5ml/1tsp paprika
SIMPLY USE THE SAME TECHNIQUE AS IN THE BALTI MASALA
Blimey I think that's all I can manage.Like I said I've never tried the recipes in the book,but after logging on to this forum for the past few months and seeing other like minded people I think I will give it a go.The basic balti sauce is similar to others I've seen but the spice mixes do seem a bit different with more ingredients....If someone does try this will they please post their results...........
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Hi JB,
There's one or two interesting spices in the Masala's. "Curry Leaves" and "Onion Seeds" in the Balti Masala and " Ground Cardamom" could be pretty dominant in this one.
"Dried Mint" and "Ground Aniseed" in the Garam Masala! More powerful tastes. Quite unusual to see these.
The other notable point is the 2 Tbsps Balti Masala in the curry base!
It seems like it is going to be a more highly flavoured, aromatic base than say KD.
Even the Basic Balti recipe has 1 Tbsp of the Balti Masala in per recipe along with odd teaspoons of Cumin, Fenugreek and Coriander. Even without cooking it I would imagine this is going to be a fairly highly flavoured dish.
Does the foreword mention who these people were and how they came to write this book? When was the first print made? I wonder if it came before or after the "100 Best Balti's" book?
Thank's for your time getting these typed up. As has been said this is rare and out of print now so thanks to you we can get an idea what is in it.
A few more of the actual recipes to go with the base would be nice as well ( grovel, grovel ), or an idea what recipes the book supports . If you still want to send me some photocopies I can type some up and post as well.
Regards
Ray