About Balti Cooking
beef, indian, spice
1 text file
What the heck is "balti" cooking. I thought it must be some sort of regional cuisine or the cuisine of some minority ethnic group in India. But my Indian friend says the word "balti" means container but he was not familiar with the concept of "balti cooking" or "balti-style" foods. Is this some trendy new style of cooking or what?
Kate
Your friend is correct - a balti is a cooking pan very similar to a wok and has two handles like ears! The food is both cooked and served in the balti.
It first appeared in the UK in Birmingham around 4 to 5 years ago and now almost every town has what is claimed to be a balti house.
Malcolm. From: Malcolm Loades
Malcolm. Let me give you what I believe is the definitive answer on the Balti Question!
Baltistan is an area in that Part of the former state of Kashmir which is now controlled by Pakistan. The word Balti comes from that(e.g. Pakistan>>Pakistani, Baltistan>>Balti) and not the Urdu/Hindi word for bucket which in english is spelt the same way.
Balti cuisine is closely related to the Karahi cuisine of Northern Pakistan.
The essential features of this type of food are:
1. The meat normally used is fatty lamb or mutton and rarely chicken. 2. The meat is boiled with whole garlic and ginger until tender. Use just enough water that when meat is done there is little left. This whole meat and garlic, ginger mixture is then fried in very hot oil with chopped tomatoes,chopped green bell pepper,chopped green chilli pepper, chopped coriander leaves and Balti Masala (spice)and salt to taste. The recipe for this spice is as follows.
Balti Masala for 3 lbs of meat
1 1/2 tsp coriander seed 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp caraway seeds 2 tsp black peppercorns 4-5 whole red chilli peppers (for extra heat)
Take all above spices and gently roast in a dry skillet til you get the aroma. Do not allow to burn as this can easily happen. Allow to cool and grind to a coarse powder.
The boiling of the meat can be done in advance and the assembly should be at the last minute before serving. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and chopped fresh juliennes of ginger. Serve with nan or roti, NOT WITH RICE!
Please note! No onions are used in this dish. Recipes which have onions are bogus.
From: Aamir Riaz
Yield: 1 servings