Chicken Balti

 Spice up your life....

(but not in a nose dripping and brow sweating way) with this not so hot chicken balti dish. Of course, if you like it hot, (as some do!), you can add real chili to give it a bit more kick! 

Ingredients

Steaming Balti

1-2 Onion
a piece of  ginger (about 2,5 cm)
3 cloves of garlic
2-3 tbs of oil
3 chicken breasts (you can also use some other part)
1 tsp of ground cumin (cuminum cyminum)
1 cinnamon stick (cut in half)
1,5 tsp of ground cardamom
6 whole cloves
0,5 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tin of tinned tomatoes
4 dl of chicken stock (4 dl of hot water with 2 chicken stock cubes)
Fresh coriander 
25 g of almond flakes

Instructions

Chop the onion, garlic and ginger up, either with a big knife or in a food blender if you don't like big bits in your food. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and stir in the chicken. Cook for about 5 min, or until the chicken is golden. Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Give these a few minutes in the pan before adding the spices. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken stock and let it simmer for about 30 min. If you cook it with the lid on, it'll be a lot runnier. I make it without the lid which gives it a thicker consistency. 

Before serving, toast the almond flakes lightly in a separate pan. 

Just before serving the balti, chop the fresh coriander into the frying pan. Tastes delicious with naan bread!

Original recipe:"Hamlyn all color 200 Chicken Dishes" (Hamlyn 2009) 

Balti with toasted almonds