Chicken and Mushroom Balti

Balti is a stir-fried curry invented by the Pakistani community the English Midlands. Unlike curry, it's usually eaten with naan bread rather than rice. It's a lot less hassle than it looks (especially if you buy jars of grated ginger rather than grating it yourself), and tastes even better if you cook it a day in advance and reheat it.
Originally from: I Am The King Baltihouse, Birmingham, England
Printed in: 100 Best Balti Curries, Diane Lowe and Mike Davidson
Serves 4
Matt Bishop

Part I : Pre-cooking the Chicken
3lb chicken pieces with the skin removed
3 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 inch cube fresh ginger, grated
6 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp paprika
0.75 tsp ground coriander
0.5 tsp ground cumin
large pinch chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
4 cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 black or 4 green cardamoms, broken open slightly
2 black peppercorns
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Part II : Stir-frying
10 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped
3 small tomatoes, chopped
2 inch cube fresh ginger, grated
12 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp salt
1.5 tbsp turmeric
4 palmfuls dried methi (fenugreek leaves)
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
1.5 tbsp tandoori masala powder
0.5 tsp garam masala

 Part 1 Put everything except the fresh coriander and the oil into a saucepan, add 10 fluid ounces water, bring to the boil and stir. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside to cool. add the coriander and oil to the pan and bring it back to the boil. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Take out and discard the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, then put the rest in a blender and liquidise it to make a Balti sauce. When the chicken is cool, remove the bones and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Part II Heat the oil in a large wok (or a frying pan) over a medium high heat. Fry the chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic for 1 minute. Add the chicken, salt and turmeric; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add the methi and 6 ladlefuls of Balti sauce. Stir-fry for another 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and coriander and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tandoori masala powder. Just before serving, sprinkle the garam masala on top. Serve with naan bread.

From the Dinner Co-op