Topic: ++++MDB’s Birmingham Balti Gravy 100% Clone Al Frash Balti Restaurant ++++

[mickdabass]

Hi  Robbo

Glad youre still persevering with the recipe. The large amount of cassia is absolutely critical in the recipe. I experimented with different amounts over time but found the 55g to be the optimum amount for the best flavour without overpowering the finished balti

I have remade this 5 or 6 times since I posted the recipe. The only difference I have made is to reduce the chilli to 1 tsp. This is because my whole family literally can’t get enough of it – ageing from 3 – 85! They all tell me that it is consistently the best curry I have made for them
OK I can imagine what some of you are thinking………..
Also I have given the recipe to five complete novices to try. They have never made a curry from scratch before but I supplied them with all the spices. Four of them absolutely love it, the fifth person is still yet to try it.
I can confidently say that if you think its bland then you must be doing something wrong!!!

 
Anyway after reading all of the comments, I have changed the methodology of my recipe but not the ingredients.
Its now a much simpler 2 pan affair without a lot of the faff

Maybe this simplification will help some of you....

MDB’s Birmingham Balti Gravy 100% Clone Al Frash Balti Restaurant and simple Balti Recipie

For the Gravy you will need:
•   Stick Blender
•   A fine sieve
•   Weighing Scales
•   1 Large Pan with lid for onions approx. 5 litres
•   1 Small/Medium pan with lid for Akhni Stock approx. 1 litre


Ingredients:

Vegetable oil – not olive oil
1 kg onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp salt
small pinch Ajwain seeds
1/2 green and 1/2 red pepper, chopped
125g fresh carrot, roughly chopped

Whole Spices:

Weigh 55g pieces of cassia bark broken up into 1 inch pieces
5 cloves
10 green cardamom pods pierced
3 star anise
5 tej patta (Indian bay leaves) dried DON’T use normal bay leaves – omit instead

Spice Mix: (rounded teaspoons)

2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
2.5 tsp coriander powder
1.5 tsp cumin powder
3 tsp turmeric powder
2.5 tsp curry powder
a good pinch kasoori methi (dried Fenugreek Leaves)
2 tsp garam masala powder
Large handful fresh coriander
30g peeled fresh garlic
30g peeled fresh ginger
250g of chopped tomatoes

Method:

Take the large pan and add:
1 chefs spoon vegetable oil
1 kg onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp salt
1pint cold water
1/2 green and 1/2 red pepper, chopped
125g fresh carrot, roughly chopped
30g peeled fresh garlic (bash with side of knife to make peeling easy)
30g peeled fresh ginger (I peel with teaspoon)
 Using a blender, blitz 30g garlic and 30g ginger with a small amount of water into an emulsion and
add to the onions
 
Bring to the boil.  Cover and simmer for 1 hr stirring frequently

While the onions are cooking:
take:
whole spices,
Drop these into the second pan, along with 1 pint of water and simmer with lid on for an hour stirring occasionally to make an Akhni Stock
After an hour strain the Akhni Stock from the second pan through the fine sieve directly into the large pan of onions
discard the whole spices.
stir well
 Add the chopped tomato, with the powdered spices into the large pan of onions and allow to simmer for five minutes
 
Add additional water to desired gravy consistency.
The Gravy is now ready to use.
Once cooled, it can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days without any problem


To make simple balti:

 
No need for additional ground spices or extra salt!

Ingredients:

Cooking Oil - any will do except olive oil
¼ medium onion Finely chopped
¼ medium tomato Finely chopped
Garlic Paste
Roughly chopped fresh coriander (to taste) I use quite a lot
Method:

In a frying pan on medium heat add 1 chef spoon oil
add onion
When just starting to go brown around the edges
add 1/2 tsp minced garlic

Once the spitting has stopped

Add 1/2 large raw chicken breast diced into 1inch cubes (pre-cooked chicken can be used but add after 3rd reduction to avoid overcooking)

Turn up heat

Add 1st ladle gravy

Reduce well until oil starts to separate

Add 2nd ladle gravy

add the chopped tomato
Reduce well until oil starts to separate

Add 3rd ladle gravy, stir in chopped fresh coriander and reduce to desired consistency

finish on low heat until chicken is cooked

Leave to stand for a few minutes and serve with hot naan.

Regards

Mick

[Secret Santa]

I can confidently say that if you think its bland then you must be doing something wrong!!!

I've been doing curries for a looooooong time Mick and I can tell you, barring a couple of small errors, the effects of which I know and so can account for, I did nothing wrong in making this balti base. The obvious alternative explanation, and the one I suspect is the real reason, is that you and the others who love the balti just prefer mild, no, lets call it what it is, bland curries. To be clear, I didn't dislike this balti chicken curry, it's just that I found it too bland for my taste.

That said, when I've got around to making this other balti base and trying it out, I'll return to your version and stick to the letter of your recipe and try the balti chicken again. Even if I still don't rate it as used in a balti curry it'll be no loss as I rate the base highly for standard BIR curries. I'm glad you posted it because it's a good base and it made for a really interesting thread - well, several threads now.

[livo]

I can confidently say that if you think its bland then you must be doing something wrong!!!

 .....  I did nothing wrong in making this balti base. The obvious alternative explanation, and the one I suspect is the real reason, is that you and the others who love the balti just prefer mild, no, lets call it what it is, bland curries. To be clear, I didn't dislike this balti chicken curry, it's just that I found it too bland for my taste.

I was going to post the same.  I did the gravy and Balti exactly as specified.  I liked it but found it ordinarily bland, as did you.  I also rate the gravy as a really good gravy and I like the Balti dishes I made with it using my additional Balti paste.  I'd have to go back and do it again to be convinced that I'd possibly done something "wrong".

[Kashmiri Bob]

I can confidently say that if you think its bland then you must be doing something wrong!!!

 .....  I did nothing wrong in making this balti base. The obvious alternative explanation, and the one I suspect is the real reason, is that you and the others who love the balti just prefer mild, no, lets call it what it is, bland curries. To be clear, I didn't dislike this balti chicken curry, it's just that I found it too bland for my taste.

I was going to post the same.  I did the gravy and Balti exactly as specified.  I liked it but found it ordinarily bland, as did you.  I also rate the gravy as a really good gravy and I like the Balti dishes I made with it using my additional Balti paste.  I'd have to go back and do it again to be convinced that I'd possibly done something "wrong".

If any aspect of Mick's recipes are coming out bland, or ordinary, something has most definitely gone pear-shaped.  Will be making it again this week, won't change a thing.  I'll report back with some thoughts.  Can't see me making any other BIR curry ever again.  It's that good.  Not just a little bit better, the difference/results you should be getting are seismic.  There really is nothing else like it.  Remember also, we've all made many other base gravies and curries to compare it with.  An added bonus with Mick's base recipe is it's all done in an hour. Easy!  I'll be doing the same for Misty's base next time too. 

Rob   

[Secret Santa]

Remember also, we've all made many other base gravies and curries to compare it with.

Exactly!

And on that basis the balti curry is the blandest of bland. Quite literally the least flavoursome of all curries I've ever made. That's just a statement of fact from my experience of it compared to all other curries I've ever had. As I say, I will eventually get around to making it again but I doubt we will ever concur on its merits or lack thereof so we'll have to agree to disagree.

I do find it fascinating though that we are so divergent in our opinion of it. The only other curry I can recall being so at odds with other people on was CT's madras which used a tablespoon of kashmiri chilli powder that I found very unpalatable. Turns out the brand I used was particularly bitter and I eventually retried it with MDH kashmiri chilli which made it a lot better but I could still detect an unpleasant undertone of bitterness. But I'm certain I haven't made that sort of error in this balti base.

[George]

If any aspect of Mick's recipes are coming out bland, or ordinary, something has most definitely gone pear-shaped.  Will be making it again this week, won't change a thing.  I'll report back with some thoughts.  Can't see me making any other BIR curry ever again.  It's that good. 

Given your and Mick's enthusiasm for this curry it is a must-try for me, notwithstanding the dissenting opinion of Secret Santa.

[Secret Santa]

If any aspect of Mick's recipes are coming out bland, or ordinary, something has most definitely gone pear-shaped.  Will be making it again this week, won't change a thing.  I'll report back with some thoughts.  Can't see me making any other BIR curry ever again.  It's that good. 

Given your and Mick's enthusiasm for this curry it is a must-try for me, notwithstanding the dissenting opinion of Secret Santa.

Give it a rest George. I've been cajoling you to make this since I tried it myself. Now, let's see if you actually do it this time and finally provide some positive input to the forum and this thread.

[George]

Secret Santa - fair enough. I'd say you stand a good chance I will side with you because my experience of trying recipes from this forum has been poor. Exceptions are Blades tikka and the h4c naan bread. The best recipes by far are those I have worked out for myself and even techniques I have worked out for myself but decline to write up here or anywhere.

[Peripatetic Phil]

The best recipes by far are those I have worked out for myself and even techniques I have worked out for myself but decline to write up here or anywhere.

Do you not feel that to be a little one-sided, George ?  You are happy to try others' recipes which are freely published here yet decline to publish your own ?  Not the sort of attitude I would have expected from one of our most senior members ...  Oh, and I should add that I purchase a 300gm pack of cassia bark (wrongly labelled "Cinnamon") specifically to try my hand at making this much-lauded balti ...
--
** Phil.

[livo]

When I first made this base gravy I made it exactly as described. No variation and I weighed the cassia and onions and used the stated rounded tsp measures. No mistakes. Timing of the procedure was as specified. The base was exactly as it should have been.

I then cooked the Balti Chicken exactly as described so we must assume that I had before me the exact same 100% Al Frash clone Balti Chicken.  It wasn't only me who said it was bland.  If you go back to my initial post about this, you'll see that my good wife's first impression was the same.  I immediately had no hesitation or second thought about concurring with Secret Santa.  The dish was not "bad", but it was very underwhelming in respect to any richness in flavour.  We ate it but we immediately thought it was just lacking.

Having said this, I have also said that I then went on to use the base to make really nice dishes by adding further spicing, mostly in the form of homemade balti paste.  I've now gone on and made the Shababs and Rishton single Balti Chicken. I've done Misty Ricardo's balti gravy and Balti Chicken. They are not bland.  They are not standard BIR either.  I've also made Balti Prawns, Balti Chicken & Mushroom, Balti Chicken & Spinach and most recently a modified to base gravy Balti Lamb.  All of these dishes with the inclusion of further spicing and / or Shababs gravy have been really good.

I'm not doing anything wrong.  The Balti Chicken described in this thread, cooked to specification, in my opinion is left lacking flavour.  So far 2 people say it's taste nirvana and 2 people say meh. What is agreed is that we need others to cook it and add to the discussion.

My wife said to me during our last curry meal, just the other day, "I prefer the curries you used to make."