Naan is a most popular Indian bread and it is loved by everyone across the globe. Originally, nan was a general term for various flatbreads from different parts of the world. The name originates from (new) Persian, itself from Sanskrit nayan; being a generic word for bread. Naan can be made in different flavors like plain, garlic, cheese, cilantro, whatever you can think of. Once you know the making of basic naan, you can try out all the possibilities out there. In this recipe, I prepared naan without yeast and used stove top method. I really love the soft texture, taste and shape of the naan. Adapted this recipe from here. Naan goes well with any spicy curries like aloo gobi, aloo palak, navratan korma, paneer tikka masala or aloo mutter. I had it with dal makhani.


    
    Ingredients

         2 cups of All Purpose Flour / Maida
         1/2 cup of Yogurt / Curd
         1/2 cup of Warm Milk
         1 tsp of Sugar
         1/2 tsp of Salt
         3/4 tsp of Baking Powder
         1/2 Tsp of Baking Soda
         3 Tbsp of Chopped Garlic
         3 Tbsp of Chopped Cilantro
         1 Tbsp of Canola / Vegetable Oil
       


    Yield : 9 Naans

    Method

• Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Place the sieved flour on a wide bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour sugar, milk, oil and yogurt, combine everything to form a soft dough. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it rest for 6 hrs or you can also leave it for overnight.
• After the resting time, knead the dough gently for 5 mins.  Dust the counter top (working surface) with some, all purpose flour(maida), take a large lemon sized dough and roll into a thick roti, slightly elongated in shape or tear shape.  Wet your fingers with water and run your fingers along one side of the roti.
•  Heat a cast iron tawa (pan), once it’s hot, place the naan, wet side down , sprinkle some cilantro and chopped garlic on the top, press it with your finger / spoon.  Immediately place a lid and cook it for 1 min on a high flame. Remove the lid and you can find that the naan bubbles up on the surface of naan. If it has turned brown , just flip it. Now cook the other side of the naan on the same tawa by closing the lid,  otherwise place it over direct heat of the burner, (bubble side facing the fire) and using tongs,  spreading the naan all over the heat so that brown spots appears. “Do this for a few secs and not too close to the flame”.
•  Remove the naan from the heat, drizzle some butter over the naan and serve hot with any curry of your choice like aloo gobi, aloo palak, navratan korma, paneer tikka masala or aloo mutter . I had it with dal makhani. I will be posting the recipe soon .

     Tips

• You can cook naan either on stove top method or in oven at 400 degree F for 2 mins on one side and another 2 mins on other side or in broil method.
• You may also use yeast instead of baking soda and powder.
• If you are planning to make naan for any special occasion, start making dough, one day before you make naan. 
• If you have remaining naan dough, refrigerate it for 1-2 days.

Dosa is a fermented crepe made from rice and black lentils. It is getting popular around the world because of taste and crispy texture. Thakkali paruppu dosai does not need any fermentation. There are two types of rice, one is parboiled rice and other one is raw rice. In this recipe I used toor dal , parboiled rice, tomatoes, red chillies coconut and spices. Addition of tomatoes gives tanginess and vibrant color, red chillies gives spicy taste, carbs and protein from rice and dal. So this dish gives you well balanced of all nutrients. Best accompaniment for this tomato dosa are coconut chutney or peanut chutney or sambar or podi.

Ingredients

1 and 1/4 Cup of Parboiled Rice
2 Tbsp of Toor Dal
3 Large Size Tomatoes, Chopped
2 Tbsp of Desiccated Coconut Flakes / Grated coconut
4-5 Red Chillies
1 Tsp of Fennel Seeds
Few Cilantro(Coriander)  Leaves, Finely Chopped
7 – 10 Curry Leaves
Salt to Taste
Oil as Needed

Method

• Soak the dal and rice separately for 5 – 6 hrs. After that wash the dal and rice in cold tap water.
• In a blender, add toor dal, rice, tomatoes, coconut flakes, red chillies, coriander(cilantro)leaves, curry leaves and salt, Grind it until the mixture turns smooth.
• Transfer this batter to a bowl, add fennel seeds and mix well. If you need more salt, you can add it at this stage.
• Add water if batter is too thick. Heat a dosa pan or tawa, take a ladle full of batter, spread it like thin dosa. Drizzle some oil over the dosa or in sides. Cook both sides until it turns crisp.
• Serve this dosa with your coconut or peanut chutney or sambar or podi. I had it with urad dal chutney.

Tips

• You can add chopped green chillies instead of red chillies.
• Always cook dosa in medium flame.
• You can add more tomatoes if your tomato are not tangy.
• You can avoid fennel seeds, if you don’t want.
• Adjust the number of red chillies according to your spicy level.
• You can add little jaggery if you want for a slight sweet taste.
• If you are making this for breakfast , soak rice and dal overnight and grind them in the morning.

Health Benefits

Tomatoes

•  Tomatoes are rich in vitamin A, C, K and Potassium.
•  They are a natural cancer fighter.
•  They are a good source of chromium which helps to regulate blood sugar.