Madhuban Balti Sauce

In this area food evolved over centuries as one-pot, dryish stews, slow-cooked over embers. Balti combines Moghul tastes with the aromatic spices of Kashmir and the robustness of winter foods found in lands high in the mountains. The results are very tasty indeed. Chilli heat is not in evidence. Spicing is subtle with emphasis on fresh garlic, ginger, coriander leaf, and aromatic spices including clove, cassia bark, cardamoms, aniseed, fennel, and Cummins. These spices are a type of garam masala, that aromatic mixture from Kashmir, which when roasted gives off a wonderful and unique aroma and imparts a gorgeous dark brown color to the curry.

As with most food from the subcontinent, Balti is cooked in and eaten from a two-handled bowl, known as the Karahi, Korai, or Kadai. This is a traditional round-bottomed, wok-like heavy, cast iron dish which has been used for cooking curries for as long as can be remembered. Somewhere along the line, this pan has become christened the Balti pan. Being a wheat-district, bread traditionally accompanies the Balti, being held in the right hand and used in place of cutlery to scoop up the food.

It goes perfectly with our higher welfare diced chicken fillet.