Chicken Balti a British Indian Curry
Chicken Balti is the pride of Birmingham and a curry not of Indian, but Anglo Bangladeshi heritage, dating from the 1970s, that went global!
It is a curry with a thick and boldly spiced sauce that is famed for being cooked in the bowl it is served in. I cook mine in a wok to mimic the caramelised sauce around the edges and serve it in a hot karahi.
The Original Brummie Chicken Curry
This Balti Curry recipe probably says more about where and when I was raised than any other recipe here on Krumpli.
I was born in the mid-1970’s in Birmingham. If it were to be a country, its national dish would almost certainly be a Balti!
It is a curry typically served in the dish that it is cooked in; however, in many places, the "balti dish" has become more of a presentation piece rather than a cooking implement.
As with many foods, there are arguments about the origin, and I will stay away from most of that nonsense.
However, the Balti is ‘officially’ credited as being ‘created’ in a place called Adils in 1977.
A place now noted as the Balti triangle, a place I remember very well indeed.
A place where classic Indian curries like chicken saag, Kashmiri chicken curry, lamb pasanda and lamb rogan josh play second fiddle.
If you like British Indian curries, then be sure to check out my chicken chasni recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cook this in a Balti bowl?
Yes, absolutely, the Brummie balti is typically served in the bowl that it is cooked in. I do not find that a particularly efficient way of cooking for two, let alone more.
Make the balti sauce as per my instructions, then blend it. Then stir fry the ingredients for your curry over a very high heat in the balti bowl, and then add the sauce and cook until it is done.
I use exactly the same technique in my king prawn balti curry.
Can I make different versions?
Yes, you can change it up very easily, add chicken tikka, lamb tikka, even paneer tikka, and you have a tikka balti.
Cook it with mixed vegetables or mushrooms, then add the sauce, and you have a veggie balti.
Can I make this in advance?
The sauce will store for 3-4 days in the fridge and will freeze for up to 3 months. The balti it self is best cooked fresh so that you get all of the caramelised bits of the sauce.
However, you can make it all, store it and serve it with no issues.
Serving Suggestions
It would verge on being a crime not to serve a chicken balti with a tandoori style naan bread. Although I do have friends who occasionally request them with chapati or roti. Well, when I say friends 😉
Likewise, it is equally proper to start off a trip to a curry house with poppadoms, a take on kachumber salad and some mint raita.
Rice is always a nice option with a curry, although not really required with this meaty curry. A nice jeera rice works particularly well, although a pilau rice is just as good.
If you want something really different, then how about some aloo methi or fenugreek potatoes?
If you are craving some greens, then how about a green bean poriyal?
Equipment Used
I tend not to recommend specifically branded pieces of kit in the kitchen; I'm a cook, not an equipment reviewer. But if you have any questions, please shout up in the comments below.
- Hob/stovetop.
- Wok.
- Steel, iron karahi, kadai or balti bowls.
- Blender.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Homemade Chicken Balti Recipe
Ingredients
For the Balti Sauce:
- 1 Small-Medium Onion 100g
- ½ Red Pepper
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 15 g Ginger ½ Thumb Sized Piece
- 3 Red Chilli Peppers
- 1 tablespoon Mustard Oil
- 6 Curry Leaves
- ½ teaspoon Onion Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander Seeds
- 3 Cardamom Pods
- 2 Cloves
- ½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 1 tablespoon White Vinegar
- 250 ml Water 1 Cup
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
For the Curry:
- 400 g Chicken Thighs 14oz
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 Small Onion 50g
- ½ Red Pepper
- 1 Small-Medium Tomato 100g
- 125 ml Water ½ Cup
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Jaggery (or brown sugar)
- ½ tablespoon Garam Masala
- ½ tablespoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves
Instructions
- Cut the onion for the gravy base into a 1cm (just under ½") dice.
- Cut the half of the red pepper for the gravy into a 1.5-2cm (½-3/4") dice.
- Peel and roughly chop the garlic and ginger.
- Pick the tops from the red chilli peppers.
- Heat the oil for the gravy in a wok over a high heat, and when it is hot, add the onion, red pepper and red chilli peppers and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until everything gets a nice colour.
- Throw in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or two, taking care not to burn the garlic.
- Turn the heat down to low-medium, then add the curry leaves, onion seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom pods and cloves, and cook for two minutes.
- Add the turmeric, nutmeg, and fenugreek leaves and cook for another minute, stirring continuously.
- Add the tomato puree and turn the heat up to high and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the water and vinegar and add the salt, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Then blend and set aside.
- Cut the remaining half of the red pepper into a 1cm (just under ½") dice.
- Cut the onion for the curry into a 5mm (¼") dice.
- Cut the tomato into 8 wedges, then cut the wedges in half.
- Cut the chicken into 2cm (¾") cubes.
- Clean out the wok and heat it over a high heat, and when it is hot, add the ghee.When the ghee has melted, add the onion and red pepper and stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Throw in the chicken and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomato and cook for a minute.
- Add the blended sauce to the wok along with the water and stir to combine.
- Add the jaggery, garam masala, salt and dried fenugreek and cook over a high heat until the chicken is cooked, which will take 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer to a hot "Balti" dish and garnish with coriander.
Absolutely delicious is there a way this could be achieved in a slow cooker please ?
Delicious! Had to make a few substitutions because I couldn't find all the spices, but it turned out fantastic.
- Swapped curry leaves for dried bay leaves (took them out before blitzing)
- fenugreek leaves for ground fenugreek
- jaggery for brown sugar
- ghee for regular ol' butter
Cheers for the recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it TB.
Hi if i want to make 8 portions how do i scale everything up in the right amounts, i assume it's not as simple as just x 4?
Hey Maz... in terms of ingredients it should be as simple as multiplying everything by 4, however the cooking may prove to be a little more difficult. A balti thrives on quick, very high temperature cooking once the base sauce has been made, as a result scaling it up for 8 becomes a little more tricky.
@Brian Jones, Thanks Brian, that makes sense, i tried it last week just for two, totally delicious! As a former Brummie i'm sooo happy to have found your recipie. Many thanks!!
Thanks Brian. Love the reworking of your Balti recipe. I’m an expat Brummie too and this new version is bang on! Just been back after too many years away and it was the first dish I asked for in the local Indian restaurant. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it Ian 🙂
Hi Brian has this recipe changed? There seem to be a lot more ingredients!
Thank you forbyour great recipes.
Hi Karen, yes I have revisited this recipe, it was written many years ago as an ode to the balti I missed when I moved abroad. I'e subsequently returned to the UK been to my favourite curry haunts and updated my recipe based on those experiences 🙂
Wow a blast from the past! I remember going to Adils in the early 80’s for their Balti and table naan ( size of the table), menus under glass on the table. Especially after a night at the Fighting Cocks or Trafalgar. Great times. Now living in Kenya and needing some Brummie classics to put on my menu here in sunny Nakuru; nestled in the Rift Valley.
I was a little later, my Balti adventure started in the late 80's! This recipe was born out of a similar motivation, there ain't many cuurry houses in rural Hungary, although I suspect even fewer in Kenya 🙂
This recipe is long overdue a bit of a make over and it is on ly list to give a tickle to.
I've never tried an authentic Brummie Balti, but I used to live in a shared house in the 90s with 4 from that way. They introduced me to the Balti, and that was it, I loved it. I moved to Australia about 20 years ago, and have cooked a shed load of currys since, but never found a Balti recipe I've been happy with.
Wow, I'm a bit surprised at this recipe. It was looking balti-ish while I was cooking, but tasted... disappointing. Then, as soon as I added the garam masala at the end, bam, it was a total transformation. It was like a step back in time... Fragrant, mildly spicy, spot on.
I made it with coriander stalks in the onion mixture, and whizzed up fresh peeled tomatoes instead of the passata and puree. I can't wait for the left overs for lunch tomorrow!
Glad you enjoyed it Darren.
Have made this 3 times now. I don't have 2 of the spices (Asafoetida, Black onion seeds) but it still came out delicious.
Excellent, both the onion seeds and asafoetida add accent flavours rather than dominant flavours so you are getting almost all of the recipe 🙂 So glad you like it.
How much Asafoetida do I need to use, I ordered it and it is no longer on the recipe
Hey Diane... This recipe got an update back in June 2022 after I returned to the UK.
I'd be happy to send you my original recipe if you drop me an email [email protected]
All the best
Brian
Hi Brian, super recipe! Cooked it the other day and was really pleased, it's bang on how I like it. Wondered, is ok to freeze the gravy and use at a later date? If so, how long would you recommend keeping for? Many Thanks, Andy
Hey Andy... Glad you like it, it is definitely my taste of home! You can definitely freeze the sauce, as a general rule you can freeze sauces for 4-6 months although they remain safe to eat long after that. Personally speaking, I tend to try and not store anything longer than 3 months, but that is mainly for my sanity and staying on top of what I have in the freezer.
Ahhh that's great news Brian, it'll be really useful to have the sauce ready to roll. Appreciate your help and once again top top recipe, thanks! Andy
Any time Andy... Enjoy, the advice pretty much goes for any curry sauce. If times are busy for me I will often do a bit of a batch cooking session over a weekend and have a few different curry sauces that can take the strain later on.
Really good. I'll be cooking this again.
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
Ingredients does not list green pepper or other half of onion for use in the curry. About to give this a try.
Hey Greg thanks for the heads up, I have updated my instructions to make things clear and there is also a video further up the page 🙂
Super stoked to find this recipe and from a fellow Brummie too, bonus points.
Moving to the USA made me miss a good curry unless I make it myself. Certainly does not beat Mazells though.
Going to try this this week and will report back.
Cheers for sharing!
Glad you found me, if you click on the curry corner option at the top of my site you'll find I am rather fond of the odd curry... I have over 50 floating around here including many of curry house favourites. Enjoy the balti 😀 It always makes me feel like home 😀
Thanks Brian this recipe is amazing! !! By far the best one I've tried and I've been cooking curries for decades now. Nice to know I've got it right.
So glad you enjoyed it Betty, this is one of the most popular recipes on my site!
This is the second week I have tried this recipe... Why? Because last week, after we got home from the match, it was by far the best home made Balti I have ever done, and tomorrow night is Curry night, so after marinating in the fridge over night I know it will be great!
I have been scouring the internet for a GOOD Balti recipes for years, although, I have also been working from Kris Dillon's book since the 90s, but it's time for a change. Living in Brum, we're never far from a Balti House, but we've had too many sit down disappointments of recent, so this recipe is top of my Balti list... Cheers Brian and thanks
I have to say a massive "Thank You" Brian for this recipe!! I grew up not too far from the Balti Triangle and used to go to Ladypool Rd (The Lunch House/Box I think?) back in around 1984/5. I think that closed down, and I ended up for many years going to the Grand Tandoori that was just around the corner on the Stratford Rd.
I have tried, literally hundreds of times to recreate something even vaguely similar, and always failed (I don't live in the UK anymore). But finally, the quest is over 🙂
I missed out the yoghurt, and Garam at the end, and added a bit of fresh Corriander, and it was PERFECT!!
So, thanks again, and I'm looking forward to trying out some more of your recipes!!
Just made this following instuctions to the T. I live in birmingham also so have been and still go to many a balti house.. The smell is awesome when cooking of the spices. Served it up in a balti dish with rice on the side and a garlic Nan.
I actually really liked it and would make it again my wife who is asian (Thai) also loved it. The only thing i would say is if you like a bit of a kick to it then add some more chilli as Brian points out.
Going to make this for the relatives when they come over for a meal. It would be perfect for them as they dont like to much spice where im a Madrass lover.
Great reciepe and easy to follow thanks Brian for sharing.
Thank you this is a great recipe made it in Saudi hubby loved it
This is the second week I have tried this recipe... Why? Because last week, after we got home from the match, it was by far the best home made Balti I have ever done, and tomorrow night is Curry night, so after marinating in the fridge over night I know it will be great!
I have been scouring the internet for a GOOD Balti recipes for years, although, I have also been working from Kris Dillon's book since the 90s, but it's time for a change. Living in Brum, we're never far from a Balti House, but we've had too many sit down disappointments of recent, so this recipe is top of my Balti list... Cheers Brian and thanks
Cheers Paul... Thanks for taking the time to write to me! So glad you like this, it was designed to trigger my memories of eating balti growing up in Brum, I've been living in rural Hungary for 10 years and this triggers memories every single time!
I have to say a massive "Thank You" Brian for this recipe!! I grew up not too far from the Balti Triangle and used to go to Ladypool Rd (The Lunch House/Box I think?) back in around 1984/5. I think that closed down, and I ended up for many years going to the Grand Tandoori that was just around the corner on the Stratford Rd.
I have tried, literally hundreds of times to recreate something even vaguely similar, and always failed (I don't live in the UK anymore). But finally, the quest is over 🙂
I missed out the yoghurt, and Garam at the end, and added a bit of fresh Corriander, and it was PERFECT!!
So, thanks again, and I'm looking forward to trying out some more of your recipes!!
Cheers Paul... I remember the Grand Tandoori well. Glad you like the curry, my curry recipes are built at trying to recreate the rough flavours that I remember from that very area in the early 90's, so hopefully youfind a few more that trigger memories! Enjoy 🙂
Hi Paul,
Is your quest really over? Ive been searching for a recipe for years to get a balti flavour, ive tried numerous books and websites and never got close to that balti flavour. I am going to try this soon.
Is it really that close to the real thing?
CJ
Thank you Brian I will definitely try this as we used to eat in Adils when you had to ask for cutlery -if you dared! 30 years later and now living in Perth, Australia, it will give the kids a taste of home???
Haha... I remember lots of the restaurants being cutlery 'reluctant' and still much prefer to eat my curry with flat bread 😀 I hope the kids love your taste of home!
Just made this following instuctions to the T. I live in birmingham also so have been and still go to many a balti house.. The smell is awesome when cooking of the spices. Served it up in a balti dish with rice on the side and a garlic Nan.
I actually really liked it and would make it again my wife who is asian (Thai) also loved it. The only thing i would say is if you like a bit of a kick to it then add some more chilli as Brian points out.
Going to make this for the relatives when they come over for a meal. It would be perfect for them as they dont like to much spice where im a Madrass lover.
Great reciepe and easy to follow thanks Brian for sharing.
Cheers Peter!
Spice in a recipe is so difficult to write for, I know people that will claim a recipe is too spicy if there is a cut chili in the same kitchen I prepared their food in lol. Glad you like it, Balti changes so much from place to place so kinda relied on my memories of balti from my favourite places on the Ladypool Road.
won't it taste powdery cos your not cooking the garam masala
Not at all Ash, not cooking Garam Masala is a pretty classic and old school technique and provides the high note flavours in the recipe as opposed to the slighter deeper and duller notes of the cooked spices... You do need to stir it in and allow to sit for a couple of minutes.
Thank you this is a great recipe made it in Saudi hubby loved it
So glad to hear it, it's one of my favourites.
Going to try this on Thursday. Balti is well known to me as I am on the edge of Birm/Black Country in Hednedford and I'm a musician and all musicians are curry fanatics (esp after a gig!!) Have also trained as a chef but can't make curry like the restaurant.Despite the Balti triangle the best curry the wife and I have ever eaten (several times) was at 'Spice For You' in Pickering Yorkshire. I'll let you know if I succeed on Thursday.
Going to try your Biriyani at some point as it's the wife's fav.
Best
Graham
Hey Graham, great to hear from you... I hope you enjoy my take on a Balti, Hednesford is not far from my old stomping grounds, I am a Brummie by birth and most have eaten hundreds of Balti's all a little different, aint that always the way 😉 I used to live in the Balti Triangle, the Moseley end to be precise, sadly there are far fewer curry houses in my new home, I have to travel 100km to the nearest one 😮
Hey Brian, it's now 2019 and the Balti didn't happen but the Biriyani did, it was fab!! Ironically, as I have only just this morning come across your reply, this Thursday is Balti day! Your recipe will finally come about
lol, welcome back 😀 Glad you enjoyed the Biriyani and I hope you finally get round to the Balti. If you want a steer I published a Chicken Saag recipe a while ago that people are saying very nice things about!
Its pretty close to a balti flavour 😉 I like mine a bit hotter.And Naan is obligatory for any dish in Brum.Even rice pud!
Cheers Nick, given the variation on 'balti' I have tried around Birmingham, yet alone further a field I'll take close 🙂 I'll also see your naan with rice puc and raise you under the grill in the morning and spread with marmalade for breakfast 😀
Can't wait to give this a go, I grew up in Wolverhampton same era and remember what a good balti tastes like. I now live in New Zealand and look forward to cooking this for my family, a taste of home, thanks for sharing,
Excellent, thanky for commenting Lisa, I have been to many a fine curry house in Wolverhampton, I hope you enjoy.
I love balti! I have a pretty robust lamb balti recipe on my blog too and it's my go to recipe. I have to admit though I do not think I have every made one with chicken though. so this is looking pretty good!
Lamb Balti sounds awesome! I would hazard a guess that the chicken variant is probably the most ordered Indian dish in restaurants of that type in Birmingham where I was born 😉