Chicken & Spinach Balti at Shababs Balti Restaurant - Richard Sayce (Misty Ricardo)
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Chicken & Spinach Balti
at Shababs Balti Restaurant, Birmingham Balti Triangle.
May 2022
I was very excited to visit Shababs to film some cooking by owner and head chef Zaf Hussain. In this video Zaf shows how he cooks a Chicken & Spinach Balti, a very popular dish with customers.
The Birmingham Balti (BB) is a style of cooking that evolved in the 1970s and was massively popular in the 80's and 90's, and has since maintained a large fan base. There's something special in the way an authentic BB is cooked - on a high flame in a thin and squat pressed steel bowl in which it is also served. Scoop it up with a naan and you're in balti paradise.
It's interesting that the chef doesn't use a pre-assembled 'mix powder' but uses individual spices instead. Notice the charred edges around the bowl, which give an important part of the balti flavour.
Ingredients for Chicken & Spinach Balti
I've estimated the ingredients based on watching the cooking and on further questions I asked Zaf. Please note that no salt is added when cooking the balti because it's already in the base gravy and in the pre-cooked spinach. Similarly, in this particular balti no extra garlic is added because it's in the pre-cooked spinach.
All spoon measurements are level.
2-3 TBSP Veg Oil
50g Chopped Onion (about 1/3 of a medium one)
¼ Green Pepper, chopped (of a medium sized one)
1 Green Chilli, whole but topped
Half a medium tomato, chopped
150-175g Fresh Chicken, small pieces
1 TBSP Paprika
2 tsp Turmeric
Salt to taste
275ml Base Sauce/Gravy (see below)
2 tsp Kasuri Methi
1 tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Garam Masala
Pre-cooked Spinach (1 rounded chef spoon) approx. 100ml. (cooked with oil, ginger/garlic turmeric, salt, spices).
Handful Fresh coriander to finish
I do not have the exact recipe amounts for the base sauce/gravy, but plan on making a special balti base recipe soon suitable for cooking at home. The Shababs version is quite heavy on the oil and tomato content (puree, tinned plum and fresh tomatoes) and is cooked with whole spices (cassia bark, bay leaves, green & black cardamom, cloves) which are blended into the final sauce. Other ingredients include onions, ginger (75%)/garlic (25%), turmeric, paprika, salt. No other vegetables are used.
This video is part of series of videos I'm publishing about authentic Balti.
Please click here for the full list: • Balti
Authentic Birmingham Balti Bowls can be bought from the Birmingham Balti Bowl Company:
thebirminghamb...
Thanks to Zaf Hussain, Andy Munro, Andy Lees, and all the staff at Shababs!
Shababs Balti Restaurant
163-165 Ladypool Rd., Sparkbrook, Birmingham B12 8LQ
Tel: 0121 440 2893
www.shababs.co.uk
For more info on BIR ingredients such as Mix Powder & Base Gravy, please use the following links:
Info about BIR Cooking: mistyricardo.c...
My Mix Powder Recipe: mistyricardo.c...
My Base Gravy Recipe: mistyricardo.c...
My 30 Minute Base Gravy: mistyricardo.c...
The latest cookbook by Richard Sayce, Curry Compendium is now available to order (more info at www.mistyricar...):
Amazon UK: amzn.to/3zkxgbl
Spicy Joes: bit.ly/3kUhOvZ
East at Home: bit.ly/3JtXg8g
Waterstones: bit.ly/3te8I0R
WH Smith: bit.ly/3h4Hbdv
Wordery: bit.ly/3h0V1NQ
Blackwell's: bit.ly/3yIA0xt
Book Depository: bit.ly/38IvUe6 (free Worldwide delivery)
I miss only a few things since moving to the USA from London 23 years ago. One is warm beer the other is a really good Indian Curry. Balti curries being some of my favorite dishes. Looking forward to many more Balti recipes. Maybe a book dedicated to Balti cooking ? 😀
These Shababs videos are the best youve done.. How can we replicate the smokey taste at home. Thats the holy grail
Working on it.
The best Balti House in the triangle, visited twice now and back again in a few weeks, can't wait. If you've not been, do it!!!
Wow love how every chef has their own techniques on how they cook their curries ,very impressive to watch .
Absolute thing of beauty from start to finish 🔥💚🔥
Loving these shababs videos. It’s been on my list to go here for months. Can’t wait to try their balti!!
Fire like that cannot be done at home 🤣🤣🤣🏡 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 fireman's friend
Wow that was amazing and quite scary but looks so good. Thank you Chef.
Those flames🔥🔥🔥🔥
Can't wait and hope it's cooked and served in the birmingham balti bowl 😋 🙌 🤗 ☺
Wow brilliant video. I was taking it all in. It's great that the head chef n owner has taken his time to do this video! I will watch again n make some notes. Thank you so much!
Incredible Rucjard. Headed to Birmingham next week. Will be at Shababs. Keep the amazing content coming, Please.
That looks incredible 😊
that was incredible to watch!
I've been to Shababs and the food is great, you must try it.
Attended Birmingham Uni in the early 90's, chicken and spinach balti with Naan was my regular dish. There were quite a few places in Selly Oak, Khans and Dilshad come to mind (I wonder if they are still there). Back then you could get a balti and a pint for around a fiver, lol. Yet to taste one as good anywhere else. I now live in Florida and there are limited Indian restaurants and sadly they pale in comparison.
Did you never venture out to Mr. Dave's in Lye, near Stourbridge. Best Balti on the planet. Still can't get hold of the recipe for Balti lamb with spinach. Blinding. PS - did you ever know Nick Deeley at uni?
This video is underviewed considering it’s so clear and informative. Nice one misty
Glad you think so!
Ladypool Road is the best place in the country for Balti and curry dishes 👍🏾
It is yes, if you can get in there without getting stabbed.
It was, but most of the proper Balti restaurants have closed down. 😕
I enjoyed that richard 😀 😊
I had to take my jumper off whilst watching this.
Obviously recorded on 5th November 🔥 🔥 🔥
Absolutely love this Richard. How to avoid all my smoke alarms going off though?
No easy way I'm afraid. Extractor fan on full is a help.
My phone caught on fire
And the gas bill? 😮 Looks lovely
Good stuff question why doesn't anybody ever use goat meat for Indian curries I've been making some Jamaican goat curry the meat is much better than lamb
Looks great. What is the recipe for the spinach addition?
What can I say
Birmingham KRO
Hi what spices go in with the precooked spinach? how is it cooked?
also chef mention fenugreek but isn't in list of ingredients so was it meant methi?
when does the garam masala as he also mentioned to be added add the end, but didn't know if it was added at same time as turmeric
Great seeing how it’s done and that looks delicious.
Is that really realistically how it’s made though? Like at the weekend if they get 300 orders, are they really spending 6 minutes on a dish?
I assumed it would be like an Indian buffet where they make a huge trough of the popular dishes in advance
I suspect that is exactly how it's done. I've visited Shababs several times, and it does seem possible that they do cook each meal to order. They'll have a few dishes cooking at the same time, and it might take a bit less than six minutes for some dishes (lamb will have been pre-cooked).
Forks ?
I was very surprised to see Andy Munroe using a fork.
How much higher the temperature here would you say compared to lets say a normal induction top temperature?
Hard to say, as induction can be very fierce on its highest setting. Not as high as the big gas burners but respectable none the less. Obviously you don't get the flame with induction.
@@MistyRicardo Thanks for the prompt response! I want to try this on my induction cooktop and this chef cooked for 7 minutes, so maybe it will take 10 or a little more on induction.
Yes sounds about right.
Really good but no wonder we buy so much gas from Russia!
:)
:)
I think the flames are mostly overkill, if he turned it down he would not notice any difference in flavour and also a reduced gas bill.!
They all rig the gas meter (allegedly!)
Might be slight overkill, but high heat levels do help to get the balti to taste right, and to speed up preparation.
Shababs is far to overrated! You only need to look at the just eat reviews for examples
All there curry dishes taste the same it was good back in the day but lost its shine
No potato?
Not in this one. Have you had potato in a balti before?