Our home is going through a spicy spell. It is as if, since 2014 began, we can’t eat enough curry. There is something about the colour and the excitement of combining spices; the way the different smell of each one toasting in a pan builds to a single, unique fragrance that gives each different dish its identity.
I find the process of cooking Indian food therapeutic. It is not always quick and sometimes the long ingredients lists in recipes can be daunting. But it needs little equipment – a board, a knife and a pan – so washing up is minimal and once you have a store cupboard well stocked with specialities and spices, you can prepare a banquet having only had to nip out for fresh chicken, yogurt or chillies.
It all began with a book I picked up at the London Book Fair in 2013. Kumar and Suba Mahadevan run Abhi’s, a restaurant in Australia that has been described as the first great Indian restaurant in Sydney. Abhi’s opened in 1990, and the couple’s book From India (Murdoch Books, £25) generously gives away their secrets. Itis the originality of the recipes that sets it apart. There are relatively few bowls of meat swimming in spicy sauce and the chapters are divided by taste: salt, butter, sour, spice and sweet. It takes some getting used to, but it makes sense to choose a dish by the taste, and therefore your mood.
The upshot has been many successful suppers: the Mangalore chicken curry with dry toasted spices; the golden lamb curry with yogurt, ginger and mace; the Keralan duck curry; and Mysore chilli chicken – a comfort dish of the highest order. If I feel extra dedicated I make flatbreads to squeegee up the juices or to wrap the spiced meat or fish.
From India has some recipes for bread, but none for naan. So I have created a type of Peshwari naan, flavoured with coconut and spread with butter. It takes little time to make – if you get the dough going at 6pm it will be risen and ready to use by dinner. Iuse a fine-milled flour, either plain white or “00” pizza flour, which works well as it can be stretched outthin.
Equipment: you can bake naans on a baking sheet but ideally it is best to cook them on a baking stone and use a peel, a paddle-shaped instrument, to move them in and out of the oven (peels are available from BakeryBits.co.uk).
SERVES
6 large naan
INGREDIENTS
- 540g/1lb 3¾ oz plain white flour
- 7g/¼ oz easy-bake yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 30g/1 oz butter, softened
- 120g/4 oz desiccated coconut or grated fresh coconut
- 350ml/12 fl oz lukewarm semi-skimmed milk, or a mix of milk and water
- Nigella seeds, to scatter
- 120g butter, melted
METHOD
Put the flour in a mixing bowl and add the yeast, salt and butter. Rub the butter in then add the coconut. Add the milk and mix to a smooth dough. The dough needs to be a little sticky and wet, so add more water if necessary. Knead for a few minutes by hand or inan electric mixer.
Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise in a warm, dry place until doubled in size (about 1 ¼ hours). Knead again, knocking out as much air as you can. Divide into 6 equal-sized pieces and shape each into a smooth, round ball by rolling it in the cup of your palm on the worktop.
Place the balls of dough on a floured surface, sprinkle with flour and cover lightly with cling film. Leave to rise a second time, about 20 minutes, until puffed and full of bubbles. Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Stretch out each ball of dough into a teardrop shape, without letting it lose its airiness. Do not roll the dough or your naan will be like biscuits. Just handle it gently.
Scatter nigella seeds over the top and put on a baking sheet or on the hot baking stone in the oven. Bake for 7 minutes or until puffed and light, tinged pale gold in places.
Before serving, spread the warm naan with melted butter. These reheat well if stored up to 2 days wrapped in foil or cling film.
