For anyone who is on a diet throughout the week, weekends are often about indulging in their favourite foods. On your cheat day, you simply want to let go of the restrictions and indulge in a variety of delicious foods - be it yummy snacks and desserts or robust curries paired with buttery naans. We agree that Indian curries are a weakness. However, those bought from restaurants and dhabas might hamper your health. So, why not make them at home?
While you are familiar with various curries, gravies, and sabzis, Indian breads are also an important part of our cuisine. But it can be tough to get the taste and texture right. Naan, for instance, is widely eaten with dishes like paneer makhani and butter chicken. But getting that soft and stretchy texture is a challenge for many. So, if you wish to make perfect naan at home, here are a few tips that will come in handy:
1. Choose the right flour
Flour is the main ingredient of your naan, and one needs to choose that wisely. The popular way is to mix both all-purpose and wheat flour for the dough. But the wheat flour often does not give a stretchy consistency, and instead can make it tough. So, in order to avoid stretchy dough, use only the all-purpose flour with some oil.
2. Adding yeast is a must
A lot of people avoid yeast since many may not know how to use it. But all you need to do is take some lukewarm water, mix a spoon of yeast in it and let it rest for a while. Now simply add the yeast in the middle while making the dough and fold it gently. Let it rest and give it time to rise.
3. Don’t miss the yoghurt
Yoghurt is quite understated in Indian cooking, but you’ll be surprised to know what it can do to your dish. In the case of naan, yoghurt is what can give it the much-needed softness. All you have to do is add the yoghurt and let it rest after kneading the dough.
4. Throw in some flavours
Simple naan can be quite boring, so add some zing to your naan and throw in some flavours by simply rubbing a masala paste or garlic paste over the dough once it is ready. If you wish to, you can even add herbs and chopped onions and potatoes to it. It elevates the taste of your simple and makes it tastier.
5. Cook on high flame
Naan is cooked in a tandoor at restaurants, which we don’t have at home. So, the trick is to cook it on high flame. Throw the naan over it with some ghee or butter, flip the pan downwards to let the naan face the flame directly. The naan will start to rise and cook perfectly.
Click here for the perfect naan recipe. Naan can be paired with anything from your matar paneer or your kadhai chicken. You can even wrap in those succulent kebabs and make a roll. So, go and get your apron and start cooking!
