Naan

A soft, flat Indian bread which is traditionally baked in a tandoor oven, where the dough is slapped onto the interior wall and quickly baked over an open fire. Fortunately, we can still prepare this bread at home by using either an oven with a pizza stone or a frying pan.  Tastes excellent when served with any Indian curry dishes!

Ingredients (yields 6 pieces):
260 g plain flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
a pinch of baking soda
3 tbsp yoghurt
2 tbsp corn or vegetable oil

1 tsp dry yeast
140 ml lukewarm water

extra flour for rolling of naans
2 tbsp melted ghee, for brushing

Method:
Dissolve dry yeast in lukewarm water and leave aside for about 10 to 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.  Mix well.  Add yoghurt and oil.  Mix well. Then, add the yeast mixture and knead to form a firm dough.  Knead dough until smooth.  Cover bowl and leave aside in a warm place for about 3 to 4 hours until almost double the volume.  As the dough rises, the texture will become soft.

Heat your conventional oven (without fan) with a pizza stone placed on the middle rack to a temperature of 260° C for about 30 to 45 minutes.  The pizza stone will lend almost the same kind of heat as the clay tandoor pot.  Once the right temperature is reached, switch on the "grill/broil" mode (maximum temperature).

Divide dough into six equal portions.  Dust worktop with a little flour.  Take a portion of dough and roll into an oval shape, making sure that it is dusted with flour in order that it does not stick to the worktop.  Repeat procedure with the rest of the dough.

Lightly wet your hands and flip the rolled out naan between your hands.  Place two naans on the pizza stone at a time.  Bake for about 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.  Once done, remove from oven and brush lightly with warm melted ghee.  For garlic naan, add minced garlic to warm ghee before brushing.  Reheat oven again before baking the rest of dough.

Alternatively, you can cook naan in a hot & dry non-stick frying pan.  Cook naan until air bubbles appear on surface & the underside is slightly browned.  Turn over and cook until the underside is slight browned.  Remove and brush lightly with melted ghee.

Serve hot or warm with any kind of Indian curry!

Bon Appetit!

Capati

Also known as  Roti Capati, it is one of the popular Indian flat breads.  The main ingredient is atta flour (whole wheat flour) mixed with vegetable oil, salt and warm water.  Fried on a flat pancake pan (without any addition of oil) until bubbles can be seen on the surface before turning it over to lightly brown the underside.  Then, transferred onto a metal grill and cooked over open fire (gas stove) until it bloats up. By doing so, your capati will have a soft texture.  Otherwise, just use a small cloth to press the bubbles down while the underside is cooked.  Once cooked, wrap capatis in an aluminium foil to keep them soft.  Capatis taste great with Keema Matar or any kind of curry.

Ingredients (yields 10 pcs):
200 g atta flour (whole wheat flour)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
enough (about 1 cup) warm water

Method:
In a bowl, add atta flour, salt and oil.  Then, add enough warm water and knead to form a soft and pliable dough. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and leave aside for about 30 minutes to one hour.

Take about 40 g dough and form into a ball. Dip into some atta flour before rolling it out into a round shape.

Heat the pancake pan without oil over medium-high heat.  Add rolled dough to pan and cook until bubbles appear on surface.

Turn capati over and cook the underside.  By using a small cloth, press down bubbles while the underside is being cooked.  Once done, remove capati from pan and wrap in aluminium foil to keep it soft.  Repeat procedure until dough is used up.

Another option to get soft capatis is to use a gas stove.  Once the underside is almost brown, transfer capati onto a metal grill and cook over open fire until it bloats.  Once done, remove to a plate.

The next time I make capatis using our Weber gas grill, I will take a video.

Serve Capatis with any kind of curry.

Bon Appetit!

Murtabak

Murtabak is a stuffed pan-fried bread (prata dough) which is very popular in Singapore and Malaysia. One can order them in any indian muslim restaurants or stalls.  Murtabaks are normally served with curry and cucumber/onion pickle.  The stuffing is made of minced meat (beef or mutton), onions and eggs.

Ingredients (serves 6 persons):
470 g plain flour, to be sieved
1 tsp (heaped) sugar
225 ml water
15 g condensed milk
1/2 tsp salt
15 g clarified butter or melted ghee
1/2 egg white

Note:  Above dough ingredients yield 6 murtabaks

Stuffing Ingredients:
250 g minced beef or mutton, to be pan-fried with 1/2 tsp curry powder
2 big onions, to be peeled and diced
2 eggs, to be lightly beaten

cooking oil

Method:
In a bowl, mix together water, sugar, condensed milk, salt, clarified butter and egg white.  Lastly, add in flour and knead until the dough is pliable.  Cover dough with a damp cloth and leave aside for one hour.

Divide dough into 6 balls.  Coat them with clarified butter and let them rest for about 2 to 3 hours (better overnight) before flipping them.

Flatten the dough ball on a greased worktop by making sure the middle is thick and the outside edge is thin.  Flip the dough by using one hand as a pivot.  Spread the thin dough out and sprinkle some oil.  Then, add some beaten eggs, cubed onion and minced beef.  Fold into a parcel and fry on a hot girdle until it is browned on both sides.

Serve with Beef or Mutton Keema and Cucumber/Onion Pickle.


Beef or Mutton Keema
Ingredients:
250 g minced beef or mutton
3 tbsp meat curry powder

1 big onion, to be peeled and diced
3 big potatoes, to be peeled and diced
2 carrots, to be peeled and diced
peas (optional)
note:  some recipes call for diced tomatoes but I do not use them in this recipe
enough water
4 tbsp cooking oil

Pounded Ingredients:
1.5 cm fresh ginger, to be sliced
2 cloves of garlic, to be sliced

Stir-fry Ingredients:
1/2 big onion, to be finely sliced
3 pcs cardamon
a cinnamon stick, about 4 cm long
4 pcs cloves

Method:
In a bowl, mix together minced meat, pounded ingredients, curry powder and about 2 tbsp water. Leave aside.

Heat oil in a medium-size pot and add the stir-fry ingredients.  Fry until the onions are lightly browned.  Add in the minced meat mixture and fry until fragrant.  Then, add in cubed potatoes, carrots and enough water.  Cook over medium heat until they are tender.

Then, add in cubed onions, peas and tomatoes (if using).  Cook for a further 10 minutes.  Once ready, remove from heat.

Serve with murtabak, roti prata or capati.


Cucumber/Onion Pickle
Ingredients:
1/2 cucumber, to be halved and thinly sliced
2 big onions, to be thinly sliced
3 tbsp white vinegar
3 tsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato ketchup

Method:
In a bowl, mix together all ingredients and leave aside for a few hours.

Bon Appetit!

Roti Prata

"Roti" means "bread", while "prata" means "flat".  Roti Prata originated from southern India, where it is called Paratha, which literally means layers of cooked dough.  It is very popular in Singapore and Malaysia and can be eaten at any time.  Following recipe yields 16 Roti Pratas.

Ingredients:
940 g plain flour
2 heaped tsp sugar
1 heaped tsp salt
450 ml water
30 g clarified butter or melted ghee
30 g condensed milk
1 egg white

Method:
In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, salt, clarified butter, condensed milk and egg white together.  Stir well until sugar is dissolved.

Then, add in flour and knead (using a mixer) until the dough becomes smooth and pliable.  Cover dough with a damp cloth and leave aside for one hour.

Divide the dough into 16 equal balls.  Then, coat them with clarified butter and arrange in a bowl.  Leave to rest at least overnight, if possible.  If not, let it rest for about 2 to 3 hours before flipping the Roti Prata.

Flipping:
Place dough ball on a greased surface.  Flatten the circumference lightly and leave the middle of dough as it is.  Using one hand as a pivot, flip the dough until it becomes thin.  Sprinkle some oil on top.  Fold the sides of the dough into a square.  Then, fold the 4 corners inward slightly.

Frying:
Fry the Prata on a hot girdle for about 2 to 3 minutes or until it is browned on both sides.  Spread a dish cloth on worktop and place cooked prata on it.  Fold cloth to cover prata and then smash by using both palms of your hand on all sides just like the mamak always do!

Serve with any kind of curry or dalca.

Bon Appetit!