Balti Tandoori Keema

Balti Tandoori Keema is a traditional British Indian Restaurant (BIR) recipe for a balti-style curry of minced (ground) lamb flavoured with tandoori masala and balti masala blends. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Balti Tandoori Keema.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

35 minutes

Total Time:

55 minutes

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Curry BIR Curries Spice Recipes Beef Recipes Chicken Recipes Lamb Recipes British Recipes

Baltis are a style of cooking from the Kashmir, originating in a a small area in Pakistan called Baltistan. They were popularized when inexpensive restaurants preparing this fusion food sprang up in Birmingham during the 1970s. Baltis are actually a fusion of Indian/Pakistani stew-like curries with Chinese-style stir-fries. So we end up with a dry curry-like dish that is cooked quickly over high heat in a stir-fry like manner. Cooked in a Balti (like a small two-handled wok) you get a fresh, aromatic and mostly dryish dish based on minced (ground) meat. For a vegetarian version you can substitute the mince (typically beef, goat or lamb) with Quorn or chopped mushrooms. This version combines tandoori flavours with balti masala. For Balti Keema simply omit the tandoori powder.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp tandoori masala powder
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
600g mince (lamb, beef, goat or even chicken/turkey)
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 tsp garam masala
Small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
2 tbsp yoghurt
Salt to taste

For the Balti Masala:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 cardamom pods
2 cloves
8 curry leaves
3 dried red chillies
1/2 tsp sea salt

Method:

Place a wok or pan over high heat. Add the ingredients for the Balti Masala and dry fry until aromatic (about 90 seconds). Turn onto a plate to cool then render to a powder with a spice or coffee grinder. Combine with the tandoori masala powder then add enough water to blend to a loose paste. Set aside until needed.

Heat the oil in your wok or pan. When hot add the fenugreek seeds and fry for 15 seconds. Crumble over the mince and fry for 10 minutes, making sure that any lumps are broken up and all the meat has browned.

Add in the spice paste you prepared in the first step, above mix well to combine and cook for 5 minutes. Now stir in the garlic along with the tomato paste and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in the bell peppers and onion and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Scatter over the garam masala, coriander, yoghurt and salt and stir to combine. Continue cooking for 5 minutes until the bell peppers are soft but not mushy.

Turn into a warmed serving dish, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.