Authentic Curry Recipes

Naan is raised bread which doesn’t sound very interesting but the final result can’t just be called “bread”!

Like the cuisine of most cultures, bread is central to Indian food. It can be a meal by itself, but usually it is an accompaniment to a main dish. It can be eaten plain, buttered with ghee, or even stuffed with mutton, as in keema naan. Nonetheless however it is cooked, it is fabulous, when done well.

There are various traditional ways you can use to increase the chances of success.

The standard recipe calls for mixing white flour with salt, then cooking in a tandoor, a traditional Indian clay oven. Yeast is usually added to make the bread rise, although baking soda is sometimes substituted nowadays. Once the dough has risen, it is divided, rolled, then flattened. Sometimes yoghurt or milk are added to provide more bulk.

But that is only the beginning of a fantastic naan.   Essential to it all, though, are the aromatic spices of India that often are added to a good naan.

Would you like to make your own naan? Here is just one yummy recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lb white flour
1/2 cup water
1 oz yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp kanolfi seed or charnushka (known as Nigella or Onion seed in the West)
6 tbsp plain yogurt

Method:

Melt the sugar by adding it to warm water. Then add the yeast and allow to sit during preparation, which should take no more than 10-15 minutes.

Pour the flour into a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle on the salt and seed. Make a small well in the centre to hold the yeast mixture. Pour on the yeast liquid and allow the dough to soak it up for a moment.

Knead the dough into a ball. Place it into a large bowl and cover with a clean, damp cloth for 2-3 hours. During this period the dough should rise as a result of the action of the yeast.

Now separate the large ball into smaller ones 2-3 inches in diameter.

Coat another bowl with ghee (clarified butter) or oil and roll the balls around to coat them. Set them onto a chopping board.

Pre-heat the oven to 450F/230C while you perform the next step.

Now flatten the naan dough balls, making the edges a little thinner than the centre. Bake for 10 minutes, monitoring carefully at 3 minute intervals to look for excess blackening of the rims. If that happens, try covering the rim with a bit of tin foil the next time.

Serving:

Naan bread is best served warm. It can be kept covered with a cloth for a few minutes after baking, but avoid keeping it there too long, as this results in excess build up of moisture and the naan loses its crispness.

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