How the Balti Triangle has changed

Birmingham is the curry capital of the UK, with a better selection of Asian and Indian restaurants than anywhere else in the country.

And we have our specific area devoted to one particular style of curry - the beloved balti.

The Balti Triangle is a predominately Pakistani area just to the south of the city centre along Ladypool Road, Stoney Lane and Stratford Road - and is where the famous dish was born.

The balti was invented in 1977 by restaurateur Mohammed Arif.

He came across the idea after spending time in his native Pakistan where he saw curries being cooked and served in the same dish.

The idea was to fuse Pakistani cooking with western tastes and his restaurant Adil’s, on Stoney Lane, describes itself as the pioneers of balti cuisine.

Balti served on old school menu under glass table tops at Shabab

By the nineties there were an astonishing 46 restaurants in the triangle - 26 in Ladypool Road alone.

How many balti restaurants are left now?

Back in the day Brummies used to be crazy for a balti

Today Adil’s is said to be one of only a handful of a balti houses left.

Only a dozen eateries claim to serve the traditional balti and, according to balti expert Andy Munro, less than eight actually serve the real thing.

Why has the balti fallen out of favour?

Not many places cook 'baltis' the correct way — Not many places cook baltis the correct way

Andy Munro is author of Going For A Balti, which examines the history of Brum’s most famous dish.

He said: “When the balti became popular, everyone all over the city started putting it on the menu, so people didn’t think they had to go to the Balti Triangle to get a balti.

"Over the years the balti became bastardised so we lost the true authenticity of what a balti is.

“Put simply, people forgot what made a balti so brilliant because they were presented with inferior versions. And declining trade for baltis in the triangle meant a lot of restaurants closed.”

The history of the balti:

Buying spices at Raja Brothers shop on Ladypool Road, Sparkbrook.

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Mohammed Ishtiaq owns Raja Brothers supermarket, the oldest shop on Ladypool Road.

He said: “The Balti Triangle was at its peak in the 1990s. There were so many restaurants and they were so popular and 90 per cent of customers were from outside the area and white.

"When Raja Brothers opened in Ladypool Road in 1974, the immigrants in the area rarely went out so the balti was very much created for the Western English customers.

"They still come but it's only at the weekends now. You dont have to come here to get a balti - they are served all over the city and country."

Andy Munro, who offers tours of the Balti Triangle, disagreed. He said: "What are left are mostly genuine decent ones (restaurants). I think it's about quality rather than quantity.

"And I can think of only one place outside the Balti Triangle that does a proper balti.

"On my tour I have people from around the Midlands and from up north who are keen to try a true Birmingham balti."

What is a proper balti?

The Birmingham Balti is a British fusion of Kashmiri Pakistani recipes created in the 1970s by Birmingham’s new Mirpuri community.

A balti’s defining characteristics include cooking meat off the bone rather than on, using vegetable oil instead of ghee and using dry spices alongside fresh garlic and ginger. The genuine balti is cooked in the “Balti” – a thin pressed steel wok dish for fast cooking over an intense gas flame – and presented in the same dish is is cooked in - to retain the fragrant flavours.

Balti Triangle is a new shopping destination

SJR Bridal on Ladypool Road, Sparkbrook (Image: Birmingham Mail)

There are now a huge amount of independent shops in the Balti Triangle.

The area has become a popular place to shop for Asian wedding finery and women’s fashions, with Ladypool Road attracting shoppers from Oxford, Bristol, Newcastle and even Scotland.

In Sparkhill, independents include Haji Nazar & Sons Barber Shop, Cravings Cafe, Sabah’s fabrics and dresses, Madina Mobiles, Nashad Jewellers, House of Furniture and Priya Nails and Beauty.

Raja Brothers owner Mohammed Ishtiaq said: "Asian wedding dresses have become big business. In the eighties and nineties, first and second generation families would never have dreamt of spending up to £4,000 on wedding dresses.

"That's the kind of money younger people are now willing to spend, so shops have been created to fulfill that demand and it's been fantastic for the area.

"People come here to do some shopping - then eat something afterwards. They're not really specifically in the area to try a balti. So Balti Triangle for me represents shopping now. "

Cuisines from all over the world

Baltis can seem like quite a dated cuisine when you look at how the Birmingham's restaurant scene has evolved over the last fifteen years.

And one of the most successful restaurants in the Balti Triangle does not serve any kind of curry.

Antep restaurant, on Ladypool Road, serves up authentic Turkish cuisine such as hummous with lamb shawarma, saksuka - sauteed aubergine, falafel and kebabs.

There is also the Moroccan restaurant Al Bader just up the road which serves up lipsmacking tagines.

Jerk and Twist on Ladypool Road (Image: Birmingham Mail)

Jerk and Twist serves up Caribbean and Jamaican food such as jerk burgers, jerk chicken and curried mutton.

The food scene has evolved massively in the whole city - and the Balti Triangle is no different.

The balti may be dated but the Balti Triangle has kept up with the times.

From Balti Triangle to dessert heaven

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The balti may have been usurped by the ice cream sundae as the signature dish of the area - judging by how dessert parlours outnumber balti houses.

Birmingham has numerous late dessert parlours all over the city, open for anyone who wants to enjoy a catch up with friends over ice cream after work.

Most of these dessert places are concentrated around the Sparkbrook Road area. One of the most popular is Icestone Gelato - they do some incredible desserts! (see our video above)

Fast food fixation

Bobby's fast food place on Ladypool Road

The fast food trend has taken over most of our city's high streets and the Balti Triangle is no different.

Within yards of each other you’ll find chicken, pizza, noodles and burger joints.

Raja Brothers owner Mohammed Ishtiaq said: "On the weekdays there are a lot of Asian diners from the area. They don't want to cook at home but they want to eat other foods - something quick.

"They are more interested in kebabs, takeways and fast foods."

All you can eat buffet places have also popped up in the area over the years.

Mr Ishtiaq added: "People can eat very well and cheaply here."

Pepe's Piri Piri chicken chain has a busy restaurant in the heart of the balti triangle

One of the Balti Triangle's last remaining balti houses is Shahi Nan Kebab, a firm fixture of the Balti Triangle since 1977.

Azar Mahmood took over the business in 1989 when it moved to its current location on Stratford Road.

He agrees that there has been a lack of 'white English trade' but added the old balti restaurants are still popular with Brummies who come from all over the Midlands at the weekends.

He said: “However our main trade is from people who live in the community.

"There are younger Asian couples and families who like to eat out after a hard day at work. It's not a special occasion thing and most places here are cheap, so the area is still busy.

"It's wrong to say the balti triangle no longer exists. It’s just very different.

"At the weekends it’s like the same old Balti Triangle - with people coming from all over the city. On week days though my trade is the community - and they don't want baltis. ”

So is it still worth still visiting the Balti Triangle?

Rashid Mahmood, whose father Mohammed Arif invented the balti at Adil's restaurant

The balti itself is no longer the big draw it used to be. But the Balti Triangle is still a lively place to be.

Even on a Monday night, when we visited, the triangle had a buzzy atmosphere and most of the restaurants have late-night opening hours.

Shahi Nan owner Mr Mahmood added: “There were lots of pubs around Sparkbrook in the seventies.

"They were open till 11pm so our restaurants stayed open till that time. The pubs closed but we're still here."

Brummies can get baltis and kebab at Shahin Nan Kebab — Brummies can get baltis and kebabs at Shahi Nan Kebab

And Adil's - the pioneer of the balti - is still going strong.

Boss Rashid Mahmood, who took over the running of the business from his father, told us: "Some of our regulars have been coming here since the late seventies.

"People still enjoy a good balti but over the years tastes have definitely changed.

"Pretty much whatever you want to eat you can find in the Balti Triangle. Variety is the spice of life here."