Balti chicken is a recipe from Baltistan. Also known as little Tibet, Baltistan is mountainous and occupies the northern corner of Pakistan bordering the Sinkiang region of China. The average elevation is around 11,000 ft. Balti Chicken is comfort food - basic, healthy and quick to prepare with lots of taste. This is a rustic recipe and uses rough diced ingredients.
Chicken is fried quickly under high heat with a mix of diced onion, tomato, ginger and garlic, and of course hot green peppers which are optional. Ginger and garlic paste may be substituted for fresh ginger and garlic. Both ginger and garlic are readily available in paste form in ethnic Asian stores. Sold in small jars, ginger and garlic will stay fresh if stored in a fridge. Additional flavor and color, garam masala and hot red pepper powder or paprika may be added. Paprika is milder of the two and red pepper may be omitted for a less 'hot' dish. Garam masala is a mix of spices and is commonly available in small packets. Stored in a refrigerator garam masala will last for weeks.
Remove the skin from the chicken. Wash the chicken with cold water and pat dry. In Asian cooking, especially cuisine from the subcontinent, the skin is usually discarded. The meat should be cut to bite-sized pieces roughly equal in size so that it cooks evenly. Season the chicken with salt and red pepper. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the chicken. Set aside for 1 hour to marinate.
Heat a pan on medium high heat. Add oil to the pan. The preferred oil is ghee or clarified butter. However, any mild flavored cooking oil such as vegetable or canola may be used. Add diced onions and fry the onions till lightly browned. Add diced tomatoes and cook briefly till the tomato starts to wilt. Add the diced ginger and garlic to the onion and tomato mixture and cook lightly. Add the spices - cardamom, cloves and bay leaf and lightly toss. Raise the heat and add the chicken to the pan and stir-fry till the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Take care not to over cook so that the chicken does not dry out and remains moist and tender. Transfer the chicken to a plate and garnish with chopped peppers and cilantro leaves.
Balti chicken is traditionally served with naan bread baked in a clay oven called a tandoor. The Tandoor is a dome-shaped clay vessel with an opening at the top. The heat is provided by a wood fire at the base of the vessel. The dough used for Naan bread is similar to Pizza dough. The loaf is rolled out to a thickness of about half an inch, then placed on a 'pillow' and struck against the hot wall of the oven to which it sticks and bakes. When the naan has bubbled and is crispy, it is pried away from the oven wall with a metal prong. The tandoor is not found in homes and the naan is usually bought from a bakery (also called a tandoor). The bakeries prepare the naan fresh at meal times. Balti chicken has become common fare at Pubs in the UK. Introduced to the British palate by the immigrants from that part of the world, it seems to have caught on. This dish may as well be served with basmati rice.
Ingredients
2 Boneless Chicken breasts diced to bite-sized chunks
1 Onion diced
2 tomatoes diced
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger/garlic paste
1 Tablespoons Cilantro
3/4 Serrano peppers depending on heat tolerance level
1 lemon
2 Tablespoons light oil (vegetable or canola)
1 Tsp Garam Masala
2 green cardamom pods, 3-4 cloves, 1 bay leaf
