The Birmingham-style curry cooked and served in a thin pressed-steel bowl is balti.
Balti developed in Birmingham, England, during the 1970s, particularly in restaurants connected with the city’s Pakistani community. Unlike many traditional curries cooked slowly in heavy pots, Birmingham balti is typically stir-fried quickly over high heat. It commonly uses vegetable oil, fresh garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, and spices, with meat served off the bone.
The distinctive serving vessel is called a balti bowl. It is a thin, pressed-steel wok-like dish designed to heat rapidly, and the curry is often eaten with naan rather than a spoon. Birmingham’s concentration of balti restaurants became known as the Balti Triangle.
The dish’s deeper origins are debated. Some accounts connect the name to Baltistan in northern Pakistan, while food historians note that the Birmingham restaurant style does not closely resemble everyday food from that region. Pasanda, dopiaza, and korma are separate curry styles, not the specific Birmingham dish defined by this bowl and cooking method.