Saturday, November 13, 2010

Gobi and Naan




You probably thought I totally forgot. Well, I did totally forget. Do you remember the Indian dinner I made and said I would post all the recipes. Now, I am posting the final ones. A little late but posted none the less.

First the naan:

3 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1 t instant yeast
1 1/2 C warm milk - about 100F (you want to be able to hold your finger in it comfortably for 15 seconds)
1 teaspoon sugar
Butter for brushing to taste

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the milk. Let rest approximately 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix the flour with the yeast/milk mixture. Mix in the salt. Knead until soft, smooth and elastic.
Cover with a damp towel and leave in a dark place to rise until doubled, about two hours.

Remove the dough from the bowl, fold dough over itself and press down. Divide into ten even balls.
Roll out into rounds (if you can- mine were a bit odd shaped), dusting lightly with flour as needed. The
thinner you roll it out the better.

Heat up a large skillet or frying pan. On a dry pan lay the naan down.  When it begins to bubble and get dry- flip.  If you brush with butter they will be more tender but it is still delicious without the butter. 
Finally the gobi:
This is a recipe in development.  I kinda went by taste and generalized many recipes I researched.  Your ultimate goal is to have a batter thick enough to coat the cauliflower but so thick that it is pasty. I went a little thin this time but next time I will try it a bit thicker.  Aim for pancake batter thickness.  I had the thickness of heavy cream this time.

1 head or cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup of besan or chick pea flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne (less or none if you do not like heat)
1- 1 1/2 cups water 
hot oil for deep frying

Stir together besan, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and cayenne.  Whisk in a 1/2 cup of the water to make a paste, whisking rapidly to dissolve any lumps.  Add in another 1/2 cup of the water, thoroughly mixing to incorporate.  Finally add the water in small increments to get to the right consistency.  Dip the florets in the batter and place in hot oil (350F).  Fry until golden.

8 comments:

vanillasugarblog said...

never had gobi! seems easy enough though. making your own Naan bread is soooo much cheaper than buying. like 80% cheaper.

Mary Bergfeld said...

How could you have a party and not invite me. Gobi is one of my most favorite things on earth. The bread is pretty cool as well. Have a great weekend, Lori. Blessings...Mary

Mary Bergfeld said...

Lori, I'm home, but still without luggage. Plese don't mention Air India to me for a few more days :-). Mary

Joanne said...

Indian food never fails to get my stomach growling and the sight of that table full of food is almost too much to handle! What a fun party.

ann low said...

I love naan, Lori. So please remember to invite me too :)

Lisa said...

OMG, love Indian breads, especially Naan, and the gobi looks awesome. BTW, that apricot almond torte below is GORGEOUS! I can't look through because I'm PMSing and craving sweets like you would not believe. Trying to get my mind off of it lol

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Pu-lease! I'd forget my head if not attached. :)

I've never had naan before. I'd like to try it. The gobi doesn't sound too bad either. :)
~ingrid

Anonymous said...

I just found your blog and I am so happy. I have been looking for a Naan recipe and now I have it. Thank you...and now that I am following you, I am looking forward to more of your dishes.

Norma