{Naan Bread with Herbs}

My family loves Indian food. Our favorite recipe is Chicken Tikka Masala This bread goes perfect with it or any other favorite Indian dish. Yum.

Ingredients:

2¾ cups hot water, 110-115˚F
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
6½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Ingredients for the naan:
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs, I like to use 1/2 cilantro and 1/2 Italian parsley, but other herbs would also be good
sea salt

Directions for the dough
1. Mix the water, yeast and sugar in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container. Stir and let sit till yeast is bubbly. Stir in olive oil and sea salt.

2. Mix in the flour with a large wooden spoon or a heavy duty large whisk till all flour is incorporated.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises, approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 3-4 days.

Directions for the naan:
1. Combine oil and herbs in a small bowl.

2. When you're ready to make the naans, remove dough from refrigerator. Liberally sprinkle flour on a work surface. With a large spoon, scoop up 10 lumps of dough about the size of a small apple. Refrigerate remaining dough for another use 

3. Roll dough balls in flour to coat all surfaces, then flatten each with the palm of your hand. With a rolling pin, roll dough into circles (don't worry, they don't have to be precise circles, real naans aren't supposed to be perfectly round) about 8 inches in diameter. Keep work surface well dusted with flour to prevent sticking. Stack rolled dough circles on a platter, separating them with parchment or waxed paper.

4. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Coat surface lightly with olive oil. Place one dough circle in heat pan. Brush top surface with herb/oil mixture. If bubbles begin to form in dough just flatten them with your brush. This will give your finished naan lots of interesting texture. Continue cooking until bottom side is a light golden brown.

5. Flip naan to other side and brush top side lightly with herb/oil mixture. Continue to cook until second side is light golden brown, then flip one more time and cook for another 20 to 30 seconds. Remove naan to a plate and sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat process with other dough circles, stacking them on a plate, separating each one with paper towels.

Recipe Source: The Cafe Sucre Farine

{Chicken Tikka Masala}

I am doing a repost on this one. It is seriously my favorite meal, I have a hard time not going back for thirds. The flavor combo is just amazing, and its great because my husband and 3 small kids scarf this down everytime. Success! Even if you are not a fan of different ethnic foods, please try this. It will change your world. Also, my husband has a few friends from India in his graduate class and one of the girls was so sweet to make me some homemade Garam Masala which you can also find in most stores now but how awesome is she for doing that?

3 whole Chicken Breasts
Kosher Salt
Ground Coriander
Cumin, To Taste
½ cups Plain Yogurt
6 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Large Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 1-2 inch Chunk Fresh Ginger
3 Tbs Garam Masala
1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes
1 Tbs Sugar
1-½ cup Heavy Cream (I have also used half and half and it worked great)
2-3 Tbs fresh Cilantro

FOR THE RICE:

2 cups Basmati or Jasmine Rice
3 cups water
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs Turmeric
Frozen Peas (Optional)


Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with some kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with some coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken breasts completely with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side. Watch carefully so as not to totally char the chicken. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.
Next dice one large onion. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic. Next, cut off the outer skin and mince or grate a 1 by 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions. Also throw in about 1 tablespoon of salt.
Next you are going to add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. Now you are going to add your can of diced tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes.
To a rice cooker or in a pan on the stove add 2 cups Basmati or Jasmine rice, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric and 3 cups water. Cover, turn on your rice cooker and walk away.
After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a little bit, add in the 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Now, chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and stir them into the Tikka Masala sauce. A handful of chopped fresh cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir, and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas. It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the rice with the Chicken Tikka Masala over top. Make sure to have some Nann bread handy, too.

Recipe Source: The Pioneer Woman

{Naan}

This is so yummy to go along side your favorite Indian dish. This is just plain Naan (Indian Flatbread) but I have seen people incorporate fresh Cilantro into the dough or sprinkle with garlic powder to give it different flavors. Either way you will love it!

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• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbs warm water
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 2 Tbs plain yogurt
• 2/3 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
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• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy.
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• Start to mix the dough by adding the flour, salt, baking powder, oil, yogurt and warm milk in a separate bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture.

Knead the dough together until you have a soft, pliable dough. About 3-4 minutes. Place the ball of dough into a lightly oiled bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.

Pinch off 8 equal sized balls and roll with a rolling pin into circle or oval shapes until 1/8 inches thick.

Heat a griddle to 400 degrees and cook both sides until slightly fluffy and have formed brown spots on the bottom. About 2 minutes per side. Brush with melted butter while still hot, sprinkle the tops with kosher salt.

{Indian Butter Chicken}

I heart Indian food! I love finding new Indian recipes. The flavors just combine so well together. And I love making things that you just don't see everyday, it makes dinner so exciting to me :)
















1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half-and-half
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
Jasmine or Basmati rice to serve with
Chopped fresh cilantro for extra garnish

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and ginger. Stir often while cooking until the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander. Cook stirring, constantly for another minute.

Scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor and add tomato paste and chicken broth. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and add the half and half. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and add the chicken pieces and the salt and pepper. Stir. Keep the sauce at a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened.

Cut remaining 3 tablespoons butter into chunks and stir into the sauce until melted. Serve the chicken and sauce over hot rice. Garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro, if desired.