Dan says: “I included this recipe not only because I love a good balti curry, but because I wanted to demonstrate the basics. In the other ‘one-pan’ curry house-style recipes in the book, ingredients such as garlic and ginger paste are used and the sauce is blended to give the curries that famous British Indian-restaurant, smoothcurry gravy. In this recipe you finely chop the garlic and ginger and no blending is required. Raw chicken is added to the pan, too. You get what you cook with very little fuss and it tastes great. You can apply the same, no-fuss cooking to the other curry house-style recipes. Likewise, you could have a bit of fun and use some of the ideas from those recipes in this balti.”

Serves 1-2

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee
• ½ large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1.75cm (½in) piece of ginger, grated and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tandoori masala
• 2 tsp madras curry powder or mixed powder
• 2 fresh green finger chilli peppers
• ½ large green or red (bell) pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2–4 tbsp unseasoned passata
• 225g (8oz) chicken thighs or breasts, skinned and cut into 2.5cm (1in) chunks
• 125ml (½ cup) water or chicken stock
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
• Salt, to taste
• Juice of ½ lime (optional)

Method

Heat the oil or ghee in a frying pan (skillet) or balti pan over a high heat.

Toss in the chopped onion and allow to fry for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is beginning to turn soft and translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. About 30 seconds should do the job – you just want to cook off the rawness.

Spoon in the tandoori masala and curry powder or mixed powder. Then add the green chillies, (bell) pepper, chopped tomatoes and passata. Give this all a good stir to combine.

Toss in the chicken pieces and brown them in the onion mixture. Stir continuously to brown the chicken evenly. Add about 125ml (½ cup) of water or chicken stock. You can add more to assist in cooking the chicken, but baltis are usually quite dry curries so try not to add too much. That is unless you prefer more sauce, of course. It’s best to add the water or stock in small amounts until the chicken is cooked through and you have a thickish sauce.

Simmer for about 8 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Add the cider vinegar and simmer for another minute. Just before serving, sprinkle the coriander (cilantro) into the curry. Season with salt to taste and then add the lime juice if you want a more sour flavour.

Dan says: “This is a completely homemade version of a Japanese chicken curry. You will be preparing an essential roux, which will thicken the sauce. In Japan, packet curry kits are really popular because they are good and very easy to prepare. I like homemade best, but if you’re curious, source a Japanese curry kit and try that too. You will find these curry kits at most Asian grocers, including a roux. There are several different brands and they all taste a bit different. Try this homemade version first, though. I have never been disappointed by the outcome. I recommend serving this with white rice. To make this vegetarian, omit the chicken and add more vegetables such as aubergine (eggplant), courgette (zucchini) and mushrooms. Tofu is also good in this curry.”

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients

For the roux:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 generous tbsp Japanese curry powder or any curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp paprika or chilli powder
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin (optional but authentic)
• 1 apple, grated and pounded or blended to a paste*
• 4 tbsp chicken stock

For the curry: 

• 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) or peanut oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large potato, skinned and cut into small cubes
• 1 carrot, cut into small bite-sized pieces at an angle
• 700g (1lb 9oz) chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock

Method

Start by making the roux. Melt the butter over a medium heat in a large, high-sided frying pan (skillet) and add the flour. Stir continuously until the roux turns a light beige. Then stir in the curry powder, garam masala and paprika. As you stir, the roux will take on a milk chocolate-brown colour from all the spices.

Now stir in the soy sauce, mirin (if using) and apple paste. Be sure to stir quickly so that you are left with a dark, wet paste. Stir in about 3 tablespoons of stock to thin it a bit. You want the roux to be a bit runny and well combined, so add more stock if needed but not too much! Once you have a nice, runny roux that literally oozes off your spoon, transfer it to a bowl and set aside. It will solidify like jelly as it cools.

Wipe your pan clean with a paper towel and place over a medium heat. Add the oil to the pan and then the sliced onion. Stir well to combine and allow to fry for about 4 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent but not at all browned.

Add the potato and fry over a medium heat for about 5 minutes and then add the chopped carrot. Continue cooking until the potato is about 60% cooked through. This should take about 10 more minutes.

Now add the chicken and stir it into the onion mixture. Cook until the chicken is turning white on the exterior and then return the roux to the pan. Again, stir well to combine and stir in about 250ml (1 cup) of chicken stock. Stir it all up. As you do, the stock will thicken quickly because of the roux. Slowly add more stock when the sauce thickens. It is essential that you don’t just pour all the stock in at once, as it may not all be needed. Add it in small amounts until the sauce is thick and creamy.

Continue simmering and adding chicken stock in small amounts until the potatoes, carrots and chicken are cooked through and you have a delicious, thick curry sauce. Season with more salt or soy sauce if needed.

Note:
*Alternatively, you could use about 3 generous tablespoons of unsweetened, shop-bought apple sauce.

Dan says: “Beef green curry is incredibly delicious and, personally, I prefer it to the more popular chicken green curry. The most important thing is to use the right cut of beef. I used skirt steak in this recipe, which is flavourful and cooks quickly when cut as described below. You could also use thinly sliced strips of ribeye or sirloin which is easier to find at supermarkets but pricier. This curry is delicious served with jasmine rice. I also like to drizzle on a little homemade basil oil (see page 258) as a garnish and for extra flavour.”

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients

For the curry paste:

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1½ tsp white pepper
• About 20 green finger chillies, roughly chopped (more or less to taste)
• 2 lemongrass stalks (white parts only), thinly sliced
• 8 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 thumb-sized piece of galangal, thinly sliced
• 3 small shallots, roughly chopped
• 10 Thai sweet basil stalks
• 5 coriander (cilantro) stalks
• Zest of ½ lime
• 5 makrut lime leaves (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tsp shrimp paste

For the curry:

• 2 tbsp coconut or rapeseed (canola) oil
• 450g (1lb) beef skirt steak, cut into thin strips against the grain
• 250ml (1 cup) unsalted Thai beef or chicken stock (or shop-bought stock)
• 400ml (1¾ cups) thick coconut milk
• About 250g (9oz) vegetables such as baby corn, bamboo shoots, aubergine (eggplant), asparagus, broccoli, sliced lotus root
• 3 tbsp fish sauce, preferably Thai (gluten-free brands are available)
• 2 spur chillies, thinly sliced to garnish
• 3 makrut lime leaves, stalks removed and thinly sliced, to garnish
• 1 handful of Thai sweet basil, roughly chopped, to garnish (optional)

Method

Prepare the curry paste by placing all of the paste ingredients in a food processor or blender and blending to a paste. You can add a drop of water if needed to assist blending. There will be a lot of paste, and yes, you do use it all in this recipe.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan (skillet) and when visibly hot, stir in the beef and fry for about 8 minutes, or until almost tender enough to eat. Add the green curry paste, stirring so that the beef is coated with it.

Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for about 5–10 minutes, or until the beef is tender. Don’t rush this! The beef is ready when it’s ready.

Stir in the coconut milk and the vegetables and continue stirring until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. I prefer my vegetables a bit on the crunchy side and not too mushy. Add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce or to taste.

Garnish with the sliced spur chillies, thinly sliced lime leaves and perhaps some basil leaves.

Make it easier:
If you don’t have time to make the green curry paste in this recipe, you could substitute 2–3 tablespoons of shop-bought paste, or add it to taste.

Curry Guy One Pot by Dan Toombs (£27, Quadrille, £27) is out now