Naan is a tandoor bread — the word is simply Persian for bread — and it travelled into the Mughal kitchens of Delhi and Punjab as the soft, leavened counterpart to the everyday roti. The garlic version is the one Indian restaurants made famous: a maida dough enriched with yoghurt and milk, studded with chopped garlic and coriander pressed into the surface, slapped onto the hot wall of a tandoor and pulled off blistered, then brushed with garlic butter. At home the trick is heat — a cast-iron tawa taken as hot as it will go, the naan stuck on with a wet underside and then flipped, tawa and all, over the flame for the char. This version follows Richa of My Food Story, whose stovetop method gets the tandoor blister and the soft, pillowy crumb without a clay oven.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups plain (maida flour, plus extra for dusting)
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp plain yogurt
- ½ cup warm milk (approximately)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- 3 tbsp butter (melted (for brushing))
- nigella seeds (kalonji, optional)
METHOD
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then work in the yogurt, oil and enough warm milk to make a soft dough.
- Knead 6–8 minutes until smooth, cover and leave to rise until doubled, about 1–1½ hours.
- Knock back and divide into 6 balls; rest 10 minutes.
- Roll each ball into an oval, press chopped garlic, coriander and a few nigella seeds into the top, and roll lightly so they stick.
- Brush the underside with water.
- Heat a heavy cast-iron tawa until very hot, then lay the naan wet-side down so it sticks and cook until bubbles rise.
- Flip the tawa over the flame so the top blisters and chars, moving it for an even colour.
- Lift off, brush at once with melted butter and a little extra garlic and coriander, and serve hot.
