Balti House Curry Sauce Recipes

BALTI SAUCE - BASIC SAUCE FOR ANYTHING GOES CURRY

Steps:

• Measure out the 8 spices into a bowl (first 8 ingredients). If using fresh chilis then leave those out for now. Warm up a large skillet or pot (ideally cast iron) and bring to med-high heat. Gently roast the spices in the dry skillet -- watching the mixture doesn't burn, keep stirring. After about a minute it will become fragrant and begin to get dark - take it off the heat and pour back into the bowl - set aside.
• Put the skillet back on the heat, add in the oil and bring back to medium high heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook thru until translucent. Once the onion is cooked, add in the ginger and garlic and mix well - watching the garlic doesn't burn. Next add the spice mixture back in, followed by the tinned tomatoes.
• Mix in about 1 cup of water - you want a thick sauce, but not too paste-like. Add in the salt, bay leaves and cardamom seeds.
• Grate the zest off of the lemon, add to the pot, along with the juice from 1/2 of the lemon. Save the other half for later, you may want to add more. Let it all simmer on medium-low.
• For a nice smooth sauce, remove the bay leaves and blend until smooth (an immersion blender works well).

BALTI HOUSE CURRY SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pan or wok heat the oil to a medium heat.
• Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes stirring frequently.
• Add the pepper, carrot, tomatoes, tom puree, milk and half the fresh coriander.
• Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally Add the curry powder, sugar and salt and mix thoroughly, simmer for another 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and cool.
• Add the remaining coriander and liquidise using a blender, the hand held kind works best.
• Mixture may be used immediately (see my balti recipe) or frozen and kept for upto 12 months- I use disposable plastic pint glasses.

BALTI CHICKEN CURRY

Steps:

• In a large heavy bottomed skillet (cast iron preferred), heat the oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onions and chopped tomatoes and stir-fry until soft. Stir in the green chiles, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, chili powder and garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes to bring out the aroma of the spices.
• Add the chicken (whole breasts or chopped) and cook for 5 minutes turning frequently. Stir in the chicken stock and cook until all the flavors have combined, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir, which will help thicken the sauce. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla yogurt, cilantro and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and let it rest for another 5 minutes until all the flavors meld. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with Basmati Rice and Naan Bread, if desired.

BASIC CURRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil and margarine in a small skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add onion and saute until very brown, 10 to 15 minutes. (Note: This is an important step; if onion is not cooked well, sauce will taste funny.)
• Add ginger and garlic to onion and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Process onion/ginger/garlic mixture in food processor until smooth. Do not rinse food processor.
• Place onion mixture in a large saucepan. Stir in the cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne pepper and cook over low heat until mixture is thick and has the consistency of a paste.
• Puree tomatoes, chile peppers and cilantro in food processor until smooth. Add to onion mixture and stir well over low heat, cooking off moisture from tomatoes and cilantro. Add yogurt a little bit at a time, stirring constantly to avoid curdling.
• Blend the whole mixture in food processor to puree it (for a very smooth sauce). Return to saucepan, add water and increase heat to high; bring sauce to a rolling boil. Cover saucepan and boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer until desired consistency is reached.
• To serve with meat, cook the meat first separately, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes in the sauce before serving over rice or with bread. To serve with vegetables, steam raw veggies first 4 to 5 minutes, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes in the sauce before serving.

BALTI CHICKEN PASANDA

Steps:

• Combine Greek yogurt, ground almonds, garam masala, garlic, ginger, chili powder, salt, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and peppercorns in a medium bowl. Mix until a smooth paste forms. Add chicken pieces and mix well to coat. Marinate for at least 2 hours.
• Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken and marinade and blend well with the onions. Cover skillet and simmer over medium heat until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Add chile peppers and 2 tablespoon cilantro. Pour in cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Garnish servings with more fresh cilantro.