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Yesterday I decided to take another stab at making naan, the chewy flatbread of Indian restaurant fame. I had bookmarked a few recipes over the last year or so, and I pulled those up. This one seemed very detailed, it called for active dry yeast which is what I had on hand, and it was originally published in a magazine so I figured it was legit, so I decided to go for it. One main difference between other bread recipes I’d baked was the large amount of liquid it called for – 3 cups, and 6 cups flour.

9 cups of flour later, I still wasn’t able to actually knead the dough. I decided to just stir it like heck and hope it would actually rise, since I’d only used part of a yeast packet. I let it sit in the bowl until I got back from my women’s bible study. Yes, it did rise – I put it into the fridge where it continued to rise. By the time I was ready to bake it was level with the top of the bowl. I hoped the results would at least be edible and that huge amount of dough wouldn’t go to waste.

I don’t have a pizza stone, but my camp griddle rocks as a baking sheet so I preheated it in the oven to 500.° Whoo-hoo!

The first batch last night came out delicious – the top was basically perfect, bubbly and chewy with a few crispy spots. The bottom was pretty hard, though – I figured that might be due to the amount of flour I used to keep the dough from sticking to everything in sight. (I spent a long time cleaning the kitchen after my near-dough-disaster.)

I froze the extra dough and have enough for 4 more meals! Upon reflection, I’m fairly certain I mismeasured the water I used in the recipe – by 1/2 a cup. So I probably won’t have to add 3 extra cups of flour next time! I think the goal here is to move beyond batter but not all the way to kneadable.

Tonight I tried another batch. Rolling the dough out on parchment paper didn’t work – still too sticky. I put the dough directly onto the (not hot) camp griddle and moved the oven rack from the 2nd lowest to exact middle. This time, the top was crispy and the bottom was chewy. Getting closer! My next move will be to put the dough directly on the pan, rolled thin, no floured surfaces, and use the lower oven rack. We shall see how it works out.

Because I was busy with the naan production, I made a simple dal for dinner rather than an elaborate curry. With rice, lentils are a complete protein and a great source of fiber. Best of all, after sitting in the fridge overnight, the dal tastes even better the second day!

Basic Dal
Adapted from Indian Food Kitchen

2 T butter or oil
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 an onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch chunk fresh ginger root, minced
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 t cayenne or to taste
1 t salt
1 cup red lentils, washed and drained
chopped cilantro, to garnish (optional)

Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds. Add the chopped onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and spices. Cook and stir for a moment or two. Add the lentils and 4 cups water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Serve garnished with cilantro, and serve with one or all of the following:

Naan (see above)

Spiced rice: add 3 whole cloves and 5 cardamom pods to 1 cup white basmati rice and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice and remove the spice pods before serving.

Roasted vegetables: Separate a small head of cauliflower and a small head of broccoli into florets. Toss in a large bowl with 1 T vegetable oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan or sheet and roast in a 375° oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until tender and browned.

This is my most successful restaurant-food-at-home. It’s actually better than most restaurant versions I’ve tried! One of my top favorite soups of all time. Try it, I’m pretty sure you’ll be hooked.

Tom Kha Gai: Thai Sour Chicken Soup
Serves 4-5

Note: it’s best to make the broth the day before you plan to serve the soup so that the broth can cool and you can skim off the fat.

For the broth:
8 c water
1 stalk lemon grass
5 kaffir lime leaves, torn
2-inch chunk fresh galanga root, sliced
1 T fish sauce
1/2 an onion, quartered
4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs)

Bring the water to a boil. Using a mallet or the back of a heavy knife, pound the lemon grass stalk to crush it and release the flavor. Add it to the pot along with the torn kaffir leaves, galanga, fish sauce, and onion. Add the chicken pieces and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the broth, and when it’s cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the skin and bones. Reserve the meat, refrigerated, and return the bones to the broth and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes. Pour it into a large container through a sieve; discard solids, cool the broth, and refrigerate overnight.

Vegetables and seasonings:
10 oz mushrooms (Crimini or white), quartered
1/2 an onion, cut in wedges
2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges
15 oz can coconut milk
2 limes, juiced
2-3 T chili paste in soya bean oil (Nam Prik Pao)
4 T fish sauce
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Steamed rice, to serve

Skim and discard the solidified fat from the chilled broth. Bring the broth to a simmer.

Preheat the oven to 400° and toss the mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Spread in an even layer on a lined baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes or until tender and browned.

Whisk together the lime juice, chili paste, and fish sauce.

Stir coconut milk, reserved chicken, roasted vegetables, and seasoning mixture into the broth. Add salt to taste if needed. Place a portion of steamed rice in each bowl, ladle soup over the rice, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

BN’s brother has a Meyer lemon tree. They are always ripe and abundant right as we are visiting for Christmas – the last 2 years we have taken home a big bag full.

My most exotic cookbook is Arabesque: a taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon by Claudia Rodin. There used to be a Mediterranean grocery store near us, and I bought some unusual items there once to make one of the recipes in the book, including preserved lemons. The book includes directions for how to make your own, but it’s important that they not be waxed and so the grocery store ones are out. But with home-grown lemons, preserving your own makes sense. They are kind of in the same category as olives – they go well in salads, and I even tried them on pizza.

Lemons Preserved in Salt and Lemon Juice
from Arabesque by Claudia Rodin

4 lemons
4 tablespoons sea salt
Juice of 4 additional lemons, or as needed to cover the prepared lemons in the jar.

Wash a large jar in lots of hot soapy water and rinse well. Make sure your lemons are clean as well and remove any stems. From the blossom end, cut the lemon in quarters most of the way through but leave the stem end intact. Stuff each lemon with a tablespoon of salt, and squeeze shut. Put them in the jar and press down so they fit compactly.

Put the jar lid on and leave at room temp for 3 to 4 days. The lemons will disgorge some juice and become softened. Open the jar and pour in additional lemon juice to cover. Store in the fridge – the longer they are left, the better the flavor. (If a piece of lemon is not covered, it develops a white mold that is harmless and just needs to be washed off.)

Before using, scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds, and rinse the lemon peel to get rid of excess salt.