About our bowls
For the first time in over 25 years authentic balti bowls are again being manufactured in Birmingham.
Curry lovers can now discover a real balti experience at home using genuine high quality, British made bowls. A balti bowl is an essential cooking and serving pan for foodies with a love of curry! True to the dish's British Pakistani tradition the bowls are made in high quality thin carbon steel, developing the iconic black patina over time-just like a teapot the bowls get better with age- taste the difference in every bite!
The Birmingham Balti Bowl Company established in 2017 commissioned a Birmingham manufacturer to make the bowls in the heart of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, using thin carbon steel, just like the original 1970's bowls, which gave birth to this iconic dish, an important part of Britain's culinary heritage and Birmingham's signature dish.
A Birmingham Balti is cooked and served in a Birmingham Balti Bowl- just the way it's been since the 1970's.
In 2021 we moved our production to a new Birmingham city site, as our previous maker sadly sold their historic factory for redevelopment and moved out of the city. For The Birmingham Balti Bowl Company, the bowls being both designed and truly made in Birmingham, actively supporting the Birmingham manufacturing industry and local workforce is an integral part of the Birmingham Balti legacy. This move also gave us a welcome opportunity to update and improve our design after 3 years of road testing in domestic and professional kitchens..Our bowl is now the ultimate Birmingham designed and made balti bowl available worldwide and is used by professional balti chefs, leading curry cooks, as well as much loved by home cooks.
The original Birmingham made balti bowls went out of production in the 90's and whilst there are imitation 'baltis' available -they are not suitable for cooking over high heat, which is the authentic way to cook a balti.
The bowls, were brought back into production in 2017 by balti historian and author of 'Going for a Balti' Andy Munro “The essence of a proper balti, is the way it’s fast cooked and served, traditionally in thin pressed steel pans, so now curry lovers everywhere can make an authentic balti at home.”
Andy Munro Balti expert and author of 'Going For A Balti'
How are the bowls made?
The making of these authentic balti bowls started with discussions with chefs in Birmingham's Balti Triangle and samples of original Birmingham made bowls. The debate of welding v. riveting, the exact angle of the handles, the diameter of the bowl and the thickness of steel used were aspects all carefully discussed and researched between Andy and restaurateurs to create bowls with an authenticity endorsed by their unique embossed base.
Once designed, the making of each bowl itself starts with the delivery of high quality steel to our Birmingham manufacturer.
The steel is spun from a round blank, embossed on its base with its unique mark and then hand finished with the handles being expertly welded.
The bowls are then cleaned before being treated with a light oil spray and packed ready for collection and dispatch by The Birmingham Balti Bowl Company.
Once received by the customer, instructions for an optional first seasoning (recommended) and a classic balti recipe is provided to ensure a lifetime's worth of tasty baltis!
Recognised as the Birmingham Balti experts for over 30 years.