Recipe for classic British chicken Baltic curry

This has to be one of Britain’s favourite rackets, I personally love it. It’s easy to make, especially if you make the spice mix yourself.

This Chicken Balti curry recipe is from Birmingham City Council and the Birmingham Baltic Triangle. Birmingham became Britain’s Baltic capital after the city’s arrival in the 1970s courtesy of Pakistani and Kashmiri communities.

Baltic curry is a curry made with a high flame and fresh meat and/or Vegetable Recipes, then cooked with additional spices and served in a traditional round-bottomed Baltic dish. Although there are restaurants now serving the famous dish all over the UK, it’s fun to make at home and somewhat cheaper. Don’t miss the spice list, prepare them yourself and you’ll definitely notice the difference.

What you need

1 tablespoon peanut oil 1 onion (finely chopped) 1 clove garlic (minced) 1 piece ginger (fresh, peeled and grated, 1 centimetre) 2 large chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces) 250 millilitres vegetable stock (or chicken stock) 1 teaspoon tomato puree salt to taste 1 bay leaf 1 large tomato (sliced) for the Baltic Spice Mix: 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (crushed) 2 teaspoons cilantro (fresh, chopped) 1 teaspoon garam masala 4 curry leaves (dried, crushed) 1 teaspoon palm sugar 1 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon garlic cloves 1 teaspoon golden cream 1 teaspoon nigella seeds 3 green chillies (chopped) 4 cardamom pods (split)

How to make it

Serves 2

Gather all the spices. You’ll have an easier time making curry if you have all the spices ready beforehand. To start the curry first, you will need to heat the oil in a large pan. When hot but not smoking, add the lightly crushed mustard seeds, cook for only 30 seconds, be careful they may pop in and out. Add the chopped onion, reduce the heat and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until soft but not colourless. Then add all the spices plus the garlic and ginger. Cook over medium heat, taking care not to burn the spices. Add the chicken, stirring in the sugar to make sure all the chicken is coated with the spices. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes to make sure chicken or spices do not burn. Finally, add the fish, tomato puree, salt and bay leaves. Stir again and then turn down the heat. Cook gently for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked and tender. Finally add the silentro/coriander and tomatoes, stir and cook for a further 3 minutes. Serve with piping hot baltic cups with naan bread on the side. Nutritional guidelines (per serving) Calories 488 Total fat 23 g Saturated fat 6 g Saturated fat 9 g Cholesterol 105 mg Sodium 467 mg Carbohydrate 34 g Fiber 6 g Protein 40 g (The nutritional information in our recipes is calculated from the ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Individual results may vary.)