A Balti Curry for Major Pettigrew

I just finished this delightful novel set in a parochial English village, where everyone knows everyone else's business, and with many of the long held prejudices still in place.  Confrontations are in order.  And here, they happen with some surprise consequences!  I loved this book, and wanted to share the good news!  Here's the Publisher's Weekly review:

"In her charming debut novel, Simonson tells the tale of Maj. Ernest Pettigrew, an honor-bound Englishman and widower, and the very embodiment of duty and pride. As the novel opens, the major is mourning the loss of his younger brother, Bertie, and attempting to get his hands on Bertie's antique Churchill shotgun-part of a set that the boys' father split between them, but which Bertie's widow doesn't want to hand over. While the major is eager to reunite the pair for tradition's sake, his son, Roger, has plans to sell the heirloom set to a collector for a tidy sum. As he frets over the guns, the major's friendship with Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani widow of the local food shop owner, takes a turn unexpected by the major (but not by readers). The author's dense, descriptive prose wraps around the reader like a comforting cloak, eventually taking on true page-turner urgency as Simonson nudges the major and Jasmina further along and dangles possibilities about the fate of the major's beloved firearms. This is a vastly enjoyable traipse through the English countryside and the long-held traditions of the British aristocracy."

Toward the end, after Jasmina escapes some overbearing relatives, she had just been shopping and leaves with her bag of groceries, and what she's wearing!  Later, contemplating what's in the shopping bag, she says: "I didn't know what I was doing, but apparently I'm making us a chicken balti."  That had to be looked up, as I'd never heard of it.  After a recipe was found,  voila, my dish for this post.  Chicken Balti!  The history of Balti curries is also interesting, and adds to the story, thanks to the National Geographic:

Balti was first introduced to Birmingham around 1975 by a local Pakistani restaurateur, in an effort to appeal to westerners with a fast-cooked, mildly spiced dish. “He wanted to attract white Brummies and knew they would want quick service and meat off the bone, as opposed to the Pakistani custom [of meat on the bone],” says local author and historian Andy Munro....This style of recipe, he says, “preserved the idea of ‘one pot’ cooking, which was popular in the mountainous areas of Kashmir.”  Often cooked in a particular balti pan, similar to a wok.

Chicken Balti Curry

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
• 1/2 large onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic - finely chopped
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger - grated and finely chopped
• 2 fresh green bird's eye chili peppers (I used shishito peppers)
• 1/2 large green or red pepper roughly chopped
• 1 tomato - diced
• 2 - 4 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbs tandoori masala - good quality store bought or homemade
• 2 tsp Madras curry powder
• 225g (1/2 lb) chicken breast - skinned and cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) chunks
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Salt to taste   (I would adjust all spices according to your preferred level of heat)

Instructions

1. Heat the ghee or oil in a large frying pan or balti pan over high heat.
2. Toss in the chopped onion and allow to fry for about 5 minutes or until the onion is beginning to turn soft and translucent. 
3. Add the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. About 30 seconds should do the job. You just want to cook off the rawness.
4. Spoon in the tandoori masala and curry powder.
5. Now add the green chillies, bell peppers, chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Give this all a good stir to combine.
6. Throw in the chicken pieces and brown this in the onion mixture. Stir continuously to brown the chicken evenly. 
7. Now add about (1/2 cup) 125ml of water. You can add more to assist in cooking the chicken but Baltis are dry curries so try not to add too much. (I kept mine on the "wet" side, as I like a bit of sauce.)
8. Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. 
9. Add the cider vinegar and simmer for another minute. 
10. Just before serving, sprinkle the coriander into the curry and season with salt and pepper to taste and then add the lime juice.

I served the curry over rice, with sides of mango chutney and slices of fresh pineapple, in season right now and soooo delicious.  The whole shebang was really very good.  I'll be sharing the post with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marge, the Intrepid Reader and Baker, and with Heather for her August Foodies Read.