garlic naan

I was in New York City with some friends, visiting MoMA, when I first ate Indian food. We were looking for a place to eat and the employees at the help desk recommended an Indian buffet across the street.

Since moving to China, Indian has become a regular part of my life. I recently decided to try my hand at cooking some dishes, albeit with premade spice packets from Carrefour. This naan can actually be called homemade. The result is more chewy and moist than the plain naan at Yamuna, but the addition of garlic and cumin in the dough is fantastic. And now I have homemade naan to go with my “homemade” tikka masala.

GARLIC NAAN
from Guilty Kitchen

1 ¾ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
¼ cup warm skim milk
½ cup plain yogurt
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp cumin
butter

DISSOLVE sugar in milk and add yeast. Stir to combine and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. In a large bowl, blend flour, salt, and seasonings. Pour in the milk and yogurt and stir until you are unable to do so. Continue by kneading until all flour is incorporated and dough is soft and elastic.

FORM into a ball. Return to bowl and cover with a damp towel for 2-3 hours (or until doubled). Pull dough into 5 pieces. Roll out to 1/8” thickness.

MELT butter in a hot skillet. Brush one side of naan with water and place that side down in the skillet. When large bubbles form, brush top with water and flip over to cook on the other side.