He's the Firestarter

Fiona Whitty discovers how Birmingham's baltis are more bostin than ever

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“What you've been tasting before probably isn't the real deal,” grinned chef Zaf Hussain. “It's probably a bad imitation.”

Zaf was preparing me a proper balti at his Birmingham restaurant Shababs (shababs.co.uk). The “real deal” is cooked quickly over a fierce flame in the same metal dish it's served in.

Today's pretenders, said Zaf, stew vats of curry then spoon it into balti-style dishes to make it look authentic.