Birmingham, England claims to be the birthplace of balti food and no one seems to be arguing. Unique ‘one-pot’ balti dishes are very popular across the UK, but the best place to try and learn about balti is where it all started.
This style of cuisine arrived in Birmingham in the mid-1970s, created by the city’s large Pakistani and Kashmiri population. Today, in the multicultural area known as The Balti Triangle, Birmingham has at least 100 balti restaurants that specialize in this food or serve Balti dishes from a mixed menu, Indian and Balti. Even the Chinese take-out dishes in the Balti Triangle make some balti-inspired dishes.
So what is Balti food anyway. Well, for starters, your flavors can be sophisticated and complex, but you don’t have to dress up to “dine right.” Restaurants in the Balti Triangle are small, friendly, family-friendly places with a casual atmosphere where you can relax to learn and enjoy Balti’s food.
A lesson in Balti Birmingham style
Not long ago, we visited the Balti Triangle with an expert guide. Andy Munro, an enthusiast for this style of cuisine who was introduced to us through Marketing Birmingham. At Al Frash, regularly named one of the best balti and indian restaurants in all of Britain, he guided us through the mysteries of the balti menu and explained a bit about this style of food.
Balti in a bucket
Balti is adapted from a Pakistani cooking style. The word balti means “bucket” in Punjabi and describes the small, flat-bottomed, two-handled wok in which food is cooked and served. This “one-pot” subcontinental food probably grew out of the nomadic and tribal lifestyles of the past.
Balti involves the quick cooking of marinated meat and spices over high heat. Vegetables, such as spinach, potatoes, mushrooms, or aubergines (aubergines) can be added to chicken, beef, fish, or prawns. Vegetarian baltis are also prepared. The cooking and serving method ensures that the flavors of all spices are preserved and reach the table still distinct and vibrant.
Look at a Birmingham balti menu can be a little confusing for a first timer: it looks like an Indian menu with your choice of dishes dansak, korma and dopiaza. The main difference, according to Munro, is that balti dishes have very little sauce compared to Indian dishes.
“There is no balti sauce,” he said unequivocally. “You can’t add a sauce to a dish and call it a balti.”
Eat a Balti in Birmingham
The meal started with appetizers. We had light and airy poppadoms, a tender but crispy fried cookie, and sauces, brought in while we studied the menu. The dives include:
- a minced “sauce” of onions, chili peppers, coriander and mint
- cooling cucumber and raita yogurt
- A selection of chutneys.
Most of Birmingham’s balti houses are Muslim owned and do not have liquor licenses so there are no bars and you will be offered a selection of fruit juices or soft drinks. Most owners don’t mind if you bring your own alcoholic beverages, but it’s a good idea to ask ahead. If you can bring your own alcoholic beverage, choose beer. It is a great partner for balti food.
The starters are no different from what you can find in any Indian restaurant: samosas, pakoras, kebabs, etc. We started with mushroom pakoras, spiced and battered fried bites.
Main courses came sizzling on balti dishes and were notable for the lack of sauce or liquid associated with most types of curries. Mine, a chicken and spinach balti, was big chunks of spicy chicken garnished with nothing but mild spinach and some almost melted onions.
What else should you know about Balti?
- Forget about forks – well if needed a fork and knife will be provided for you. But the traditional way to eat a Balti is to scoop it up with naan , the large flat bread, similar to but richer than a pita. Our guide suggested garlic or peshwari naan , a flatbread stuffed with almonds and sultanas (golden raisins) and lightly glazed with honey. It was a perfect foil for spicy food.
- Desserts are not important , but you can finish with a milky or fried Indian sweet.
- How hot it is – As with Indian restaurants, you can order a mild, medium or hot balti. Due to the cool and fast method of cooking balti, the spices retain their distinctive characters. If you are not used to spicy food from the Indian subcontinent, you can even find the hot mild versions. Eat a lot of naan and keep some water or rice on hand and you will find that the food gets hot instead of burning.
- Who much does it cost? – One of the best things about eating in a Birmingham Balti house is that you can dine in one of the best places in the city for what happens in the UK for next to nothing. A very hearty two-course meal, with all the trimmings, costs (in 2018) less than £ 20.
Some other Balti spots Birmingham locals rate
- Shababs, 163 – 165 Ladypool Road has a huge menu with 24 dishes of chicken balti alone. Chicken with spinach is a local favorite.
- Shahi Nan Kabab, 353 Stratford Rd, Sparkhill is an old fashioned, basic kabab and balti house for lunch or take out. Food tends to be hotter. The chef used to cook for the Pakistani Navy, apparently.
