Chicken and Mushroom Balti

Balti is a stir-fried curry invented by the Pakistani community the English Midlands. Unlike curry, it's usually eaten with naan rather than rice. It's a lot less hassle than it looks, and tastes even better if you cook it a day in advance and reheat it. Serves 4

Matt Bishop

3lb chicken pieces with the skin removed
3 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 inch cube fresh ginger, grated
6 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon paprika
0.75 teaspoon ground coriander
0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
large pinch chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
4 cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 black or 4 green cardamoms, broken open slightly
2 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

10 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped
3 small tomatoes, chopped
2 inch cube fresh ginger, grated
12 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 tablespoons turmeric
4 palmfuls dried methi (fenugreek leaves)
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
1.5 tablespoons tandoori masala powder
0.5 teaspoon garam masala

Put everything except the fresh coriander and the oil into a saucepan, add 10 fluid ounces water, bring to the boil and stir. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside to cool. add the coriander and oil to the pan and bring it back to the boil. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Take out and discard the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, then put the rest in a blender and liquidise it to make a Balti sauce. When the chicken is cool, remove the bones and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Heat the oil in a large wok (or a frying pan) over a medium high heat. Fry the chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic for 1 minute. Add the chicken, salt and turmeric; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add the methi and 6 ladlefuls of Balti sauce. Stir-fry for another 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and coriander and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tandoori masala powder. Just before serving, sprinkle the garam masala on top. Serve with naan bread.