Recipes From My Travels - Paul's take on the 'Brummagem Balti' - The Bromsgrove Standard

Recipes From My Travels - Paul's take on the 'Brummagem Balti'

Bromsgrove Editorial 28th Nov, 2020   0

RETIRED professional chef Paul James, author of travel and food blog Recipes From My Travels, writes for our paper.

WE ARE not travelling far with this recipe – the Birmingham curry or affectionately known in ‘our house’ as the Brummagem Balti.

This dish sums up memories of when I was a little lad growing up in a multi cultural and vibrant city.

Visiting different areas of the city threw up various and distinguished smells and flavours, none more so than the aromas of curries being made.

Unfortunately growing up in the 70s and 80s it was very rare that we had an Indian meal.




In fact I remember with affection my mum only ever cooking a packet ‘vesta’ curry and always with grated cheese on top and popped under a hot grill until the cheese started bubbling. A couple of ’rounds of bread and butter’ and I was happy.

In fact I’m not going to lie, if I ever see a ‘vesta curry’ in the shop, which is getting rarer, I always more often than not buy it.


But sadly to be honest, it’s not the same as my lovely childhood memories of my mum standing at the stove and plating up my curry, placed with the sauce in a circle of the glistening white boiled rice.

So this recipe is homage to my hometown city of Birmingham and memories of the Rag Market,

Rotunda and of course the Bull in the Bullring shopping centre.

Visit the ‘Recipes From My Travels’ Facebook page for Paul’s blog.

 

Egg and Potato Curry Served with a Lamb Keema Rice (serves two)

 

Ingredients

Handful of boiled new potatoes

3 free range eggs softly boiled

1 red onion sliced

1 tsp of chilli powder

1 tsp of turmeric powder ( half in the curry & Half in the rice )

1 tsp of cumin powder

Selection of Finely chopped green and red chillis

400 ml coconut milk

Cooked basmati rice

100 grams good quality lamb mince

1/2 tsp Garamond masala

1/2 tsp of curry powder

Coriander leaves for garnish

 

Method

1. Gently fry the chilli powder, half the turmeric powder, cumin powder, in a little drop of oil to take out the slight rawness of the powder, add a splash of water.

2. Then add your onions and chopped chillis.

3. Fry until soft.

4. Next add your coconut milk and bring to the boil stirring continuously, add the boiled potatoes and reduce heat and let it simmer.

5. Next brown your lamb mince and discard any oil, add the rest of your turmeric powder, curry powder and Garam masala and gently cook for a few minutes.

6. Then add the cooked rice and stir making sure every grain is coated in the delicate mince mixture.

7. Cook until the lamb is completely cooked.

8. Finally add your eggs to the curry and serve with a scatter of chopped coriander.

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