Dinner
Birmingham Balti Beef
A British-Indian original invented in Birmingham in the 1970s, beef cooked fast in a thin steel balti pan with a quick-fried masala of tomato, coriander, and whole spices so the fresh, bright sauce never stews and the dish retains the speed and energy of the original Ladypool Road tradition.
$6
15 minsPrep
30 minsCook
45 minsTotal
EasyLevel
Nutrition per serving
685Calories
38gProtein
32gFat
58gCarbs
8gSugar
6gFiber
820mgSodium
85mgChol
0gSat Fat
Goes well with
Mango Lassi
local
Cobra Beer
international
High Protein
Gluten-Free
Dairy-Free
fusion-kitchen
Instructions
1
Prep
Cut 400g beef sirloin into 3cm cubes. Finely dice 1 large onion. Finely grate 4 cloves garlic and 25g ginger. Finely slice 2 small green chillies. Roughly chop 3 medium tomatoes. Separate coriander stems from leaves. Warm 2 naan breads.
2
Sear
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide heavy pan over high heat until smoking. Season beef with 0.75 tsp salt. Sear beef in a single layer 2–3 minutes without moving until deeply browned. Toss and cook 1 more minute. Remove and set aside.
3
Saute
Reduce heat to medium-high. Add onion, cook 5–6 minutes until golden. Add garlic, ginger, and coriander stems; stir 1 minute. Add 1.5 tbsp tomato paste and all ground spices; stir 1–2 minutes until paste darkens.
4
Build
Add chopped tomatoes. Cook over high heat 6–8 minutes, stirring regularly, until tomatoes break down and oil separates at the edges—this signals the masala is ready.
5
Simmer
Return beef to the pan. Toss to coat in masala. Add 3–4 tbsp water and stir vigorously. Cook over high heat 5–6 minutes until beef is just cooked through and sauce is thick, glossy, and clinging to meat.
6
Finish
Fold through fresh coriander leaves. Taste and adjust salt with remaining 0.5 tsp as needed.
7
Plate
Serve immediately directly from the pan with warm naan bread. Scatter sliced green chilli over the top and serve with lemon wedges.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 400g400g beef sirloin or rump
- 2 tbsp2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1.25 tsp1.25 tsp fine sea salt
- 11 large onion
- 4 cloves4 cloves garlic
- 1.51.5 thumbs fresh ginger
- 22 small green chilli
- 33 medium tomatoes
- 1.5 tbsp1.5 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp2 tsp ground coriander
- 1.5 tsp1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 0.5 tsp0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 0.25 tsp0.25 tsp ground fenugreek
- 20g20g fresh coriander
- 22 naan breads
- lemon wedges
