balti

A balti or bāltī gosht is a type of curry served in a thin, pressed-steel wok called a "balti bowl". The name may have come from the metal dish in which the curry is cooked, rather than from any specific ingredient or cooking technique. Balti curries are cooked quickly using vegetable oil rather than ghee, over high heat in the manner of a stir-fry, and any meat is used off the bone. This combination differs sharply from a traditional one-pot Indian curry which is simmered slowly all day. Balti sauce is based on garlic and onions, with turmeric and garam masala, among other spices. Balti gosht is eaten in North India and some parts of Pakistan, as well as other parts of the world, such as Great Britain. The British version of Balti was developed in Birmingham in 1977. Origin, history and etymology Balti, as a food, is named after the steel or iron pot in which it is cooked, similar to a karahi from the same region. The word is found in Hindustani, Odia and Bengali, and means "bucket". The word developed from the Portuguese balde, meaning bucket or pail, and traveled to the Indian subcontinent via the Portuguese seafaring enterprises of the early 16th century. The word likely made its way into the English language during the time of British India.