Topic: Is there a difference between "Balti" and "BIR"?

[Razor]

Hello guys,

Can anyone tell me, is there is a difference between a Balti and a BIR.  Reading a post earlier, it seems that I may have wrongly assumed that they are one of the same thing?  I always thought that the difference was that a Balti was cooked in a Balti wok or a Karahi, where as a BIR was cooked in a pan?  I am currently using the "Authentic Balti Curry" book written by Mohammed Ali Haydor & Andy Holmes and the results that I am getting are unbelievable, better than most BIR's that I have been in.  By the way, this site is truly fantastic and by far the most informative that I have been on so far. 

Thankyou all very much.

Ray

[chriswg]

Hi Razor,

A Balti is a type of curry, BIR stands for British Indian Restaurant. I think you might have got your wires crossed a bit.

[Razor]

Hi CHris,

Yeah, I knew that BIR was the abbreviation but it was a post that I read earlier whereby somebody was talking about a balti and they got a reply of "don't mistake a balti with a BIR"?  This made me wonder was they infact different.  Take for instance, in the book that I have mentioned, there is a recipe for 'Balti Chicken Tikka Masala'.  What I am asking is, does this differ in any way to a standard 'Chicken Tikka Masala'?   Up until now I always thought that there was no difference and it was just a term of phrase but now, Im not so sure?   The one thing that I would say about the recipies that I have tried from the book, is that they appear to be slightly thicker in consistancy than most restaurants (which is to my preference)

Thanks again Chris


Ray

[Cory Ander]

Hi Ray,

This question was also debated a little here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1764.0

[JerryM]

Razor,

they are quite different. the trouble is there are lots of restaurants/TA who have claimed allegiance and added Balti into there shop name and menu. one of my fav local restaurants calls itself balti - it ain't it's quite clearly BIR.

the home of balti is in brum on alum rock road. very few BIR's do balti quite the same. decent imitation yes.

i don't believe there is a difference in the way it is cooked only that balti should be served in a metal bowl that has been pre heated to a v.hot temp. the nearest BIR curry to balti is Korahi.

it's the spices for me that are different.

i would say for me i prefer BIR to balti. i start to struggle with some of the recipes in balti as they favour vegetables which i'm only ok on upto a point.

[joshallen2k]

Just to show the (surprisingly wide) range of balti experiences out there.... the couple of times I ordered Balti, it was nothing more than a Bhuna-ish dry curry served on a karahi.

[Cory Ander]

I'm still not clear what the difference between a Balti and a more traditional BIR curry really is.

It seems to me that Baltis (besides being a bit of a marketing gimmick) are more so stir fried, use fresher ingredients (e.g. fresh herbs) and are possibly more aromatic (e.g. using garam masala) than traditional BIR curries.  And with probably more creative "mix and match" dishes.

Otherwise they are typically served in a balti bowl, with naan bread instead of rice, in a cheap truck-stop style restaurant (with plastic table clothes and chairs to boot).  At least this was originally the case.

[Cory Ander]

it's the spices for me that are different.

How would you say they differ please Jerry?

[JerryM]

CA,

u're description of balti sits well with me. the plastic table cloth is a must for the place to be the real deal.

the balti spice seems more full on - i guess further towards authentic. this i would say is why i don't like balti as much as BIR which has subtle spicing for me. it's the stir fry element that makes balti "balti" for me.

i have Lynette Baxter's balti book. i use the spice mix and the base is pretty good. i tried the chicken balti but tasted well short of the real thing. there are a lot of recipes in the book but they're just not my type of dish eg, black eyed bean, spinach & mushroom balti.  for some they're probably great - they just don't switch my light on. the dreaded garam masala does appear in most dishes (to my despair).

[Razor]

Wow, thanks for the reply guys and thanks for the link CA.  Im still not 100% clear but I tend to agree with Jerry as regards to the spice blends.  Most of the recipes that I have seen on here tend not to include garam masala whereby the recipes that I have do as it makes up part of what they call the 'base spice'.  Also, the 'base sauce' or curry gravy if you prefer has quite a lot of ingredients in it like, mace, cassia bark, cloves, green cardamom, star anise, bay leaf and your usual veg, carrots onions, red & green peppers.  In making this, you have to cook a tomato mixture seperatley which I believe is called a 'tarka'  Once both are cooked, you simply mix them together and wizz it up, and you have your base.

The one thing that I would say, is that every recipe that I have tride from the book looks very similar in colour which I am sure is down to the base sauce.  The consistancy is also very similar, again I belive this to be down to the base, as it is quite thick.  In my experience, most curries differ in colour slightly, I really hope that this is not down to food colouring!

I am going to be buying Kris Dhillons 'The curry secret this week which I believe is more about BIR's rather than Balti, so hopefully, I can compare the difference and somehow answer my own question.

Once again, thanks for the replys and keep up the great work with this site,

many thanks,
Ray