No-Chicken Balti

I am so ready for Scotland to start easing lockdown restrictions! I was never really one for going out to the pub, but I used to really, really enjoy going out to eat (what a surprise!). With the clocks changing, the nights getting lighter and the warmer weather coming in it’s lovely to think that in a few week we can hopefully start to have a semblance of normality again.

Meantime however, the Friday Night Fakeaway vibe remains strong! To be perfectly honest, takeaways are still open, but it’s just no kind of treat to get one nowadays – being forced to stay home means I’d actually rather cook something myself and that way I get to post about it too!

This recipe is absolutely not supposed to be a faithful rendition of what a Balti should be, but it has a Balti-feel about it, so we’re sticking with the name. I’ve made countless curries in my life, and I’ve been lucky enough to attend Indian cooking classes in India (memories…), but sometimes a slightly cheaty version turns out so delicious that it warrants a mention.

The amount of chilli is absolutely up to you – you could also stir through some vegan yogurt or soya cream to make it a creamy curry. Similarly, the curry powder you use is entirely variable. I chose a tandoori one because it’s the first one I picked up when I opened my spice drawer. Lucky accident! I’ll try it with different types of curry powder in future, but for now I know this one works. Feel free to sub it for whatever you have to hand.

Recipe

Curry paste:

1 red onion

2tbs tomato puree

6 garlic cloves

juice of two limes

1tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp mild chilli powder

1/4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp ginger paste

Chicken-style pieces (I used one pack of THIS chicken)

3 peppers (I bought a mixed pack and used all three colours)

1 tin chopped tomatoes

200ml strong stock (dissolve one stock cube in 200mls water)

chilli flakes (optional)

1 Tbs Tandoori curry powder

• Begin by making the curry paste – roughly chop the onion then add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blitz till smooth.
• In a sealable tub or bag, add the curry paste to the chicken-style pieces and leave to marinade for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
• When ready to make the curry slice the peppers and fry them off until slightly softened, then empty the chicken -style pieces and the curry paste into the pan. Cook this down for a few minutes to take the rawness off the onion, then add the stock, curry powder and chopped tomatoes.
• Simmer until you’re happy with the consistency, taste again, and add chilli flakes to ramp up the heat if you like.
• A quick squeeze of lime juice just finishes this curry off beautifully, along with a generous sprinkling of chopped fresh coriander.

It’s really such a lovely, flavourful dish which can come together in 20 minutes (apart from the marinating). I hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to hear if you’ve tweaked it somehow!