Naan is leavened bread which doesn't sound very thrilling but the final result can't just be called "bread"!
Like the cuisine of most cultures, bread is essential to Indian menus. It can be eaten alone, but usually it is an accompaniment to a meal. You can eat naan just as it comes, buttered, or stuffed with cheese as in paneer naan or with minced lamb which is a keema naan. But however it is cooked, it is delicious.
There are several traditional ways you can use to increase the chances of success.
Normally, for a plain naan, one mixes white flour and salt, adds yeast as a rising agent then cooks the result in a tandoor. The risen dough is divided into portions then flattened with the palm of the hand.
That's the way to prepare a fantastic naan, but there's more. Essential, though, are the stunning Indian spices that often are added to a good naan to make it great.
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)
Method:
Warm the water (don't boil) and dissolve the sugar in it. Add the yeast and leave it to ferment for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Like the cuisine of most cultures, bread is essential to Indian menus. It can be eaten alone, but usually it is an accompaniment to a meal. You can eat naan just as it comes, buttered, or stuffed with cheese as in paneer naan or with minced lamb which is a keema naan. But however it is cooked, it is delicious.
There are several traditional ways you can use to increase the chances of success.
Normally, for a plain naan, one mixes white flour and salt, adds yeast as a rising agent then cooks the result in a tandoor. The risen dough is divided into portions then flattened with the palm of the hand.
That's the way to prepare a fantastic naan, but there's more. Essential, though, are the stunning Indian spices that often are added to a good naan to make it great.
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)
Method:
Warm the water (don't boil) and dissolve the sugar in it. Add the yeast and leave it to ferment for about 10 to 15 minutes.
