What Is A Balti Curry?
The Balti curry first appeared in the city of Birmingham (in the West Midlands region of England) in the 1970s, and was invented by members of the Kashmiri and Pakistani comunities. During the 1970s, Birmingham Balti cafes opened serving cheap food and the cafes quickly became very popular.
The Balti is both the pot where the curry is cooked and is also the metal dish in which the curry is served. A picture of a serving dish is shown below.
The main regional cooking influence of Balti curries is Punjabi (the Punjab is a large region that contains parts of Pakistan and India, with the main part being in Pakistan).
A Balti curry is cooked quickly over a high heat and is served, sizzling hot, in the Balti dish. Knives and forks are available to those who want them but skilled Balti eaters use naan bread or chapattis to scoop up the curry.
There are lots of Balti restaurants in central Birmingham in an area that is called the “Balti Triangle” (the sides of the approximate triangle are Ladypool Road, Stoney Lane and Stratford Road). This area has the highest concentration of Balti restaurants in Birmingham. Balti restaurants are usually unlicensed but diners are free to take their own beers and wines to accompany their meals.
Nowadays you can find a Balti restaurant in most parts of the curry-eating world.
Why not try making your own Balti curry? There’s a Curry Focus recipe for Balti Chicken that you can try. If you have your own favourite Balti recipe, then why not give us the recipe so that we can share it with everyone?
