Naan is a flatbread cooked in a tandoor and eaten in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Caribbean. No tandoor? Make naan on the stovetop using a griddle and a kitchen torch.
Cook’s notes
Without a tandoor, the more common way of cooking naan is to brown one side of the flattened dough in a pan set on a gas stove. The pan is inverted to let the flames lick the top side of the dough and finish cooking the bread. That technique means cooking the naan one piece at a time. Meanwhile, with a kitchen torch, no flipping is required and the naan can be cooked in batches of two to four.
How do you eat naan? Is it split like pita and stuffed? Well, no. Chewy yet fluffy, naan is the ideal side dish for spicy stews. Tear the bread to mop up the sauce and the experience is unbelievable.
But that doesn’t mean that naan cannot be served by itself. It makes a delightful breakfast and snack especially when paired with coffee or tea.
How you want to enjoy your naan is up to you. Make a large batch, eat a few, keep the rest tightly wrapped and keep in the freezer. Take out what you require each time and simply heat in the toaster or in an oil-free pan.
Garlic naan
Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ¾ cup full-fat milk
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ghee for brushing
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the bread flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- Make a well in the center, and pour in the milk and oil.
- Stir the contents of the bowl to form the dough. Keep stirring until the dough starts to form into a ball.
- Transfer the dough to your work surface and knead until smooth, about ten minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball, cover loosely with cling film and leave to rest for ten to 15 minutes.
- While the dough rests, chop the garlic and cilantro.
- Cut the dough into halves, and each half into five equal portions.
- Roll each portion between the palm of your hands to form a ball.
- Flatten each ball with a rolling pin.
- Sprinkle garlic and cilantro on the dough. Use the rolling pin to press them into the dough.
- Lightly brush a griddle with ghee then lay the rolled dough, two to three at a time (depending on the size of your griddle) and brush the tops with more ghee.
- Cook the rolled dough until the undersides are lightly browned and the top is bubbly.
- Using a kitchen torch, scorch the top of the naan until blistered and blackened in spots.
- Serve the garlic and cilantro naan warm.
Singapore noodles (curry bee hoon) with crispy pork belly