Cumin Nan Recipes

Steps:

• Mix together the yeast and 1/4 cup of the warm water in a large bowl until the yeast is dissolved.
• Mix together the yogurt, cumin and remaining 1/2 cup water in a medium bowl and add to the yeast mixture, stirring until well blended. Add the bread flour and stir vigorously for 2 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in the oil, sugar and salt and enough of the whole-wheat flour to make a kneadable dough. Knead on a clean work surface, using additional flour to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is smooth and elastic, between 5 and 10 minutes.
• Wash out the large bowl and coat it lightly with oil. Turn the dough in the oiled bowl to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising, prepare the chutney.
• Light a grill for direct medium-high heat, about 425ºF.
• Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll each into a ball and flatten into a 1/2-inch-thick disk. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll each disk of dough into an oval about 9 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Coat each bread with oil and stack on a plate to transport to the grill--a spray bottle works best. Careful not to deflate excessively.
• Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Put the dough on the grill so the disks are evenly spaced, cover and cook until grill-marked and charred in spots on the bottom and puffed on top, about 2 minutes. Turn with tongs and cook on the other side until browned and spotted with char, about 1 minute. Remove to a plate, brush with butter and sprinkle with the cracked and toasted cumin. Serve with the chutney.
• To Make the Grilled Tomato Chutney: Light a grill for direct medium-high heat, about 400°F.
• Soak two or three bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Thread the garlic cloves, ginger slices and onion slices on the skewers and coat with a thin film of oil. Brush the grill grate and coat with oil.
• Grill the skewers until the vegetables are lightly charred on all sides, about 5 minutes total.
• At the same time, place the tomato and jalapeno chiles over the fire and char on all sides, turning every 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the stems, and discard the chile seeds if you want the chutney to be milder.
• Chop the garlic, ginger, onion, tomatoes, and chiles finely and combine with the cumin, salt, black pepper, cilantro, and mint. Store in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container for up to 2 weeks. Makes 1 1/4 cups.
• NOTE: "TOASTING AND CRACKING WHOLE SPICES" You will need to toast about 2 tablespoons cumin seeds to prepare the ground toasted cumin and cracked cumin for the bread and chutney. Toast the seeds (or any whole spice) by heating a small, heavy skillet (such as cast-iron) until very hot. Add the seeds, remove from the heat, and stir until the seeds are aromatic and lightly colored, about 1 minute. You can use the same heavy pan (after it has cooled down) to crack or crush the seeds by carefully pounding them on a solid flat surface (like a butcher block) with the bottom of the pan.

Steps:

• To make the dough, combine all the dough ingredients except the water in a food processor and process for 30 seconds.
• (or whiz in a blender.) With the machine running, gradually add the water in a thin stream through the feeder tube.
• Pulse on and off until the dough forms a soft ball.
• Transfer the dough to a floured board.
• Knead for 5 minutes by hand, sprinkling with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
• The dough should be very soft and pliable.
• Lightly flour a plastic bag.
• Place the dough in the bag, seal it, and let it sit 15 to 20 minutes in a warm, dark place.
• Prepare your grill.
• Keep it covered to build an intense heat.
• Combine the glaze ingredients and reserve.
• Remove the dough from the bag and cut it into 6 equal pieces.
• On a floured board, roll each piece into a circle as thin as a flour tortilla and about 8 inches in diameter.
• (The circle need not be perfect, and a few holes are just fine).
• As each piece is rolled, brush it lightly with the glaze and place it glazed-side down onto the grill.
• When all of the dough has been placed on the grill, cover the grill and bake for 1 1/2-5 minutes, depending on heat, then brush the tops with the glaze, flip, and brown the other side.
• There should be bubbles and brown patches on both sides when the bread is done.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Proof yeast in 1/2 cup of the water: mix the water and the yeast and teaspoon of flour in a cup; cover and let sit until it's bubbly and active (5- 10 minutes).
• Mix the yeast/water, the milk and the rest of the water in a large bowl.
• Stir in 2 cups of flour (always stir in the same direction) until smooth.
• Add the salt, oil and cumin seeds and stir well.
• Add the remaining flour 1/2 a cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to stir.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured board.
• Knead well, until the dough is springy; only add enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the board.
• Let dough rise in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with plastic, in a cool place for a few hours (warmer rising spot= shorter rise; I prefer leaving it longer).
• When the dough has risen to about double its original size, knead it down.
• Preheat the oven to 500ºF.
• I use unglazed quarry tiles in my oven when I make naan, attempting to mimic the tandoor ovens that are supposed to be used.
• If you don't have baking tiles, just use a baking sheet (I guess).
• Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and form them into balls.
• Brush the top of each ball lightly with melted butter or ghee and let it sit for about 20 minutes before shaping (by the time you've formed the last ball, the first one has usually sat long enough).
• Shape and bake naan two at a time: first smoosh the ball down flat with your fingers, then stretch it out into an oval shape.
• Transfer to the oven using a baking peel, or some other lightly floured thing you can use to slide the breads into the oven.
• Bake for about 6 minutes, or until puffy and getting brown.
• Yum!

Steps:

• Brown ground beef.
• Add tomato sauce, tomatoes and water.
• Stir in the onion, garlic and seasonings.
• Add beans and simmer 30- 45 minutes.
• Serve with saltine crackers to crush into the chili.