Indian Bread or Naan is a flat leavened bread well known throughout the Asian Subcontinent. Most of the recipes I have come across use yeast but this particular recipe does not have yeast instead I use curd and soda bi- carb. There are many traditional and authentic variations to the naan. Many use the tandoor to cook the naan but here I am going to cook it in an ordinary griddle stone. Those of you who want to bake it in the oven can do so. This particular naan stuffed with chilli, coriander and garlic is  a Sunday special at home.

Chilli & Garlic Naan

Ingredients:

•  Flour- 3-31/2 cups
• Curd- 1/2 cup
• Warm water 1/2-3/4 cup
• Salt- to taste
• Sugar-4-5 tsp
• Soda bi- carb –1-11/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds or sesame seeds or khus-khus or Kalonji seeds (ajwain), though I prefer sesame seeds.

Filling:

• Garlic-6-8 cloves chopped fine
• Green Chillies- 3-4 chopped fine
• Coriander leaves -1/2 cup chopped

Method:

• Mix flour, salt and sugar. Add soda bi-carb.
• Mix curd and oil to the dough, measure out 3/4 cup of warm water, and knead with just enough water (you really do not have to pour the entire amount of water) chopped green chillies and coriander leaves to form a dough.
•  If the dough is sticky you could add a tsp of oil or 1/2 cup of flour and knead again to get a smooth, soft and pliable dough.
• Rub a little oil on the surface of the dough and keep covered with a moist cloth for 2-3 hours, preferably in a closed cupboard / oven or in the microwave – where the circulation of air is closed.
• Makes 8-10 balls.
• Roll out each ball into an oval shape on a lightly floured board, sprinkle chopped garlic and lightly press down so that the garlic sticks to the dough.
• Prick with a fork all over, sprinkle with khus- khus, sesame, cumin or kalonji seeds.
• On a hot tava/ griddle, cook till brown on both sides, brush with melted ghee and cover with a clean cloth. Place in a casserole.
• You could also bake the naan in your oven at 250deg.c preheated for 2-3 minutes – each side.

Variations

• Paneer Naan– Paneer grated (100gms) , gr. Chilli chopped-2-3 , onion chopped- 1, Garam masala – a pinch . Mix all together. Roll out each ball to an oval shape, place 1 tsp of filling in the centre, bring the edges together and roll the dough out again.
• Garlic Naan – Garlic chopped -6-8 cloves.
• Stuffed Naan with Potato – Mashed potato – for the above quantity 2 boiled mashed potatoes with green chilli chopped. (follow method as for paneer filling)
• Kheema Naan– a spicy dry masala of kheema (200gms – minced mutton, beef or chicken)
• Butter Naan – Just before cooking the naan, brush generously with melted butter.

Chefs tips: To check if the soda bicarbonate is fresh, sprinkle a little soda on lime juice or vinegar, if it bubbles the soda is fresh. Do not keep checking the dough to see if it has risen or not. The dough does not double in size as we are not using yeast.

I hope you’ll try out this recipe. Give it a shot, you’ll be surprised!

Till my next post

Cheers,

Rose