Balti Birmingham

Following the hosting of Steve Heap, chef and You Tuber, in the hallowed kitchens of Shababs I sat down afterwards to chew the fat with him (Balti style) to talk about both the history of Birmingham’s iconic dish and the attempts still ongoing to preserve it …

I hooked up with adopted Brummie Steve Heap who has a large following on You Tube for his culinary exploits  and also provides a private cheffing service. Now whilst Steve has had more than a few Baltis, he had never been behind the scenes to see one cooked so what better person to show him than […]

This well-known and, to some, notorious food critic has been scathing in some of their reviews of genuine Baltihouses. Although I may disagree with much of that criticism at last they have visited a Baltihouse that we both agree on … Shababs in the Balti Triangle. Piping hot Baltis fast cooked and served in a […]

There has been quite a bit of newsprint recently about the tug of war between Germany and Turkey about who invented the Doner Kebab and who has the right of applying for protected food status under the EU. Maybe there could be a future argument on who invented the Sheekh kebab …. Afghanistan, Pakistan or […]

Michael Portillo For those who like railways or Portillo but not necessarily both(!), it is worth keeping an eye out for Michael Portillo’s latest visit to Birmingham when he samples an authentic balti for the first time at the legendary Shababs.

The search for genuine baltihouses outside the Balti Triangle goes on and my latest mission took me to Shabar on the Coventry Road, Sheldon, just a stone’s throw from the airport.  Although it was a Friday night it was good to see it buzzing with hardly a table to spare in what was a large […]

Apart from Highgate Brewery’s respectful nod to Birmingham’s famous dish, there is one slightly less well known drink also celebrating the Balti . In the nineties, a drink called the ‘Balti Bite’ was all the rage which was a potent mix of 7.5 per cent Barley Wine and Cider … seemed like the ideal foil for […]

Some tactless comments from MP Paul Scully about Sparkhill, part of the Balti Triangle hit the headlines when he suggested the area was a ‘no go’ zone. This area  is one I know well as not only was I born and bred in the area but one I have visited for over forty years to […]