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Author Topic: Balti Secrets Book  (read 10,531 times)

AI Summary
The discussion revolves around the book "The Balti Secrets of the Birmingham Balti Company" by Janet & Peter Lardner, with several users expressing interest in the book and its recipes. One user shares the basic balti sauce and chicken balti recipes, highlighting the unique spice blends involved, which include uncommon ingredients like curry leaves and onion seeds. The community shows enthusiasm for trying out the recipes and sharing results, indicating a consensus on the book's potential value for authentic balti cooking.

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Offline jb

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Balti Secrets Book
« on: November 29, 2005, 12:52 PM »
A few years ago I brought a book "The Balti Secrets of the Birmingham  Balti Company" by Janet & Peter Lardner.Never cooked from it and pretty much forgot about it until I discovered this great site recently.

Has anyone else got this???  If so what was the results???

Very similar in layout to Kris Dhillon's book,it gives a recipe for the basic balti sauce (incl.fenugreek leaves & green cardamons),however the sauce also contains a balti masala blend which gives the sauce 'That Authentic Balti Flavour'.This spice actually has 17 different whole and ground spices!!

It seems one of the authors used to teach Balti cookery in the area,together they had a mail order business but they seem to have disappeared completely...

After the initial spice mix and balti sauce is made it looks very easy...Very tempted to have a go...



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Offline Curry King

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Re: Balti Secrets Book
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2005, 12:58 PM »
Hi JB,

I've not heard of that one any chance you could post some extracts  ::)

Cheers
cK
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Offline raygraham

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Re: Balti Secrets Book
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2005, 02:31 PM »
Hi JB,

It sounds very interesting.

I have had this on order from Amazon for months with no luck!
Did you say you had the book?

Any chance of scanning it to the site for us all to share or alternatively send me some photocopies which I can scan and post! The base sauce recipe would be most interesting.

Regards

Ray
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Offline Ashes

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Re: Balti Secrets Book
« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2005, 04:38 PM »
Ive seen the book on amazon, but like so many other baliti books, i think it is out of print. Seems books regularly go out of print and only get another print if their is some kind of market.

Some books on e-bay are going for extortiate amounts of cash.

I also saw a second hand copy of 100 Best Balti Curries at my folks home town of Broadstairs when i was visiting the U.K in the summer. It costed only ?6 from the Albion Second Hand Book Shop on the high street.
Anyone interested can give them a ring or email them and they will send you the book through the post.

Im interested in the Balti Secrets Book though, any chance of a scan of some recipes?
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Offline jb

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Re: Balti Secrets Book
« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2005, 09:52 PM »
Yes I do have the book myself,it does look very promising but I guess u guys have heard that before!!

Fraid I can't scan any pages though as I've just moved and my PC is somewhat limited.

However I can post the interesting bits here no problem.

Ray Graham did u mean photocopy them and send them through the post???That might be better as there is quite a lot of of good stuff.Post your address and I'll sort them out on Wednesday,that will be quicker knowing my typing skills....

Have 2 say very addictive and very friendly forum!!!!!!!!



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Offline vin daloo

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Re: Balti Secrets Book
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2005, 12:02 AM »
Quote from: jb on November 29, 2005, 12:52 PM
A few years ago I brought a book "The Balti Secrets of the Birmingham? Balti Company" by Janet & Peter Lardner.Never cooked from it and pretty much forgot about it until I discovered this great site recently.
It seems one of the authors used to teach Balti cookery in the area,together they had a mail order business but they seem to have disappeared completely...
Im not sure if its the same one, but there was a janet on the in2curry site that charged ?50 a cookery lesson.  I believe it was a scam and some - if not most were KD recipes with slight variations, also experimentation as we all do on this site - i remember a chicken tikka recipe that was identical to KD's - which is nothing remotely like a BIR.  I think she emigrated.  Probably wasnt short of a bob or two after all them cookery classes!...hey thats an idea....
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Offline pete

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Re: Balti Secrets Book
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2005, 08:08 AM »
I bought the recipes, but as it's the way she made a living, never posted them .
Suiffice to say that I did't get what I wanted
It was about two years before this site
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Offline vin daloo

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Re: Balti Secrets Book
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2005, 09:08 AM »
Yes, i lifted the lid on her little scam back then - she got very defensive and the in2curry thread was removed.  She disapeared after that.  I also heard she did chinese lessons too - probably copied from chinese cookery secrets which is done by the same publishers as the curry secret.  Shouldnt knock her for making money but tryin to scam us curry conoseurs is an insult.
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Offline Curry King

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Re: Balti Secrets Book
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2005, 10:03 AM »
?50 is nothing there was a woman who advertised on this forum when it started who was charging more like ?150 a lesson and Pat Chapman charges a fair wedge as well, although Mark J has been and said it was very worthwhile.  I wouldn't say someone who offers lessons is a scammer as you effectivly get what you pay for, 1 to 1 lessons in Indian cooking. 

Personally I would consider KD and pat chapman scammers for selling so called restaurant recipe books when there obvioulsy not restaurant recipes.  Even worse are the ebay scammers who rip of recipes from the various crap ebooks and probably this site, then sell them on there as the restaurant secret, now they are scum  >:(
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Offline jb

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Re: Balti Secrets Book
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2005, 10:57 AM »
Funny enough I've just found another book by Pat Chapman 'Favourite restaurant curries'.Never tried any recipes and I know he gets a lot of criticism but he actually names the different restaurants from where the recipes are taken,or is he just having us on???
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