Balti Curry. What Is It?
The Balti curry was invented in Birmingham (in the West Midlands region of England) in the 1970s, by Pakistani and Kashmiri immigrants. Balti cafes opened in Birmingham, during this time, serving cheap food and they became very popular.
A Balti is the pot where the curry is cooked and is also the metal dish in which the curry is served. A typical serving dish is shown below.
The main regional cooking influence of Balti curries is Punjabi (the large Punjab region is spread over the border of Pakistan and India).
A Balti curry is cooked quickly over a high heat and is served, sizzling hot, in the Balti dish. Knives and forks are not usually used to eat the curry. Instead, naan bread or chapattis are used to scoop up the curry.
There are a lot 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. Most Balti restaurants are unlicensed but diners are free to bring their own wines and beers to accompany the delicious curries.
Nowadays you can get a Balti curry in most parts of the UK, and even further afield.
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 we can share it with everyone?
January 7th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
[…] Balti Curry. What Is It? The Balti curry was invented in Birmingham (in the West Midlands region of England) in the 1970s, by Pakistani and Kashmiri immigrants. Balti cafes opened in Birmingham, during this time, serving cheap food and they became very popular.…. Read more. […]