Balti dishes are stir-fried curries which originated in Kashmir and are traditionally served with a bread accompaniment.
ingredients
serves: 4
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 medium onion
1 pound 2 ounce frying steak
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 inch piece fresh root ginger
1 small, fresh red chilli
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
To garnish:
3 tablespoons desiccated coconut, flaked or shredded
method
1. Preheat the oven to a low setting to keep the beef warm later. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a large balti pan, wok or skillet. Peel and thinly slice the onion, and fry it over a fairly high heat for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is soft and lightly browned.
2. Meanwhile, trim any excess fat from the beef, then slice it into very thin strips. Peel and crush the garlic, then peel and grate the ginger and rinse, deseed and chop the chilli. Add them all to the onion and cook over a fairly high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is lightly coloured. Remove from the heat and keep warm in the oven.
3. Rinse, deseed and thinly slice the peppers. Add them to the pan, with the remaining oil, if necessary, and continue frying for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are softened and lightly browned.
4. Meanwhile, rinse and roughly chop the tomatoes, then squeeze the juice from the lemon and preheat the grill to a high setting.
5. Stir the garam masala and the cumin into the skillet and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice and some salt and simmer, stirring, for about 3 - 4 minutes. If the mixture becomes dry, add a little water.
6. Sprinkle the breads with water and grill for about a minute each side. Return the beef to the pan and heat it through. Sprinkle with the coconut and serve with the bread.
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more information
Naan is a flat, tear-shaped bread from India that is authentically baked on the walls of a tandoor oven. To approximate this at home, sprinkle the naans with water before grilling to help them puff up and turn deliriously soft and light.
