Garlic Naan and Vegetarian Curry (serves 4 with leftover curry for lunch)
I researched a number of recipes for naan, all of which used the same staple ingredients. Of course most flats don’t have a tandoor oven so it won’t be the genuine thing, but it’s still delicious. The curry is very simple to make and you can add or change ingredients as you please, depending on what’s in your pantry. I know this looks like a lot of ingredients, but it is really an easy meal to make.
For the Naan Bread:
3 & 1/4 cups of white flour
1tsp yeast
1tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup of warm water
4 tbsp plain yoghurt
Topping:
2 large cloves of garlic, grated
40g butter, melted
For the Curry:
1 & 1/2cups of dried lentils
Water Vegetable oil (a splash)
2 onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp curry powder
1tsp garam masala
1tsp coriander powder
1 can coconut cream
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
8 small, peeled, chopped and cooked potatoes
1 cup frozen peas
Any cooked veggies you have around
To Make the Naan:
Turn your oven to 200°C. Mix all the ingredients apart from the topping together. Make sure the water is warm but not scalding—you want to wake up the yeast but not scorch it to death. Roll into a log with your hands and break into eight small balls. Roll these into small oval disks, about the size of your palm, using more flour if they are too sticky.
Leave to rise a little on a bit of baking paper in a warm place while you make the curry. After about 30 minutes roll out the oval disks to a thickness of 1/2 cm—they will be around 20cm long. Brush with a little butter and garlic and cook on a wire rack in your oven for 5–10 minutes, watching closely so they don’t burn. The naan should not be too doughy or too crisp… Re-apply garlic and butter if you are feeling luxurious.
To Make the Curry:
Place the lentils in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and just cover with water. Let the lentils simmer away on a low-medium heat, stirring quite frequently until they are soft enough to eat (around 20 minutes). Remove and drain away the water. In the now empty pan dry the onions and spices in some vegetable oil. Add the garlic in once the onions are translucent, as garlic burns easily. Then add the tins of coconut cream and tomatoes and the frozen peas. Then add your potatoes, lentils and any other veggies you have. Stir well and make sure everything is heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice if you are feeding a crowd.
I imagine the naan would also work well with some feta and parsley grilled on to the top as an accompaniment to a Moroccan inspired meal.