The ABC of Balti

[Malc.]

Jerry, sorry for the confusion I assumed that you knew.

Stephen, Jerry's way of keeping essential info easy to hand, like a post it note, I hope. ;D

Keen to move on I killed four birds with one stone tonight all from the book and made to specification: Kushi kebab, Chicken Tikka which then lead to a Chicken Tikka Bhuna and a Chicken Tikka Pathia.

The Kushi Kebab in my opinion, their version of a Shami Kebab which I adore so I couldn't pass this one up. Now despite the use of Kashmiri Masala Paste, I was very pleased with the kebab. My only comment would be ingredients such as the Shahi Jeera and Corriander which could probably do with increasing slightly, but none the less, a very good and simple recipe.

The Chicken Tikka was made without colouring and as I intended to use it in the dishes, I haven't taken pics of this separately. It wasn't to my taste sadly, ok, but not a winner. The mustard just rips right through and if I ever try it again, I will leave it out. But it is unlikely I will do it again.

The Bhuna was ok, just like the Balti but with a bigger flavour of tomato. Out of the Balti, the Bhuna and the Rogan Josh, the favourite is the Rogan Josh.

The Pathia for me was my least favourite so far. I have never had a Pathia, so I had no idea what to expect. The lemon certainly gave the dish a twist, not sure if you would call it sour but I wasn't keen on it. I wonder how much the Tikka changed the results of the main dishes, so I haven't ruled them out but I would certainly like to taste a Pathia made in a BIR for comparison.

Ray, 2 more dishes that look exactly the same as the first two!

ABC Kushi Kebab


ABC Tikka Bhuna


ABC Tikka Pathia

[Malc.]

WARNING: The following dish will seriously make your taste buds dance with delight!

Those that have the book will see the funny side of that warning, those that don't, take it as gospel.

Anyway, I tried the King Prawn Sagwala tonight. You might have guessed already but I am seriously pleased with this dish. Really, its by far the best in the book I have tried and one that I will most definitely be making again and again.

If I were to try and explain it, I would describe it to be similar to a King Puree in taste but with the added spinach of course, but with that little extra something.

Now I am going to say I followed it to specification but the purists will say I haven't. By my own admission I am a whimp when it comes to seriously hot dishes so when I read that this reciepe calls for 4 green chillies per portion, I decided to half this. I had two medium strength green chillies in the fridge and that was just fine for me. So my apologies to the purists and to those that feel similar to me, I feel I could have added a third without regretting it.

Cooking the whole spices and prawn


The final cook with base etc.


ABC Prawn Sagwala

[Razor]

Malc,

That looks really nice mate.  Got to admit, I've not tried this one yet.  Just the thought of spinach makes me 'hughie'.  I think I was put off as a kid, and couldn't stand Popeye!

Ray

[Malc.]

Ray,

I understand, spinach was never my favourite either. But in this dish (I used fresh baby spinach), you would never know, other than visually of course. I can not tell you just how much I enjoyed this dish. It simply has an incredible balance of flavour.

[chewytikka]

That looks really excellent Malc
well done!
Chewytikka

[Malc.]

Thanks Chewy, it was very tasty indeed, all thanks to the book though.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Just the thought of spinach makes me 'hughie'.  I think I was put off as a kid, and couldn't stand Popeye!

And I'm exactly the opposite.  Because spinach is the one vegetable that was not (quite literally, I might add) forced down my throat at infants' school, it is the only vegetable that I can eat and enjoy today.  But what I found really interesting is that I have been using up the left-over Bombay Aloo from the group test to make Sag Aloo, and I have found that in Sag Aloo I can happily eat not only spinach but also various other leaf vegetables, as packed for Waitrose in their "Ready prepared spinach with fresh oriental leaves" (i.e., spinach, red pak choi, mizuna).  And this evening I will be making Sag Aloo with another of their range : strong watercress, rocket and spinach (whatever "strong watercress" might be : any ideas ?!).

** Phil.

[Malc.]

Hi Phil,

I think 'strong' is just a suggestion for its reader, as Watercress has a strong flavour. But I did read that older plants with thicker stems are generally stronger. If that is the case, then 'strong' is a better word to use than 'old'! lol

But your comment about using other leaves, is something I thought about when buying the spinach yesterday as I walked up and down the isle trying to find it.

Taking the spinach out of this last dish would leave a thoroughly tasty dish in itself but also provide a canvas to try other veg.

I used baby spinach pre-washed from Tesco. The recipe calls for it to be roughly chopped and then steamed for only 2-3 mins. This is only enough time to gently wilt the leaves. I drained any excess water and allowed it to cool before using. Because the vegetable is not cooked to death, it does not take on that familiar soggy texture and strong flavour, that overcooked spinach does. Rather the opposite, it retains good colour and has a light fresh flavour, which you would expect from a salad leaf.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I used baby spinach pre-washed from Tesco. The recipe calls for it to be roughly chopped and then steamed for only 2-3 mins.

For my Bombay Aloo -> Sag Aloo conversion, I don't (pre-) cook the leaves at all; they simply go into the wok with pre-heated Bombay Aloo, then get stirred around until they have wilted.  At wok temperature, this probably takes no more than a minute.

For spinach by itself, I generally give it a quick rinse in cold water, shake off as much as I can, then pop it into a lidded casserole dish that then goes in the microwave oven on full power for a minute or so.

** Phil.

[George]

Thanks Chewy, it was very tasty indeed, all thanks to the book though.

I'm pleased your're getting good results from the recipes in the Kushi Balti book. It's why a few of us recommended that book when someone asked in another thread if any books really stand out. It beats me why anyone would be giving priority to trying, or using, many other recipes - from other sources - rather than from the Kushi Balti book. My hunch is that it contains honest recipes in a way that certain other books do not (KD, Chapman, etc).