Naan - Indian Bread

N for Naan

Naan is a leavened bread made with White flour and baked in the oven. It is the favorite of most people who visit Indian restaurants - including me, since this is not an easy bread to make at home. That is because most of us don't have a tandoor - clay oven at home.

I often liken making naan at home like trying to make pizza at home. You enjoy the pizza because you made it yourself - but there is no comparison to the oven made in a 1100 degree wood burning oven.

I have also made the naan with my own dough and dough bought from a restaurant. The result seems to be the same. I am not entirely sure what it is. The naan comes out hard - maybe because it cooks too long in the oven and under 2 minutes in a tandoor. Whatever it is, I recommend that you enjoy naans in restaurants. If you want to try it at home, following is a recipe.



NAAN (makes 8)


INGREDIENTS:

4 cups White Flour (Maida)
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Milk
1 tbsp Sugar
1 Egg
4 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Nigella seeds (Kalonji)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and make a well in the middle.

Mix the sugar, milk, eggs, 2tbsp of oil in a bowl.
Pour this into the center of the flour and knead adding water if necessary to form soft dough.
Add the remaining oil, knead again, then cover with a damp cloth and allow the dough to stand for 15 minutes. Knead the dough again and cover and leave for 2-3 hours.

About half an before the naan are to be cooked, turn on the oven to maximum heat.

Divide the dough into 8 balls and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with nigella seeds and put it in the oven to heat while the dough is resting.

Shape each ball of dough with the palms to make an oval shape.
Bake the naan until puffed up and golden brown (about 8 minutes).
Brush with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven

Serve hot.

Spicy and Tangy Potato Curry

A Masala Shop in Manhattan


M is for Masala

This is a vast topic - but the most important thing to remember is that Masala is a mix of spices. Spices are the back bone of Indian cooking. They are what make Indian food sing and distinctive.

I did a post on Garam Masala and so won't continue it here.

I will put up a recipe of my favorite potatoes which uses a lot of spices and the result is just amazing. I hope you try them an tell me what you think.

Spicy and Tangy Potato Curry – Serves 4

2 ½ lb Potatoes (like Idahos or Yukon Golds) – boiled in salted water until tender
2 Tbs. Minced Ginger
3 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
2 tsp. Whole Coriander Seeds
½ tsp. Fennel Seeds
1 tsp. Black Mustard Seeds
½ tsp. Nigella Seeds
1 ½ tsp. Dried Mango Powder (or the juice of 1 lemon)
2 Whole Dried Chillies
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
½ tsp. Turmeric Powder
1 ½ tsp. Kosher Salt (or to taste)
1 cup Plain Yogurt (full fat or low fat)
1 cup Water
Cilantro for garnish



Cut the boiled potatoes in a ½ inch dice.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the whole spices and cook until they begin to pop and you are able to smell their fragrance (about a minute). Keep shaking the pan for even heat distribution and to prevent the spices from burning. Then add the ginger, cayenne, turmeric and mango powder. Stir and cook for another minute, making sure that the spices don’t burn. Now add the yogurt and water, and stir.



Add the potatoes and salt. Stir until all the potatoes are evenly coated and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Taste for seasoning and serve hot garnished with fresh cilantro.
Notes: You can make this dish even if you don’t have all the spices.
You can adjust the consistency of this curry according to your preference by adding more or less water.



Until I eat again!

Besan Ladoo

L for Ladoos

I made ladoos when Obama won the presidency. I lost a bet and was never happier to lose. It took me all day (exaggerating here) but it was worth it. I got the recipe on the internet and it follows. Besan is chickpea flour.

Ingredients of besan laddoo :
2 cups gram flour (besan)
11/2 cup sugar (grinded)
1 cup ghee
1 tsp each almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts (chopped)

Preparation of besan ke ladoo:

* In a kadhai mix gram flour and ghee over a low heat.
* Keep constantly stirring to avoid lumps.
* When it releases an appetizing smell, it is ready.
(they speak so casually here - it took about 2 and a half hours to get to this point. So make this if you have a lot of time).
* Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
* Add sugar and nuts to the gram flour and mix thoroughly.
* Now form ping-pong size balls of the mixture.
* Besan Laddoo are ready to be served.

Wonder what I would've served if McCain won- cowdung patties.

Until I eat again!

K for Kebabs.

Kebabs are one of my favorite foods to eat at a restaurant.

Kebabs are different things to different people. Following is what Wikipedia has to say - my go to guide to get an overview of subjects:

The word kabab (کباب) is ultimately from Arabic and originally meant fried meat, not grilled meat.
The Arabic word possibly derives from Aramaic כבבא kabbābā, which probably has its origins in Akkadian kabābu meaning "to burn, char".
In the 14th century, kebab is defined to be synonymous with tabahajah, a Persian word for a dish of fried meat pieces. The Persian word was considered more high-toned in the medieval period.
Kebab was used frequently in Turkish books of that time to refer to meatballs made of ground or pounded chicken or lamb. Only in the Turkish period, did kebab gain its current meaning of shish kebab, whereas earlier shiwa` شواء had been the Arabic word for grilled meat.

Without getting too cerebral about it - a kebab to me is generally minced meat grilled on a skewer - like a seekh kebab.

For the longest time I would only eat these wondrous things in restaurants that had a tandoor (clay oven that reached tempertures of up to 1100 degrees and imparts a delicous flavor to the meats). But recently, at Indian Cuilinaary Center I bagan teaching a class called Kebabs and Tikkas.

It went really well. I admit that I was a bit nervous as my first class had students who had eaten the real thing in Delhi and other cities known for their excellent Kebabs.
After making a disclaimer that said that making Kebabs at home is trying to replicate pizza at home. You will be thrilled that you did it and it will taste good - but nothing like the magic that a wood burning oven can do to a pizza.

Having said that - we set out making Kebabs and everyone loved it.

Following is a recipe for Paneer and Grape Tikkas (not to confuse you - but Tikka is the word for a small piece of meat of vegetable).

PANEER and GRAPE TIKKA

Ingredients

I lb. Paneer* (home made cheese) cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup seedless grapes
2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
Salt to taste
2 Tbs. Chickpea/Gram flour (besan)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ Tsp.Dry mango powder (amchur)
I Tbs. Lemon juice
1 tsp. Chaat masala
Wooden skewers

Method

Cut paneer into 1 inch cubes and sprinkle with salt, cayenne and mango powder.

Make skewers by threading alternating pieces of paneer and grapes. Make them the size of the skillet you will be using to cook them in.

Heat a non stick skillet with 2 Tbs. oil and dredge the paneer in the chickpea flour. Place the skewers in the skillet and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until the paneer gets brown.
Remove to a platter and sprinkle with Chaat masala and lemon juice.

If you are using a grill don’t use the chickpea flour as it will burn. Cook the skewers till the paneer is nice and brown.

For the Oven: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook skewers on a baking tray for 15 to 20 minutes.

Note: Store bought paneer works best for this recipe. Find paneer in the Indian grocery stores – Nanak is my favorite brand – but there are many others too.


Some more facts about Kebabs from Wikipedia if you are interested:

The origin of kebab may lie in the short supply of cooking fuel in the Near East, which made the cooking of large foods difficult, while urban economies made it easy to obtain small cuts of meat at a butcher's shop[1]. The phrase is essentially Turkish in origin and Turkish tradition has it that the dish was invented by medieval Turkic soldiers who used their swords to grill meat over open-field fires. However, the dish has been native to the Near East and East Mediterranean—especially Greece—since ancient times.[1] Indeed, there exist pictures of Byzantine Greeks preparing shish kebabs and such food is attested in Ancient Greece as early as 8th century BCE (archaic period) in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and in classical Greece, amongst others in the works of Aristophanes[8], Xenophon[9] and Aristotle.
Ibn Battuta records that kebab was served in the royal houses of India since at least the Sultanate period, and even commoners would enjoy it for breakfast with naan.

For real life Kebabs - take a class at http://www.Indianculinarycenter.com

Until I eat again!

Choki Dhani in Jaipur, India

J for Jaipur - the Pink City - the most beautiful city in India.

Jaipur is in Rajasthan.

I visited there a couple of years ago with my nephews - I was the grown up and was to take care of them - all went well.

Rajasthan is in the desert and the cuisine is influenced by the dry land - lack of too many vegetables.

While I stay away from tourist traps - the following wasn't too bad. We had a limited amount of time and it turned out to be a good idea.
There is a place called Choki Dhani and it is set up like a village. Pay a preset amount to get in and then walk around enjoying the carnival like setting. There are magicians, fortune telling parrots, dance performances and stalls selling handicrafts.





After strolling about, when you get hungry - you walk into a huge dining room. All the seating is on the floor and you get ready for a buffet that comes to you.
They set down huge dried leaf plates in front of you. Then, these extremely agile guys come around putting food on your plate from great heights.

There are about 3 vegetables, rice, lentils and sweets.




Rajasthan is known for its generous hospitality and that includes that you are served copious amounts of food even when you're done.


It is all in good fun and they do stop at some point.

After filling our bellies we went back to our rooms in a haveli (old palace- that has been restored and turned into a bed and breakfast).

If you ever have the opportunity to go to Jaipur- you must. It is beautiful and vibrant; the people are warm and the food is probably unlike anything you've ever had.

In and Out Burger

I for In and Out Burger

I am cheating yet again, but think about it - I is a really tough letter. There is ice cream and idaho potatoes. I almost did a bit on Idaho potatoes but maybe when I get to P.

I had the chance to eat these burgers just once last year on my trip to Los Angeles. They are really good. For a fast food burger and otherwise, it is very good. The food tastes fresh and not processed at all.

Its sad that they only exist in LA - don't know why - but it is what it is.



There were a bunch of us - even though I could eat more than one.



Ah, the satisfaction of the first bite of a juicy, delicious burger. Nothing compares.

What chains do you wish came to New York and which ones do you wish left?

I wish that Olive Garden disappears and Outback Steak House.

Until I eat again!

Hookah Bar

H is for Hookah

I know, I know Hookah is not food and obviously there will be no recipes here.

As I went through my photos I saw this one taken last year with my aunt in a Hookah place in the East Village. It was great fun and I reminisce about it fondly.



This man was extremely talented. He took a water bottle - filled it with smoke and was able to make these amazing bubbles with it. We all tried, with no luck.

So today there is no food recipe - but just a reminder to enjoy family, take pictures and have a great time.