Naan Bread

Nan

Nan is a great accompaniment to any Indian meal.  It is light and airy, and sops up delicious sauces. Pretty easy to make, and you probably have all of the ingredients on hand.

• 2 c flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 oz active dry yeast
• 4 Tbsp lukewarm milk
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2-3 Tbsp melted butter

Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, cream the yeast with the milk. Set aside for 15 minutes. Add the yeast and milk mixture, vegetable oil, yogurt, and egg to the flour. Combine the mixture using your hands until it forms a soft dough. Add a little more of the lukewarm water if the dough is too dry. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until it feels smooth. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let stand in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size. Preheat oven to highest setting (or just use broiler), and preheat baking sheets. Turn out the dough back onto the floured surface and knead for another 2 minutes. Divide into 3 or 4 equal pices, shape into balls, and roll out into teardrop shapes. Bake on preheated baking sheets 3-4 minutes or until puffed. Place under broiler for a few seconds, until browned slightly. Brush with melted butter and serve warm with saucy dishes.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Entree: Chicken Tikka Masala (serves 4)

We picked this one as our first entree to try, since we knew what it should taste like.  I did cook the sauce a little too long, so it wasn’t quite thick enough.  It did taste delicious, lighter and fresher than Tikka Masala you might eat out.

• 1.5 lbs of skinless chicken breasts
• 6 Tbsp tikka paste (recipe follows)
• 1/2 c plain non-fat yogurt
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 fresh green chile, seeded and chopped
• 1 inch pieces of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 c water
• melted butter
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• fresh cilantro , yogurt, and toasted cumin seeds to garnish

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix 3 Tbsp of the tikka paste and 4 Tbsp of yogurt into a bowl. Add chicken and marinate for 20 minutes. Heat oil in a heavy pan and fry onion, garlic, chile and ginger for 5 minutes. Add the remaining tikka paste and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Thread chicken onto wooden kebab skewers and preheat the broiler. Brush the chicken pieces lightly with melted butter and cook under a medium heat for 15 minutes turning occasionally. Put the tikka sauce into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Return to pan. Add remaining yogurt and lemon juice to pan, then add broiled chicken. Toss to coat chicken, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with the fresh cilantro, yogurt and toasted cumin seeds, and serve on nan bread.

Tikka Paste (makes 2 cups. Use for Tikka Masala, and tandoori dishes)

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp cumin seeds
• 1.5 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 Tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 Tbsp dried mint
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2/3 c wine vinegar
• 2/3 vegetable oil

Grind seeds to a fine powder and mix with other spices. Mix spice mixture with lemon juice, wine vinegar, and 2 Tbsp water to form a thin paste. Heat oil in a large pan and stir fry for 10 minutes, until water has been absorbed. When the oil rises to the surface, the paste is cooked. Be sure to stop cooking as soon as oil rises to surface, I cooked mine for too long and it was too dry of a paste. Store in fridge until use. This will make your kitchen smell amazing!