Buy Our
Balti Dish & Spices
Become a Balti Chef
The
Birmingham Balti
The balti is more than just a curry. Invented in the mid-1970s by a Pakistani Brummie restaurateur, it’s inextricably linked to Birmingham and is a part of its rich heritage.
Balti restaurants like Shababs were small back then – we had just 21 covers – so people needed to be served quickly and the table turned ready for more guests to maximise gain.
The balti was commissioned to be manufactured in Birmingham. Thin-pressed carbon steel made it possible for the balti to reach super-hot temperatures in record time. Once ready, the sizzling balti would be ushered straight to the diners’ table in the very same balti bowl that it was cooked in ready to eat with rice and naan bread.
It was revolutionary – and so popular that Indian restaurants across the country wanted to get on to the balti bandwagon and started to introduce balti on their menus.
Whilst you can dish up curries anywhere you like, there’s only one place you can get a true Birmingham balti – right here in Birmingham.