I have to admit. I love my wee Balti dish that I got. Just makes my curry dishes look so nice.

And it's so shiny!! Loook!

Anyway, this is a really lovely Balti. It does have quite a bit of heat to it but feel free to dial back on the Kashmiri Chilli Powder or just replace with Mild or swap out the strength of the curry powder - I used a hot curry powder you don't have to. I just like spice and heat.

The combination of the mushrooms and spinach with the other veg is an absolute triumph as well. Mushroom and spinach do, as we know, complement each other brilliantly and combining them with the red pepper, green beans and sweetcorn is an absolute celebration.

Also another thing. 

Don't drop the sugar out of this. I used to do that all the time. When I saw sugar in a savoury dish I would always turn my nose up and drop it. 'Its a savoury dish! Not a pudding!!' my inner voice would say.

My inner voice is an idiot and should not be trusted. If there's sugar in a dish it's to remove bitterness and provide balance. In this it tempers any bitterness we might get from the tomatoes or the spices.

Special Equipment - Wok

Serves 4

Price per portion:

Balti - £1.69

Rice - 32p

Naan - 67p

Ingredients:

450g mushrooms, quartered (use whatever you like, dealers choice, I used a mix of button and chestnut)

2 tbsp veg oil 

1 medium red onion, sliced into half-moons

1 Red bell pepper,  quartered and sliced

6 large garlic cloves, crushed 

A thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated 

1 green and 1 red chilli, slit lengthways 

2 tbsp tomato purée 

1 tsp sugar 

3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 big handfuls spinach 

2 tsp hot curry powder 

½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder 

1 tsp ground cumin 

½ tbsp dried fenugreek leaves 

A handful of green beans, topped and cut in half

4 baby corn, slit lengthways and halved 

1 tsp garam masala 

Salt

A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (including stalks), to garnish 

1 lime, quartered, to serve 

Method:

Put a large wok with the 2 tablespoons of oil on a medium heat, and when it is hot add the onion and 1 teaspoon of salt. 

Turn the heat down low to cook the onion really slowly. 

When it starts to soften – after about 5 minutes – add the garlic, ginger, chillies and red pepper, and cook until the onion is soft and caramelised (10–15 minutes in total). 

Add the tomato purée and sugar and cook for 2 minutes until the purée has turned a darker shade of red. 

Add the fresh tomatoes and mushrooms, followed by a sprinkling of salt, and fry until they begin to cook down. 

Add the curry powder, chilli powder, cumin and fenugreek leaves, and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. 

Then add the green beans, baby corn and garam masala, followed by 150ml water, and cook on a high heat until the veg has cooked through. (if you want the curry a bit saucier then just add a little more water, don't overdo it though as it won't be a thick sauce).

Finally, add the spinach and cook until it's just wilted but still a lovely vibrant green.

Taste for seasoning. Garnish with coriander and serve with a wedge of lime, naan bread and rice if using.