Name: Andy’s Restaurant Style Spicy Chicken Balti
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2 chicken legs; 2-3 medium onions (diced); 1 red bell pepper (roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces); 2 red finger chiles (seeds and stem removed and cut into thin strips); 6 cloves of garlic (sliced); 1 tbsp ginger (peeled and crushed); a handful of cilantro (roughly chopped); 1 tomato (roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces); 2-3 tbsp of tomato paste (add as much or as little as you like depending on your taste); 1 tbsp mustard seeds; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 6 green cardamom pods (sliced in half); 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp coriander powder; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp red chile flakes; 1 tsp sea salt; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 1/2 tsp garam masala; 1 sprig of curry leaves (leaves removed from stem); 1 1/2 cups / 360 ml of base gravy; 3-4 tbsp vegetable; knob of butter

Description

A British-Indian curry of chicken wok-fried in onions, restaurant-style base gravy and lots of spices. This balti chicken is not for the faint-hearted. #curry #spice #Indian #chicken #recipe

Ingredients

Scale

2 chicken legs

2–3 medium onions (diced)

1 red bell pepper (roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces)

2 red finger chiles (seeds and stem removed and cut into thin strips)

6 cloves of garlic (sliced)

1 tbsp ginger (peeled and crushed)

a handful of cilantro (roughly chopped)

1 tomato (roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces)

2–3 tbsp of tomato paste (add as much or as little as you like depending on your taste)

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp ground turmeric

6 green cardamom pods (sliced in half)

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp red chile flakes

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 sprig of curry leaves (leaves removed from stem)

1 1/2 cups / 360 ml of base gravy

3–4 tbsp vegetable

knob of butter

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Instructions

Prep

Get everything ready! You’ll be cooking fast, so make sure all the spices are measured out, all the veg is properly cut and everything is nearby and ready to use.

Debone chicken legs. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces no bigger than 1 inch/ 2 cm.

Chicken Balti

In a large wok, heat 3-4 tbsp of vegetable oil and a knob of butter on high heat. When nice and hot, add diced onions and stir-fry until fragrant and translucent (about 3-5 minutes).

Next, add sliced garlic, crushed ginger and the whole spices-cardamon pods, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Stir fry for a minute or two until fragrant.

Add the strips of red chiles and curry leaves. Fry for a minute or so.

Add tomato paste, ground spices (coriander, cumin, red chile flakes, salt, black pepper, garam masala) and a splash or two of water to get a good curry paste going.

Once nice and bubbly, add 1/2 cup of base gravy to the mix and stir.

When nice and hot, add chicken pieces and stir into the curry. Keep cooking until reduced.

When reduced, add more base gravy and cook. Continue this process until all of the base gravy is gone.

The balti is done when the chicken is cooked and the curry gravy is silky and smooth. You don’t want it too wet or too dry so find a happy medium.

When balti has finished cooking, turn off the heat and add chopped cilantro, chopped tomato and chopped red bell pepper. Toss together in the curry and immediately serve.

Serve with soft naan and a cold lager.

Prep Time: 45
Cook Time: 30
Category: Curry, Chicken
Method: Stir-fry
Cuisine: British, Indian

Keywords: balti, Indian, recipe, chicken, curry, spicy