Recipe: Sesame and Coriander Naan with Tomato Chutney
Sadiya didn't use any yeast to make this quick-bread naan, but she still managed to rise to the occasion.
► Watch Bread Week (Season 2, Episode 3)
Sadiya's naan won her the Star Baker title for Bread Week.
Ingredients
Naan:
- 4 ¼ cups flour, divided
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup gelatin-free yogurt, at room temperature
- ¼ cup oil, plus more for bowl
- ½ cup warm water
- ½ cup ghee
- 5 cloves garlic, finely grated
- ½ bunch cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
- 1 cup sesame seeds
Tomato Chutney:
- 4 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1 green birdseye (Thai) chili, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, finely grated
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp black mustard seeds
Preparation
Whisk together 4 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add yogurt, oil and water and knead into a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 to 4 minutes until dough is smooth, adding up to another ¼ cups flour if dough is sticky.
Place dough in a well oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a dampened kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Stir together ghee and garlic in a small bowl. Stir together sesame seeds and cilantro in a small bowl. Set both aside.
Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, chili, garlic, ground cumin, salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until most of the moisture has been absorbed and mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes.
While tomatoes are simmering, heat oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds. Cover with a lid or splatter screen and once the seeds begin to pop, avert face and carefully add to the tomato mixture, stirring well to combine. Cook for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
Divide dough into 12 balls. Flatten each ball with fingers to a 4-½ by 6-¼-inch oval. Cover dough once flattened.
Heat a cast iron griddle over high heat. Once hot, reduce heat to medium. Position rack in centre of oven, place a pizza stone in on rack and heat oven to high broil.
Brush both sides of naan with water and sprinkle one side with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds, pressing lightly to adhere. Cook the naan in batches of 4, sesame seed side up in the pan, until bubbles start to appear and bottom is golden, about 4 minutes. Place the naan breads on pizza stone, sesame seed side up and broil until deep golden, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and brush generously with garlic ghee. Serve with tomato chutney.
Preparation Time: 1 hours