Naan

The perfect accompaniment to Indian-style curries such as Malai Kofta, paneer butter masala, methi mtar malai, butter chicken, Dal Bukhara, etc..

For all the curries you can serve with Naans, visit the “Indian Food” section on this website.

You will need:

1.5 cups all purpose flour/ maida

1 tsp yeast

1/2+ cup of tepid water

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

for flavored naans – additional flavorings/ herbs. e.g. garlic and chopped coriander leaves for garlic naan, or shredded cheese for cheese naan

Salted butter for toppins

Makes 6 naans, total time 1.5 hrs (1 hour for dough resting)

Procedure:

in a bowl, mix 1/2 a cup of tepid water, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp of rapid rise instant yeast and rest for 5 min

In a separate bowl, take 1.5 cups of maida or all purpose flour and mix in 1/2 tsp salt
Oncethe yeast is rested and bloomed, add the mixture to the flour and start mixing the dough.
Add additional water as needed, I added 3-4 more tbsp to make a soft pliable dough.

Knead for 5 minutes, till it forms a smooth ball. Cover and rest for an hour to let it prove.
After an hour, punch down the proved dough (should have more than doubled in size) and divide into 5-8 portions depending on your rolling surface and griddle size

Heat the griddle on the stove. Dust the surface and start rolling the ball of dough out flat
If you want to add any flavorings to your naan, you have to do at this point. I was making garlic naan, so i added a tsp of finely chopped garlic and some chopped cilantro.
Roll it once with the toppings so that they stick well to the naan
Flip the rolled naan and apply water on the base (side without the toppings)

Place with wet side facing down on a hot griddle/ tava
let cook on medium-low flame. Bubble will start to appear on the surface
Flip the griddle/ tava directly over the flame to sear the top surface of the naan. Hold it for 10-15 seconds and check. You will have to do this for 20-30 seconds.

Remove the naan from the griddle and apply generous amounts of butter (preferable salted)
If you want to make plain naan, skip the toppings and the butter. For butter naan, just skip the toppings
Serve very hot (right off the griddle) with your favorite curry