Very excited about progress on the Balti after trying Jerry's recipe/method for just two dishes. The first was made using Adil GM made by Jerry. The second used Adil GM made by the chef at the restaurant. Not much between the finished results taste/quality-wise, in my opinion. I'll be able to do the comparison again, but this time both will be Balti chicken. Didn't have any chicken to use the other day. I haven't tried the garlic powder addition as yet. Interestingly, although perhaps not so surprising, both of the dishes didn't quite match the Adil. But this matters not, it's still early days and matching a dish precisely to a restaurant will indeed be no mean task. What is significant is that the dishes so far are without a doubt 100 % Birmingham balti. So had they been ordered from another balti house I'd have been well-pleased. Everything was there, common to the dish everywhere I tried where it is made authentically. The fresh flavours, aromas, layers, and textures.
Consequently, I do feel Jerry has reproduced/nailed arguably one of the most elusive (and tricky) dishes out there. Of course it's still rather subjective, as few of us on here have even tried a Birmingham balti, and won't know what the "fuss" is all about. However, their popularity (in Birmingham) is a given. As mentioned elsewhere, the Birmingham balti is completely different to a BIR one. They just ain't the same thing. That said from the right place, and on the right night, both BIR (except balti) and Balti are both fantastic. Does that make any sense?
Anyway, I'm already thinking there are elements of the Balti I'd like to have the option of introducing to some of my BIR efforts. In particular the smokiness. Jerry mentioned the Balti meat (lamb) from the Adil is probably what we're working to, and I'd agree with that, solely on the remarkably smoky flavours, presumably imparted via the stock used. Top end smoky BIR and Birmingham balti dishes. It would be nice to master both.
The key to the Birmingham balti I feel, as identified by Jerry, is how
lightly ground whole spices are cooked (see Jerry's posts). Sure enough, when Jerry acquired some of the Adil GM from the restaurant, it turned out to be very lightly ground/coarse, possibly just rubbed. How the GM and other spices are cooked and for how long defines the unmistakable Balti taste. I did as Jerry indicated, frying briefly and then quenched with diluted tomato puree. Bingo! Ingredient-wise cumin and ajwain are surely fundamental to the dish. The most obvious aroma of the Adil GM (it's very pronounced) is actually cumin. I first felt that the amount of lemon dressing fired into my balti efforts as per the recipe was going to have a disastrous effect. It didn't. When I made the second dish and tried it before serving, I immediately knew I'd left something out. I'd forgot the lemon. Another important thing is that the Birmingham balti can be made with a standard BIR base. One thing that has been holding me back is the notion that a special gravy is needed. It seems not. Nice one Jerry! I'll add more later.
Rob
I've been thinking of ways to increase smokiness by adding some extra ingredient. Soy sauce, Maggi liquid seasoning, smoked paprika etc., molasses, black cardamom, for example, many of which it seems are used in Balti/BIR cooking, at some point, according to the books available. But I'm not so sure. My progress in BIR cooking has been helped, I feel, by not using overly-complicated recipes. The chef's I've watched also invariably keep it simple in terms of ingredients, which again points to technique being vital. With that in mind this link is quite interesting. Applicable to all things curry perhaps, including the Balti?
http://www.splendidtable.org/story/8-ways-to-extract-unique-flavors-from-whole-spices 
Topic: Three baltis (read 394,715 times)
