Balti Masala Paste
Submitted by biljean
A homemade Balti curry paste made from ground spices, vinegar, and oil, fried until thick and bubbling. Bottle it hot and keep it on hand as the flavor base for all your Balti curries and stir-fries.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
0 minREADY
10 minEvery great Balti dish starts with this paste.
Ground spices get mixed with vinegar and a splash of water into a thick slurry, then fried in a wok until the water cooks out and the paste starts bubbling and sputtering like porridge.
That’s when you know the raw spice flavor has transformed into something deep, toasted, and ready to work.
Bottle it while it’s still hot, top with a layer of heated oil to seal it, and you’ve got a jar of concentrated flavor that’ll keep for weeks.
Chef Tips
- Let the spice and vinegar mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes before frying. This blooms the ground spices and helps the flavors meld.
- Listen for the bubbling sound as the paste thickens. When it sounds like simmering oatmeal, it’s done. That audio cue is more reliable than visual checks.
- Use sterilized jars and top with hot oil to create a seal. This keeps the paste fresh for weeks in the fridge.
- Pair this paste with the Balti Masala Spice Mix for the most authentic results.
Ingredients
Directions
A paste which, like Balti sauce, appears repeatedly in Balti recipes.
Place the ground spices in a bowl.
Add vinegar, and water sufficient to make a paste.
Let stand 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a wok.
Add the paste. Stir-fry until the water content is cooked out (about 3 to 5 minutes) and the paste thickens and begins to bubble with the same kind of boiling noise that oatmeal makes. Remove from heat. Bottle while hot in boiled jars. When in the bottle, add heated oil to top off, seal, and store.
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