Topic: The ABC of Balti

[Malc.]

ABC being the Authentic Balti Curry book I have recently purchased. Am I pleased, you bet! The following dishes being my first attempts to create recipes in this book.

The first thing I had to overcome was how much Cassia Bark to use in the base, which I decided was measured by imagining a small piece of bark snapped from a larger piece. I am happy with this as the balance of flavour in the base is good, though I freely admit I am no expert in these matters.

The next thing I had to sort out was a lack of Javentry (Mace) and Asian Bay in my spice cupboard. So of I went to a local Indian store a friend had recently recommended to me. Well what a Mecca this place turned out to be. It stocks everything your average BIR chef wannabe needs. So at the same time, I managed to stock up on several other things I had been missing, like Panch Phoran and Brown Cardamon, as well as topping up on others.

With time fast running away I had to crack on and started creating the base, Which in the ABC is done in two parts. First is the slow cook of the onion and veg and then the cook out of the spices with tinned tomato. My intention was to cook Chicken Tikka Balti but due to time, I chose to pre-cook my chicken in the tomato/spice sauce. Yes I know, it wasn't following the ABC, but I can say it worked very well.

So having blended the final base and prep'd all the additional ingredients, I set about creating my first attempts at balti. The results were very good indeed, albeit needing a little adjustment. Now when I say adjustment, I mean adjustment to my interpretation. The one comment we all had (wife, kids and I) was that it wasn't hot enough. Not that we like hot food but that we expect Indian food to give a little kick of heat. I put this down to my use of mild chilli powder, so next time, I will use something stronger or add fresh chilli. At this point, I feel like I have taken my first steps.

Anyway, the Chicken Balti was good but the Rogan Josh was much better. The only comment I would make is that the Rogan Josh was more like the Chicken Balti I had experienced recently in a good restaurant I visit from time to time. But again, this could be down to the 'scoville' factor, or perhaps that I stuck strictly to spoon measurements rather than slightly heaped measurements, as I would do normally.

The only very slight negative I have was the rice, which wasn't as nice as I had hoped it would be. Though my youngest daughter kept going back for more time and time again.

Anyway, here are the pic's:

ABC Chicken Balti


ABC Rogan Josh


ABC Pilau Rice

[JerryM]

Axe,

hope they are big dishes as they look very small portions given how good they look.

can you give any details on the dish spicing. i've always been disappointed making balti at home and sure it's down to the spicing ie mix powder. 


ps i have the Lynette Baxter Balti book which has good base and a few nice ideas but i don't make the recipes as although they are good they are a bit short of restaurant quality (a bit like KD1). there is a sort of inference that garam masala also needs to be used at dish frying which could be where my gap is. i must admit it's an area of Indian that i've not worked hard at though.

[Malc.]

hope they are big dishes as they look very small portions given how good they look.

can you give any details on the dish spicing. i've always been disappointed making balti at home and sure it's down to the spicing ie mix powder. 

Thanks Jerry, the bowls were large serving dishes

For the spicing, I used the Kushi spice mix as per the book instruction. It's quite different to what I expected. Especially with the inclusion of Garlic and Ginger powder. A side by side comparison to my usual IG spice mix is very interesting.

The Kushi spice mix has much more of a 'finished dish' aroma. You might even call it refined and it certainly reminds me of a Balti. Where as the IG spice mix has a much coarser aroma of curry and turmeric.

As I mentioned, we all thought the spicing levels were a little on the 'light' side. I truly believe this is the book trying to calculate the measurements a chef might use. It may look like a teaspoon of powder on a chefs spoon but it could be almost double that, if you get my meaning. 

I am sure the book has other inaccuracies to, I got about 14 portions out of its 10 portion base recipe. The visual representation of tinned tomato in the book, looks more like a watered down puree White Tower perhaps? The book simply says 200ml tinned tomato.

The next time I do these dishes (next weekend) I will use the IG spice mix for the Balti dish to learn what difference this makes and increase the quantity of the Kushi spice mix for the ABC Rogan Josh.

[Razor]

Hi Malc,

Not sure if you are aware but I've got the ABC book, lol and I really like it IF, I'm looking for Balti.

The little amount of base sauce per dish (125ml) along with the base ingredients and unique spice blend, typify Balti for me.

You really need to try their pre-cooked chicken recipe, it is absolutely awesome, and it does sit in a currish gravy st the end, so remember to add the juice aswell as the prtion of chicken when you make your final dish.

It's interesting to see Mr Haydor totally rule out making naan bread at home and thus, omits a naan recipe from the book.

I really got caught up in the forward to this book to, about his travels across Bangladesh in search of the ultimate Balti.

I suppose the acid test for this book, would be if any members have it and live in or near the Alum Rock area of Brum, and have actually visited the Kushi Balti house.  I'm pretty sure that if you have a copy of the book in tow, and ask for some hints and tips from either the chef or the owner (Mr Haydor), you would probably gain access to the kitchen?

Ray

[Malc.]

Ray,
 
Lol, yes your book recommendation and many recipe references to the 'Kushi' recipes suggested you might have the book. 
 
I am loving the recipes so far and starting a path that I haven't trodden. Looking forward to it too, I am quite taken with the Balti taste.
 
I haven't read the opening sections of the book as yet, but I am fast forming opinions that no matter how hard we try, some things are simply out of reach in terms of that final percentage. Naans being a perfect example!
 
Visiting this book and some of the comments you have made in the relative recipe topics you have posted, sit very well with me and I now realise that its really about making a dish I am happy with as opposed to a dish that replicates a mass produced dish of a bygone era.
 
Do my pics above, resemble your results using the same recipes?

[Razor]

Hi Malc,

Do my pics above, resemble your results using the same recipes?

Yes, very much so.  Infact, my only real gripe with the recipes from this book, is that they all look very similar, with the exception of CTM and Korma.  It's no big deal, as taste is more important but some people DO eat with their eyes if that makes sense.

Incidentally, have you picked up on the different base for the Korma recipe yet?  It seems that some BIR's or Balti houses do have at least 2 bases on the go, if this book is anything to go by!

Ray

[Malc.]

I must admit, I rather expected the Rogan Josh to look a little different. The base recipe is quite thick made to spec, or at least I thought so. It certainly seems to envelope the additional ingredients in the final dish. You certainly don't need to add more base. So maybe this is why there is little variation perhaps? But as you say, they taste great.

What I did read with interest were the comments in the book about it providing recipes for you to build on. To move forward creating your own ideas and dishes. I certainly feel that with the odd change here and there, I could achieve some interesting dishes. I want to try more of the recipes to specification first though, before I start experimenting with it. Dhansak is on the list and perhaps the Pathia.

I did pick up on the change in base for the Korma and the CTM Masala. The warning 'making this recipe is a test of your patience', made me smile. But both got the old cogs whirring away, especially in respect of our discussion on the group test basic base idea. The Kushi base is very simlar, to get the balti base you add a spiced tomato sauce, the korma you don't add anything, and CTM you add the Masala sauce. So at this point, feeling as though I have done two full circles, it's all starting to make a little more sense.

It certainly makes for better understanding how and why different restaurants have more than one base on the go etc. I know the IG only use one but the chef explained, it is mildly spiced to give him more control and variation at the final dish stage. This might explain why he also adds garlic to his tomato puree, I wonder what other processes he has. I might have to look back at that topic I posted up last year.

[JerryM]

Axe,

Razor had made it sense for me - i did not make a connection with Kushi.

this is a spice mix i rate. i must admit i'm only making mouchak now and dropped keeping a 2nd mix.

it's funny too that the only balti i really rate (as a balti) is razors ie i keep a yellow sticky of it:
veg oil 2 tbsp
garlic 1 off clove
onion 0.25 fine chopped
spice mix 1.5 tsp
chicken pre cooked 300g
base 125ml
fresh tom 0.5 chopped

i would out of what i'm used to add in fine sliced onion and green pepper which are pre fried to still retain a little crunch when fried in the main dish. of course i would add fresh coriander too (in the dish).

[Stephen Lindsay]

daft question of the day - what's a yellow sticky?

[Peripatetic Phil]

A "Post-it" : yellow-coloured, self-adhesive, notelet, approximately 2 1/2" square.
** Phil.