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Bluffer's Guide to Balti PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Monday, 23 August 2010 21:44
Everybody likes to be a chef or a foodie expert these days and now you can show that you're hot stuff in the kitchen with this Bluffer's Guide to preparing that Balti for someone special...
  • Impress with your knowledge ... balti isn't an Indian dish but a Pakistani one invented in Birmingham.
  • Use the authentic pressed steel bowls and cook with panache over a gas flame.
  • Measure the spices beforehand onto a white plate ... they'll look great and you can impress as you throw them into the balti bowl with casual aplomb!
  • Use  ready made ginger and garlic straight from the jar but put in a small dish to pretend it's been freshly pureed.
  • Use plenty of coriander as it's rumoured to be good for staying power between the sheets.
  • Sprinkle chopped leaves over the finished Balti for that restaurant finishing touch! 
  • Use plenty of fenugreek (methi) if appropriate, as it's supposed to boost the 'fairer' sex in the 'Jordan' stakes.
  • Share a naan and ditch the cutlery - nothing's more sensual than doing a bit of naan ripping and dipping!
  • Make it a garlic naan so you're left alone together and don't use those puny supermarket mini naans!.
  • Chew a piece of cinammon afterwards if you need to lose your garlic breath in a hurry.
  • Have a few glasses of wine beforehand and don't start cooking until 15 minutes before serving - it's fast cooking by a top Balti Chef....YOU!!
Last Updated on Monday, 23 August 2010 21:49
 
Tornado Triangle PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Monday, 23 August 2010 21:29
At 2.30pm on July 28th 2005, the Balti Triangle was hit by Britain's worst recorded Urban Tornado. Lasting just four minutes and travelling at speeds of up to 130mph, it caused £40m worth of damage but miraculously no one was killed with only 20 people requiring hospital treatment.
   
One thousand trees were uprooted with 700 buildings damaged and 90 cars damaged beyond repair. Almost stranger than fiction, the last recorded Urban Tornado in Britain of this magnitude was in the 1930s in exactly the same area - nicknamed Bertha!

Local worker Tabriz Hussain said, 'I was queuing up for my fish and chips when suddenly everything went dark. There was an enormous rushing sound and suddenly a tree crashed through the plate glass window. I suffered cuts and bruises but still managed to finish my chips' - a Local Hero!

On a more serious note, many people were made homeless and had to be relocated whilst their houses were rebuilt and repaired. Many local businesses suffered in the same way but the area has now recovered with the trauma thankfully a distant memory to many of those who suffered. The City Council provide a great deal of support in terms of money and resources without a single penny of help from Her Majesty's Gov't....one wonders if that would have been the case if a similar Tornado had hit Oxford St or Picadilly Circus!
 
Bibliography PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Thursday, 29 July 2010 19:55

Balti Curry Cookbook by Pat Chapman
 		 Balti Curry Cookbook by Pat Chapman; the first Balti cookbook to burst onto the scene in the 1990s. Written by probably the foremost Curry expert and founder of the legendary 'Curry Club',it has a wide range of recipes. 
100 Best Balti Curries
 		 100 Best Balti Curries by Diane Lowe and Mike Davidson; a really authentic book with recipes gleaned direct from named restaurants and their chefs in the Balti Triangle area. They include some real classics from the height of the Birmingham Balti boom such as Kirran's Fish Starter handed down through generations.
Balti Britain by Ziauddin Sardar
 		 Balti Britain by Ziauddin Sardar; more cultural than cuisine based - an entertaining take on the British Asian experience but sadly flawed in its references to Balti.
Curry
 		 Curry by Lizzie Collingham; an excellent reference book on the history of curry with the bonus of some interesting recipes.

 		 Eating For Britain by Simon Majumdar - his enthusiasm for the food - and its producers - is infectious. Highlights the best of Britain in culinary terms and quite correctly includes a chapter on Balti. 
The Essential Street Balti Guide by Andy Munro The Essential Street Balti Guide by Andy Munro; a slightly irreverant take on the Birmingham balti scene at its height of popularity.
  Note: Some of the above are out of print and may only be available second hand. 

 

                
Last Updated on Thursday, 29 July 2010 20:09
 
Competitions PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 14:55
Balti Winners
WIN A FREE MEAL FOR TWO AT THE PUNJABI PARADISE
 
A great opportunity to enjoy a meal at one of the Balti Triangle's top restaurants and to make the night extra relaxing (especially if you enjoy a glass or two), a free taxi to take you there and back as long as you live within the Birmingham boundary.

    Write in and tell us about your first balti including when and where it was ... photos are also welcome but not compulsory. The best entry in the opinion of the website editor will win the prize.
    
Closing date for entries is 29 August 2010.

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Last Updated on Thursday, 29 July 2010 20:14
 
Acknowledgements PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Thursday, 19 November 2009 10:33
All the original content has been authored by Andy Munro.

Photography by Anna Gibson Photography (contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

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Last Updated on Monday, 25 January 2010 23:26
 
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