Vegetable balti recipe

This family recipe was passed to me by my mum and was the first dish I ever learned to cook. Friends often ask for the recipe, so here it is.

It started as a chicken curry recipe but was changed to a veggie dish.

I like to make the sauce at lunchtime so the flavours have time to develop.

Makes enough to serve 4.

Ingredients

• 3 large onions, chopped
• 50g of butter
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 chilli, chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 tablespoons curry paste (I like Patak’s Balti Spice Paste)
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 100ml vegetable stock
• 2 peppers
• 1 medium cauliflower
• Small bunch of coriander, chopped

Make the sauce

1. Put the chopped onions in a large heavy-bottomed pan, pour in boiling water to just cover the onions and add a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and let them boil fast until all the water has evaporated. The onions will start sticking to the bottom of the pan so keep stirring them to stop them burning until no liquid is left.
2. Reduce the heat slightly, add the butter, and cook the onions until they start to brown. This should take about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the curry powder, stirring for about 1 minute.
5. Remove from the heat, and stir in the curry paste, tomato puree and vegetable stock.
6. Put back on the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, put a lid on the pan and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Add a little extra water if it looks to thick.
7. If making it in advance, turn off the heat, put the lid on, and put it in the fridge once fully cooled.

Cook the veg

1. Put the sauce back on a low heat to warm through. Stir occasionally to ensure it doesn’t stick, and add a little more water if it looks too thick.
2. Preheat the oven to 180.
3. Add the peppers and cauliflower to a roasting dish. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of garam masala and stir. Put in the oven for 20 minutes or so.
4. Once the vegetables are cooked through, remove from the oven and stir into the sauce. Take the sauce off the heat and stir in the coriander.
5. Serve with pilau rice and naan bread.

Variations

One of the best things about this recipe is how flexible it is. It’s great for using up veg from the fridge or freezer.

Here are a few variations I like to do:

• Pan fry Paneer and add to the sauce along with the veg.
• If you want to make the curry milder or creamier, stir in coconut milk or yoghurt before adding the veg.
• Throw in any veg you like – courgettes, butternut squash, sweet potato, etc.
• Wilt some spinach, chop very finely and stir in to the curry with the coriander.
• It’s also a good way of using up tomatoes. Chop into quarters and to the curry towards the end of the cooking time.