I am attending a wedding and watch fascinated as the cook slaps the naans against the hot clay on the inside walls of the tandoor (a clay oven). He does about 6 naans in quick succession, then removes them with tongs when done. It is done in minutes because of the intense heat. Most restaurants have more modernized versions. Ingenious cooks have found a way to fix them at home without the tandoor.
Naan bread though associated with India is of Persian origin. It is a flatbread that is baked in a tandoor. Tandoors date back over 5000 years to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. The tandoor is a round cylindrical clay pot about three feet in height packed with clay on the inside. The outside is insulated to make it bearable for the cook. The heat source is at the bottom and is either coal or wood. Tandoori bread, like naans and rotis, is cooked both by the hot clay they are slapped onto as well as the heat radiating from the bottom fire source. The meats are cooked on metal skewers that allow the meat to cook both on the inside by the hot metal resting on the heat source, and on the outside by the heat of the clay.
Naan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup wheat flour)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- ½ cup warm milk
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ cup plain whole yogurt
- 1½ tsp sugar
For Topping
- 2 tbsp butter (or garlic oil—you can find it at grocery stores chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)1 teaspoon onion seeds (kalonji) or sesame seeds(optional))
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves
- 1 tsp kalonji (onion seeds) or sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
- Mix the yogurt and sugar together in a separate bowl.
- Mix the flour mixture with the melted butter until it gets a mealy consistency.
- Pour in the yogurt-sugar mixture into the flour and mix together.
- Add the warm milk, a little at a time, kneading the dough as you go. Knead well until the dough is smooth, soft, and pliable. When you press the dough, it should dent easily. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and let it rest in a warm place for an hour.
- To make the naans, knead the dough again a couple of times. Divide the dough into 6 parts. Roll each ball smoothly. Keep covered until all the dough is used.
- Flatten and roll out on a floured board to a 5-8 'disc that is elongated in shape and about 1/6 inch in thickness. Naans are traditionally pear-shaped, but you can make them round if you prefer.
- Roll out all the dough balls. Use a floured baking tray to rest them on.
- Heat your griddle or heavy-bottomed pan. Moisten one side of the naan with a brush dipped in water or your finger.
- Flip the moistened side onto the hot griddle. Brush a little water on the top side and sprinkle with the nigella or sesame seeds and the chopped cilantro leaves. Press them down gently. Do this quickly. Cook till bubbles appear on the top of the naan(about a minute).
- If you have gas burners, turn one on, and with a pair of tongs, remove the naan and flip the undone side over the flames till cooked and brown spots appear. See notes.
- Put on to a serving tray and brush with garlic oil or butter.
- Serve with any of the following: Tandoori Chicken, Dal Makhani, Chicken Tikka Kebabs, Butter Chicken, or any meat tikkas or kebabs.