Indian Food on a Budget

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.