Prepare this flavourful homemade Balti Sauce for a delicious curry night. I like to make a batch in advance, store it and prepare a balti curry whenever I crave it. This sauce is naturally vegan and gluten free.
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Dianne
Balti Sauce is one of those curry house classics that everyone loves, but it doesn’t need hours in the kitchen to taste good.
My version is quick to prepare, yet still captures that bold flavour you’d expect from a British curry house balti. I’ve tested this recipe many times and found little shortcuts - like using tomato purée for instant depth - so you can have a rich curry base ready in under 30 minutes.
What makes balti unique from a standard Indian base curry sauce is the addition of bell peppers. I use it as a base sauce for a vegetable balti but you could add sub in meat.
Ingredients notes
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Onions – I tend use red onions here for sweetness and colour, though brown onions work if that’s what you’ve got.
Garlic & ginger – Fresh paste makes all the difference. Pre-made pastes save time, but I find they lose that punchy freshness.
Peppers – I like mixing red and green for sweetness and a hint of bitterness. It keeps the sauce balanced.
Tomato purée – My shortcut to a deep, rich flavour without simmering down fresh tomatoes for ages.
Whole spices (cumin, coriander, fennel) – A quick temper in the pan really wakes them up — it’s a small step that transforms the flavour.
Ground spices (coriander, cumin, garam masala, chilli powder/paprika) – This is where you can play with heat. Personally, I use Kashmiri chilli powder for colour and add hot chilli powder or cayenne if I want extra spice.
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – I crush them in my hand before adding. That last sprinkle gives the sauce a restaurant-style finish.
Oil – A neutral oil like sunflower works best; olive oil changes the flavour too much.
Salt + a pinch of sugar – Sugar balances the tang of the tomatoes — it’s a tiny tweak, but I never skip it.
How to make Balti sauce
To make things quick, the sauce is cooked directly in one pot and will be blended after for convenience and ease. No need to finely chop each ingredient separately!
Prepare the vegetables by roughly chopping the onion, peeling the garlic, skin the ginger and rough chop the peppers.
In a saucepan or kadai, heat oil and add the onion on medium high heat. Sauté until becoming translucent (helps to release sweetness) then tip in the garlic, ginger and both peppers.
Cook until the peppers are soft. Add in the tomato, and all the spices, sugar and salt.
Further cook for a couple of minutes until oik appears on the surface - this is an indicator the gravy is well cooked. Rub fenugreek leaves between your palms and add to the sauce. Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly.
Place in the blender bowl or and blend until you achieve a fairly smooth consistency sauce. Adjust the consistency to your liking.
To make things even quicker and create less washing up, use an immersion blender.
How to use Balti sauce
I like to use a mix of vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, green beans, peas and even mushrooms.
You can use meat such as chicken, lamb or beef.
You need to stir-fry your meat or vegetables in a large pan with a little oil. Remove into a bowl and add a little more oil into the pan, pour over the sauce and simmer.
Once the oil appears on the sides of the pan, tip the veggies or meat back in and cook.
Top your balti with finely chopped coriander leaves and you may also like a squeeze of lemon juice.
Serve with naan bread or paratha and pilau rice. A side of poppadom dips and poppadoms complete the meal.
Storage
Store the balti sauce in a clean jar or airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the sauce in batches for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave prior to use.
Other Indian sauce recipes
Tandoori Sauce - Indian Spice Marinade
Indian Curry Paste - Onion Tomato Bhuna Masala
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Quick Balti Sauce
Equipment
- 1 pan
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 2 large onion
- 8 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon ginger chopped
- ½ cup green pepper including red pepper chopped.
- 1 cup tomatoes crushed/puree or passata
- 2 tablespoon whole cumin seeds total with coriander and fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander and cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables by roughly chopping the onion, peeling the garlic, skin the ginger and chop the peppers.
- In a saucepan or kadai, heat oil and add the onion on medium high heat. Sauté until becoming translucent then tip in the garlic, ginger and both peppers.
- Cook until the peppers are soft. Add in the tomato, and all the spices, sugar and salt.
- Further cook 2-3 minutes. Add dried fenugreek leaves. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Place in the blender bowl or use an immersion blender and blend until you achieve a fairly smooth sauce. Adjust to your desired consistency.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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TERESA says
Short on time so made the sauce in my soup maker✅ then poured over diced beef to slow cook in the oven👍
A game changer, we absolutely loved it with rice and barn😋😋😋
Hayley says
Thank you for your comment Teresa, so glad to read you liked the recipe! Good idea to use the soup maker!
Hayley x
Debbie says
This homemade Balti Sauce is so easy to throw together and great to have on hand. We used it with chicken and it was fantastic .
Hayley says
Happy to hear that Debbie.
Jacqueline Debono says
I love balti sauce and really enjoyed making this recipe. We had it with lamb and I put some in the freezer! The history of Balti cooking is interesting. I didn't realize it's more British Indian in origin, like tikka masala!
mikayla says
Really enjoyed the rich flavor of this sauce, I liked it so much I used it on a vegetable stir fry and then again on butter toasted bread!
Hayley says
So happy to hear that Mikayla 🙂
Cathleen says
I love how quick and easy this sauce is to make. Bookmarked to make tomorrow, thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Hayley says
Let me know how you like it 🙂
Leslie says
I love how easy this sauce is to make and it doesn't compromise on flavor either! So so good!
Hayley says
Thank you!
Kathryn says
I've never heard of this but it sounds delicious! Love all of these ingredients so I'll have to try it soon! Thank you!
Hayley says
Let me know how you get on with it.
Alexandra says
This sauce is incredible - vibrant and so flavorsome. I love that it can be frozen so I can always have it on hand to satisfy my curry cravings. So good! Thank you for the wonderful, delicious recipe.
Hayley says
Thank you!
Vicky says
I've never tried this type of recipe before, it sounds so yummy. I can't wait to try it!
Eric says
I love Indian food but always so scared to try it myself. Looks like an amazing recipe. Will add it to my list to try.
Hayley says
Thank you!
Dennis says
Your sauce was amazing! I made chicken balti with it and my family devoured it!
Hayley says
Glad to hear that Dennis! Thank you.