Naan/ Indian flat bread

Naan or Indian flat bread is popular in restaurants and is served with a spicy side dish.It tastes good when served hot and with a  small dollop of butter melting over it. Unlike paratha or roti, it does not  require oil while cooking other than few spoons applied on the dough.The dough thus prepared requires to stay for minimum 5 hours to get soft texture when naan is made.I tried couple of times using yeast and instant yeast too. But after I viewed the cookery show in an Urdu channel, and tried it last weekend ,I feel it is not hard to make tasty soft Naan at home. Here is the recipe.
Courtesy: Aks-e-Rasoi

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour/Maida	1 ½ cups
Soda-bi-carbonate	3/4  tsp
Salt	1/2 tsp
Sugar	1/2 tsp
Milk	1/4 cup
Curd	2 tblsp
Warm water	1/4 cup (approx)
Ghee or oil	1 tblsp
Butter	2 tsp
Kalonji seeds	1 tsp

METHOD

In a bowl take maida/flour, salt, sugar,  cooking soda and mix well.

Make like a well in the center and pour milk, curd, and warm water ( use little water intially and add if necessary).

Mix well and make dough.

Take a bowl  and smear a teaspoon of oil all over.

Apply oil to the dough and keep the prepared dough  in the bowl.

Cover  tightly with a thin plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for minimum 5 hours.

Later take out the dough add dry flour/maida and mix well again.

Take a portion of the dough and roll to make a  medium thick Naan.

If the dough is sticky apply oil to  your palm and also to the rolling pin and board.

Do not use flour while rolling the Naan.

Pull the naan to one side to get an oblong shape.

Sprinkle kalonji (karun jeeragam) if using at this stage and press gently.

Keep water in a shallow plate. Hold the prepared naan with both the hands and just dip the back side of the naan in water just holding above the plate.

Put the naan on the hot pan/tavva. ( the pan should be very hot) I used non stick pan.

When the bubbles are seen lift the pan and show the pan on flame/hot plate holding it in a  slant position.

The naan can be removed easily to a plate.

Serve hot with butter applied on it.

Note:

Kalonji also called Nigella sativa is as a rule topped on Peshawari Naans.It is optional to use the same.

Naan Pizza / Indian Flat Bread Pizza

Cooking a special dish on a weekend ,that too trying a new recipe gives pleasure. Making Naan at home was inspired again by a TV show in URDU.But the idea of making it as a Naan pizza was originated instantly by my daughter.Once again we had the fun of cooking together and enjoyed the weekend serving the dish, which came out successfully,and got appreciation from all the family members. As the Naan was first prepared, we made the pizza on the Tavva/frying-pan on the stove top instead of the Oven.So the topping was also  cooked separately.We made two different toppings.One was the usual topping and the other an Asian topping.

INGREDIENTS

Capsicum/Bell papper	1 no
Onion	1 no
Mushroom	100 gm
Paneer	100 gm
Pickled jalapenos	few
Marinara sauce	6 tblsp
Mozzarella cheese	6 tblsp
Garlic	6 cloves
Pepper powder	2 tsp
Salt`	To taste
Naan	6 pieces

Asian Topping

Onion	1 no
Tofu	100 gm
Tandoori Masala	2 tsp
Garlic	6 cloves
Shredded cabbage	1/2 cup
Broccoli stem	few stripes
Tomato Sauce	4 tsp
Mozzarella cheese	6 tblsp
Naan	6 pieces
Salt and pepper	To taste

METHOD

Cut Capsicum/Bell peppers into thin strips, slice onion,slice mushroom and make cubes of paneer and finely chop garlic and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan add the vegetables and stir fry on high flame.

Add salt and pepper powder mix well and remove.

Heat a non stick pan.

Take a Naan (prepared fresh but not very hot), spread marinara or tomato sauce, then spread  the vegetables,place a few pickled jalapenos above the vegetables, then spread the grated mozzarella cheese.

Place it on the hot pan and cover with a lid.

When the cheese melts remove it and serve.

Same way  pizza with the second topping can also be made.

Stir fry the vegetables given under Asian topping in a pan, add tandoori masala powder and mix well.

Add salt and pepper powder and remove when the vegetables are still crisp.

Repeat the procedure in spreading the topping and make pizza.

Fresh home made,small size Naan with two different toppings are ready to serve.

All we need is to plan ahead to give time for the Naan dough to be ready. The recipe for Naan follows.

Note:

Take care not to burn the naan, as it is already cooked and since the vegetables are also cooked, the naan with toppings should be heated on medium flame just for the cheese to melt.When covered with lid the medium heat is enough for the cheese to melt.

Scrambled Tofu in Cabbage

This recipe is a ONE MEAL DISH.A healthy version because Tofu is used in this.The thought of making this dish came because Tofu was left in the fridge.Myself and my daughter decided to make scrambled Tofu.
She said she would do the rest of the recipe with it.I browsed in search of Tofu scramble recipe.I followed it with slight variation and am posting the same here.Later my daughter made it one meal dish which she keeps preparing following Tarla dalal's book.That is with Paneer made as a bhurji and stuffed in  cabbage.Today she used the tofu scramble instead of panneer and made a wrap.Here is the recipe for cabbage wrap.

INGREDIENTS

Tofu	450gms
Onion	1 no.
Broccoli	2 small heads
Garlic	2 cloves
Haldi (Turmeric)	½ tsp
Oil	1 tbsp
Curry Powder	1 tbsp
Cabbage leaves for the wrap	4 no.s
Salt	To taste

METHOD

Drain any water from the tofu by pressing it between paper towels,placing a heavy plate on top.

Then crumble into small pieces. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet/pan over medium heat, then add the garlic

and onion, saute for a few minute until they soften. Stir in the broccoli and curry powder.(we used tomato instead of broccoli)

Then stir in the tofu, salt and turmeric, keep stiring so that the spices are distributed throughout.Cover and cook for 4-5 min. until the tofu is heated through.

Taste and adjust seasoning .

For the wrap:

Put the cabbage leaves in boiling salted water.

After 2 min, take them out and fill with the scrambled tofu.

NOTE:

The same can be made as a sizzler.

Heat a tava until red hot.

When you want to serve, put a large leaf of cabbage (or lettuce) on the tava so that the food will not stick.

Then, place the stuffed cabbage wrap on the sizzling plate/tava.Mix one tablespoon oil and one tablespoon water and spread over the stuffed cabbage to get the sizzling effect. 

Yellow Rice

This rice recipe which was popular in our house, when I was unmarried, has got many sweet memories to recall.It was a  Sunday- special for the evening tiffin I should say.My mother used to allow me to make this for all of us. We named it Yellow Rice then.The secret ingredient was not any other thing, than the "MAGGI CUBES". It was in early 80's,when this product was known to us.It is a simple rice with the usual onion and garlic similar to pulao.
The maggi cubes are added to give extra flavour, and with an addition of turmeric powder it gives colour to the rice like lime rice.All of us will have it together, while the rice is still hot with Raita/Curd as a side dish.The enjoyment was unique when brothers and sisters were together without any big responsibility to shoulder.
Even in hotels we have either Jeera rice or Ghee rice.The yellow rice which I make, is similar to jeera/cumin rice.While packing lunch box for my children, I used to make either garlic rice or this Maggi rice. This can be made with the left over rice too.
This is a different occasion now to prepare this yellow rice.I first made Side dish with channa, for rotis.Same evening, when side dish was left, I thought of making this hot rice to have with channa.I am posting the rice dish and also the channa recipe which I made following Mallika Badrinath's book.

INGREDIENTS

Rice	1 cup
Onion	1 no
Garlic cloves	3 no
Maggi cubes	2 no
Oil	3 tsp
Turmeric powder	1 tsp
Salt	to taste

METHOD

Cook rice separately  and see that the grains are separate when cooked.

Allow the rice to cool.

Heat oil in a pan,add finely chopped onion and garlic and saute.

Crush the maggi cubes to powder, with fingers and add to the pan. (The maggi masala cube can be increased as per your taste)

Add turmeric powder, salt and mix well.

Add the cooked rice and saute well.

Remove and serve hot with tomato raita or with any masala gravy.

The channa masala which can be made quickly goes very well with this. 

Quick Masala Channa

I prepared this side dish many number of times, as it is quickly made.I follow Mrs.Mallika Badrinath's recipe from her book, from the time I bought the book. All you need is to soak the garbanza bean/kabuli chana over night. I use soda-bi-corbonate only while soaking, and rinse the channa well in fresh water before cooking in pressure cooker.The channa when cooked will be soft and at the same time retains its shape.

INGREDIENTS

White kabuli channa	1 cup
Cinnamon,cloves,cardamom	a few
Oil and ghee/clarified butter	2 tblsps

Grind together:

Onion	2 no
Tomato	2 or 3
Garlic	6 or 7 cloves
Ginger	1” piece
Pepper corns	1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds	3/4 tsp
Red chili powder	2 tsp
Curry leaves	few
Coriander leaves	1 bunch

METHOD

Soak channa 10 to 12 hours before in water with a little soda-bi-carbonate.Wash well before cooking.
Heat ghee and oil in pressure pan or in the cooker body itself, add cardomom,clove,and cinnamon, and then ground masala.
Fry well till the ghee separates from it. Add soaked channa, enough water, salt and sugar to taste.Cover the cooker and pressure cook for 20 minutes after the vent has been kept, in medium flame.
Serve hot with finely chopped coriander leaves, finely cut onion and lime.
These type of cooking minimises our work and it tastes very good, as we are adding the salt and other masalas before itself.