Originally from a restaurant in Birmingham, I’ve modified this recipe from a chicken balti recipe.

If you want to use chicken rather than prawn, use a skinned and deboned chicken breast cut into 1″ cubes, but add it between steps 4 and 5 and make sure it is cooked through completely before serving.

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium tomato , chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic puree
• 10 medium prawns, shelled and deveined, tail on if desired
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• pinch of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 small chopped chillies
• 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped

Method

1. Heat a wok, frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil and chopped onion and fry until translucent and soft.
2. Add the chopped tomato and stir for 2 minutes, combining.
3. Add the ginger and garlic paste and stir for a minute.
4. Add the turmeric, paprika and chopped chillies and stir for a minute.
5. Pouring in 200ml water or fish/vegetable stock and add the salt, cumin, garam masala and the fenugreek.
6. Add the prawns and simmer for about 7 minutes. Add a touch more water/stock if needed but balti are meant to be quite dry and eaten with Naan bread.
7. Serve sprinkled with chopped coriander.