Home Made Naan and Super Easy Veggie Curry

The Indian food restaurant in my city closed a few years ago. Ever since then, I've made sure to eat at one every time we travel. Unfortunately, this does not do anything to help my cravings for curry and naan on an almost daily basis at home. I've made both Thai and Indian curries before, as well as other Indian dishes, but the one I'm posting today is sort of a hybrid of both. I have more complicated and authentic recipes that I will post later on, but for now I thought I would do this one as it is a nice introduction to this sort of cuisine.

Curry is a term used to describe dishes popular in Indian Cuisine as well as all over Asia, and even parts of Africa. Its original meaning is basically some sort of meat and/or vegetables cooked in a gravy and eaten over rice or served with bread. Surprisingly, it was the British who invented curry powder. Most people associate the word with spices, and while there are as many different variations of spices used in curry as their are families in India, most curry powder is made with spices such as turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, red pepper, cumin, ginger, and clove in varying measurements. You can also find curry pastes at your local asian market. These are similar but have noticeable differences from Indian Curry, such as the use of kaffir lime, galangal (thai ginger), and lemongrass. Thai curry is usually available in 3 different colors; red, yellow, and green, although there are panang and massaman curries to be found sometimes as well. Yellow is similar to Indian curry, because of the turmeric, which is what gives it color. Red and Green get their color from the different chiles that are used to make them. The three curries have varying flavors, and most store-bought pastes have the option between hot and mild. There are many other varieties of spices used in different curries all over the world, including cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom, mustard seed, shrimp paste, white pepper, garlic, chile oil, poppy seeds, anise, coconut, and curry leaves. 

Normally I would recommend that you make your Indian curries by mixing your own spices, and getting a feel of what each taste is and what you like more or less of, but today is all about quick and easy. I used store-bought curry powder, if you can get this item in bulk from a natural food store, I would. I also added a couple tablespoons of Thai red curry paste to mine, but it is not necessary. The yogurt can be substituted for coconut milk, which is found in Asian curries, but has an exquisite flavor. I didn't really take exact measurements of everything, curry is kinda forgiving in this area. I mostly just grab my favorite veggies and sautee them, adding spices as I go to taste. Thanks to the serrano peppers, this has a pleasant amount of heat to it, if you'd like a mild curry omit them. If you want to swap out different vegetables, please do. Feel free to add meat if you are a carnivore, chicken tastes great in this, as does shrimp. I made a HUGE pot, because this is leftover gold! If you are only making for 2 or 3 people, halve everything.

Quick and Easy Veggie Curry

• Oil for Sauteeing veggies (preferably olive oil)
• 2 small green serrano peppers
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 onion diced
• 2-3 Tablespoons Curry Powder (more or less to taste)
• 2 Tblsp red Curry paste
• large bunch broccoli (I chopped both the flowers and the stalk)
• 2 packages of mushrooms rinsed
• 1 large yam
• 2 Zucchinis
• 2 or 3 cups plain nonfat yogurt

Chop all of the veggies into thick chunks, set aside. Heat oil in the bottom of a large pot, and when it is hot add the chiles, garlic, and onion let them cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, Then add in the curry spices and stir. Once it's begun to simmer, add the veggies a little at a time, stirring to coat them all with the curry/oil mixture. At this point, you can add water so that there is a sufficient amount in the bottom of the pot to let the vegetables simmer. Be careful not too add too much, the veggies create juice while they cook and too much water will make your curry soupy. Cover and allow to simmer on low until the vegetables have cooked through, but are not mushy. Once the veggies are cooked, fold in the yogurt until evenly mixed and remove from heat. Serve over rice with Naan.

Naan

Naan is traditionally a leavened Middle Eastern flatbread baked in a tandoor, or clay oven. It tastes like heaven, and should be eaten a minimum of 25 times a day with everything. When naan appears on a table, angels sing in the background. It sort of has the consistency of a mix between a fat tortilla, a pita, and pure bliss. It is sort of complicated to make if you are using a traditional Indian recipe, and if you have a tandoor in your house then I am moving in with you.

I have modified this recipe in a few ways. It is a little different than the naan most of you are used to having at the restaurants, but is every bit as good and tastes amazing with a curry (or anything you might be eating). I use baking powder rather than yeast, and cook it on a cast iron griddle rather than in the oven. If you choose to bake this, that is fine, just be sure to turn your oven to about 500F. It doesn't take very long to cook them, just wait for them to puff up and brown a little. Many recipes will tell you to turn your broiler on, and this certainly helps you with getting that magnificent brown bubbling effect. It's a matter of choice, really.

Ingredients

• 4 c flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
• a bowl of melted butter for brushing on the naan

Sift dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle. Mix all wet ingredients into another smaller bowl until combined; pour into well in flour. Stir with a spoon until it becomes difficult, then begin to knead dough with your hands. It will stick at first. Continue kneading until the dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Put a damp towel over the bowl and place in a warm place will it will not be disturbed. Let sit for an hour or two (if you have the time, you can leave it up to 4 hours).

Remove dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Separate into little balls the size of plums. Flatten them out one at a time into disks, then roll until about 1/4 - 1/8" thick. Don't worry if they aren't in perfect circles, because I think that may be impossible. Place them on a greased skillet, brushing the exposed side with the butter and flipping over, do this a few times until both sides have browned bubbles and are cooked to your liking. Remove from griddle and brush with butter. Store wrapped in a clean dishtowel while you cook the remainder of the dough.

Enjoy!

Home Made Naan and Super Easy Veggie Curry