Balti without the bowls. Chicken (or Turkey) Chickpea Balti with rice

 

 

I am of that age where, in the past, when you got a house, people bought you those metal bowls with the handles that you serve curry in as a housewarming present. It was either that or a set of Chinese soup bowls with those pretty but huge spoons. These are known to me at least as 'balti bowls' although in reality they are probably dishes and despite the fact that we have a curry here quite often, I never use them. I have forgotten I have them, in truth, and it's only when I have a root through my pan drawer for something that I rediscover them and think to myself 'God, I must use these!' and then I forget about them again, like I did here. In fact it was only when I was thinking about something vaguely alliterative as a title for the blog post (I am an English teacher when not cooking up a storm somewhere) that I thought about the bowls...

 

 

 

Bowls, looking as unused as mine...

 

Anyway, for the uninitiated, I would put a Balti somewhere at the medium/mild end of the scale of things but of course this really does depend on how much chilli you bung into it. This is pretty tame, on account of Lola and Finn and their youthful tastebuds, and of course if you want something with less punch you can add some natural yoghurt to take any heat away, but this is more taste and warmth than just heat.

 

Because I like a bargain and because I am fooling myself that I am actually eating healthily by buying them, I have more chickpeas than I know what to do with, which is why they ended up in this curry. And it was a good idea because it eked out the rest of the ingredients and made the meal feel filling and comforting, and maybe even healthy, relatively speaking...

 

I was going to use chicken thighs in this curry, but I found some bargain diced turkey thigh and couldn't resist. Turkey and curry seems to go together, and not just for Christmas...

 

Turkey Chickpea Balti with Steamed Rice

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad and one other

 

Ingredients:

 

1lb chicken or turkey thigh, diced

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp chilli powder (or more if you want it)

2 tbsp ground coriander

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 can of chickpeas, drained

1 can of chopped tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

 

Method:

 

Heat the oil in a suitable pan.

 

 

 

Add the onion and the garlic and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until starting to colour but not burn.

 

 

 

Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add the spices and stir.

 

 

 

Next, add the chickpeas and then the tinned tomatoes and reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning. Remove the lid and allow to cook a little further until the sauce has thickened and reduced to your liking. Taste for seasoning again.

 

 

 

Stir in the garam masala and cook for another couple of minutes. Sprinkle over the chopped coriander and  serve over rice with a little more coriander if you like.