Chicken Balti

Preparation time : Under 30mn.

Cooking Time : Under 30mn.

Serves : 2-4 people

Ingredients

• 800g chicken breast, cut into chunky bitesize pieces

For the Marinade:

• Neutral cooking oil
• 1 tsp mild Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp fine salt
• juice of a lemon or lime

For the Masala:

• 1 and a half tsp cumin seeds
• 1 quill of cinnamon
• 2 whole cloves
• 6 green cardamom pods (*bruise to release the seeds and then pound these to a powder with a little salt in a pestle and mortar)
• 1 medium sized brown onion, finely diced
• 2 birdeye chillies, slit in half lengthways (use milder ones if you prefer)
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 12-15 fresh curry leaves
• 1 level tsp ground turmeric
• salt to taste (we used half a tsp)
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• x2 medium sized tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped (approx. 200g, see cook’s tip)
• * 250-350ml water

Preparation

• Mix together all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl using enough oil to coat the chicken - about 3 tablespoons. Smother the chicken in the marinade ensuring all of the pieces are evenly coated. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour refrigerated.
• Before you start to cook your curry take your chicken out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature – will take about 30 minutes. Then thread the chicken onto metal skewers (if using wooden ones be mindful to pre soak in water). These can be oven grilled at a high heat at the same time you make the masala. Will only take around 10-12 minutes to cook through, depending on the thickness. Don’t overcook and a little char will add great flavour.
• When you are ready to make the masala, heat 3 or 4 tablespoons of neutral oil in your Le Creuset cast iron balti dish on a medium heat. When the oil is hot add your whole spices: cumin seeds, cinnamon and whole cloves. Once you see the spices sizzling and can smell the aromas wafting up tip in the onions and chillies, reduce the heat a little, sauté until the onions have become soft and translucent; will take a few minutes.
• Next stir in the ginger and garlic, cook for a minute to take away the rawness, then add the curry leaves continuing to stir and mix all of the aromatics together.
• Now add the ground spices: turmeric, cardamom and salt. Toast these for 30 seconds before adding the tomato puree. Cook the puree out for a minute, stirring and mixing continuously before pouring in the chopped tomatoes. Increase the heat back up to medium, use the back of your spoon to help break down the tomatoes. You’ll gradually see this develop into a thick sauce consistency. Pour in a cup or 250ml of hot water at this point. Bring this to a boil, then allow to simmer.
• When you can see the oil separate on the surface of the masala, it is ready to taste – you can adjust the seasoning as appropriate. Your chicken will be ready at this point, carefully strip from the skewers & add to the masala. You can add a little extra hot water if you want your balti to be more ‘saucy’ – no more than 50-100ml at this point. Give everything a good mix and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
• Serve immediately, family style at the table is best, with your choice of rice, naan or both.