King Prawn Balti

Prawn balti garnished with coriander with popadums in the background.

5 from 1 vote

Looking for a spicy and flavourful Indian curry? Try this King Prawn Balti! Made with prawns, vegetables, and aromatic spices, this dish is easy to make and packed with delicious flavours. Great served with rice or naan bread.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: servings

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Lauren Woodger

Equipment

Ingredients

150 g king prawns
1 medium onion finely diced or sliced
2 cm fresh ginger finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 medium yellow pepper chopped into small chunks
2 green finger chillies finely chopped
2 tablespoon tomato puree
200 g chopped tomatoes ½ a tin
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon chilli powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon light brown sugar
1 handful fresh coriander
2 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee If using ghee dish will NOT be dairy free
150 ml water

Metric - Us Customary

Instructions

Chop the onion, pepper garlic, ginger and green chilli.
Heat most of the oil in a large wok or pan and sweat the onion on a low to medium heat for 5 minutes or until they soften and turn translucent in colour.
Add the ginger, garlic & chilli and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Next, add the spices and tomato puree and cook for 3 minutes until fragrant, stirring regularly.
Add the tinned tomatoes and water, bring to the boil then simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.
Whilst the curry sauce is simmering, fry off the yellow pepper in the reamining oil in a separate pan for 5 minutes.
Add the prawns, light brown sugar & cooked yellow peppers to the curry sauce and cook for a couple of minutes to warm the prawns. If you are using raw prawns, heat until they are pink and cooked through (this should take around 3-4 minutes).
Stir through a handful of chopped, fresh coriander.
Serve hot, with rice or naan bread.

Notes

Variations

Adjust the spice level - I have made this balti to be medium spiced. If you prefer a milder curry, just leave out the chilli powder and add one green chilli instead of two. If you really don’t like spice or are cooking for young mouths you may prefer this Mango Chicken Curry which is much milder in flavour.
Swap the protein - You can easily swap the prawns for chicken, lamb or even tofu. Just adjust the cooking time to allow the protein to be fully cooked through.

Tips & Tricks

Use fresh prawns for the best flavour and texture.
Adjust the spiciness of the curry to your liking by adding more or less chilli powder.
You can also add other vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, or potatoes to the curry for more flavour and texture.
Balti dishes are traditionally served with naan bread or rice, but you can also serve it with other types of bread or even over pasta.
I cook the peppers in a separate pan so they stay crunchy, however if you don’t mind the peppers softer in texture, feel free to add them to the pan with the garlic and ginger.

Nutrition