Whenever I step out for a meal to a North Indian restaurant, there are two things that remain uncompromised, my butter chicken and garlic naan. I will order them right away, without even looking at the menu. The chewy and soft naan infused with garlic and herb flavours once dipped in the rich and creamy gravy do wonders in my mouth. Here, I would like to highlight the fact that it is not the gravy alone that does the job, naan has an equally, or sometimes even more, important role to play in the mesh of flavours.
A hard, dry and stretchy naan is never going to give you the same taste and experience as a soft and fluffy one even if you are having it with your favourite butter chicken. During the past lockdown, I wasn’t ordering any food from outside, nor was I dining out. This one time, major cravings hit. While my mother is an excellent cook when it comes to non-veg curries, naan was a relatively untouched arena. Tawa roti and rice had been our staples for the longest time with a few decent attempts at tandoori roti here and there.
This time, I requested my mother to try naan and well, should I say I was extremely satisfised. Nothing too fancy like garlic naan but a simple naan bread was served to us for lunch one fine afternoon and we all were amazed. The soft bread, the fluffy texture and the milky taste, everything was just perfect.
If you also want your naans to turn out soft and chewy, then here are some tips to keep in mind.
1. Right Proportions For The Dough
A combination of yeast, whole flour and all-purpose flour, the dough needs to be made just right. While the plain wheat flour will allow you to make a naan, the elastic-like texture of the naan can be attained perfectly with the use of maida.
2. Let It Rise
Baking powder is used in preparing the dough for naan, which acts as a rising agent. Sometimes, milk as well as yoghurt is also used which keeps the dough soft and fluffy. Wet the dough with milk and then some water in order to maintain the right texture.
3. Cover It To Let It Rise
The naan bread dough is said to rise twice. For that to happen properly, cover it in a plastic wrap and set it aside for some time.
4. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch
When you start rolling it out, stretch it out as much as you can. It should be a thin layer of dough and the shape doesn’t really matter. The thinness of the naan ensures more air bubbles to form while on the tawa.
5. The Heat Should Be High
How’s the heat? High sir! That’s exactly what you have to do when you place the naan on the tawa. The tawa (flat griddle) or skillet should be dry and hot so that the naan rises and becomes fluffy.
Once it is cooked from both the sides, wrap it in a kitchen towel till the time it is to be served.