Naan/ White flour flatbread- Khana restaurant style

Let me admit it..I feel proud of myself that I could make this amazing restaurant staple at home..yipee!! And that too without oven…yes, I made it on stove top. Amazing, isn't it! I really have to thank recipe website by Nishamadhulika for this easy method, but I'll share my experience with you.

Naan- for the uninitiated, it’s a kind of soft, differently flavored  flatbread we associate with big wedding parties and restaurants in India. It's made in big clay ovens or "tandoor"  as we call it. These triangular naans go best with North Indian dishes like kadhai paneer, dal makhni, dal fry, butter chicken, mutton in rich gravy, palak paneer,dum aloo and the list goes on. Basically heavy (read, rich in fats and spices) gravies go well with naan.

Ingredients

White flour- 200gm

Curd- 100gm

Baking soda/soda bicarb/Khane ka soda- 1/4 tsp

Sugar-1/2 tsp

Salt-1/4th tsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

Lukewarm water- to make dough

Method

1. Take white flour/maida. Make a well in the centre.
2. Pour oil and curd in this well and also add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Add lukewarm water and knead till a soft, pliable dough is formed.
5. Keep covered for 2-3 hours in a warm place and let it rise. It should approximately double it's size.
6. Divide the dough into 8-10 portions. Keep a little white flour on the side in which you can roll the portions like we do to make chapati.
7. Roll one portion into a round. Apply butter on the edges and fold into a "D". Again apply butter onto the edges and fold to make a quarter of the circle. With a rolling pin extend this shape to make a triangular naan.
8. Heat a skillet/heavy tawa
9. Apply water on one side and place it on the skillet, water side down.
10. You will observe bubbles on the visible side…this indicates that its browning at the other side.
11. Remove from skillet and cook the other side (the bubbled one), on the flame directly.
12. Serve hot

Happy holi! (and how to make mathari at home)

Holi!!

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The festival of colors reminds me of soooo... many good things. The colors, the Dhol(Drum) music, the dancing, the pranks we played, and the food....ahhh..the sweet Gujiya made by mom, the cool thandai at my nani's house and a variety of mathries (flaky, salted or spiced biscuits).

Today for holi, I have made these special mathris which my mom used to make. Can't say that it's easy; but it surely is worth all the effort...:)

Ingredients

1. All purpose flour- 2 katori (measure 400ml volume upto the brim)
2. Ghee (clarified butter)-1/5 of the flour
3. Ajwain seeds- 1& 1/2 tsp (you can add cumin seeds also)
4. Salt- 1 tsp (you can increase it to get a more salty flavour)
5. Oil for frying
6. Water for making dough

(Mathari's can be made by adding varied type of spices, this is a simple Ajwain mathari/mathri)

Method

1. Add ghee,ajwain and salt to the flour and mix thouroughly. Add water and knead a little hard dough. Set aside for 15-20 min.

2. Now break the dough into small ball-like pieces.

3. Heat the oil in a wok/kadhai at a low flame.

4. With the help of a rolling pin, flatten the pieces of dough individually into 4 or 5 inch diameter circles. Pierce these circles with a knife or fork in a random manner.

5. When at least 5-6 are done, fry them at low flame. Remove when they become golden brown. Since frying will take time, you can continue rolling the remaining ones. (You can also roll and pierce all of them and then start with frying, but that just increases the time.).

6. Keep them on absorbent paper/paper napkin. Store in an air tight jar. They keep well for a few weeks.

These are usually served with spicy and yummy pickles, but taste pretty good all by themselves. I love them with my evening cup of tea.