Chana Masala and Curried Naan

So last night I figured I would attempt to make one of my great loves, Indian food. A lot of Indian food naturally falls into the category of healthy noms so it won't be hard to implement this cuisine into our lifestyle. Chana Masala is curried garbanzo beans and naan is a type of Indian flat bread. Traditionally, naan is cooked in a tandoor oven. However, since we have nothing that even slightly resembles a tandoor oven in our western apartment kitchen, I cooked the naan in a simple skillet. Though the naan could have been prettier (as you will see in the pictures) it tasted really good! The chana masala was great too, though I think I could have made it even spicier. The best way to eat chana masala and naan is to dip the naan in the curry. You can serve the curry over steamed brown rice too if you want :)



Chana Masala
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
14 oz can diced tomatoes (try and get 'no salt added' if you can)
5 small red potatoes, diced (leave the skins on)
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 Tbs curry powder
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tsp tandoori paste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro plus 2 tablespoons reserved for topping, chopped
1 Tbs arrowroot or cornstarch, mixed with an equal amount of water

Heat a tablespoon of coconut or canola oil in a 1 or 2 quart pot. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook for a few more minutes. Take off the heat and add in the beans, potatoes, tomatoes, stock, herbs and spices. Place back on the heat, get it to a simmer and then let simmer, covered, on medium-low until the potatoes are soft and a lot of the liquid has cooked off. Mash the curry with a potato masher to break up the big pieces. Add in the arrowroot or cornstarch mixture (this will thicken the curry). Take off the heat and sprinkle with the reserved cilantro. Serve with naan or rice!

Serves about 6.



Curried Naan
scant 4 cups of whole wheat pastry flour or bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs curry powder
1 Tbs dry yeast
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup raisins
3 Tbs mango chutney

Put the flour, salt, oil, curry powder, yeast, and water into a bowl and mix for about 2 minutes. Then tip the dough out onto a floured counter top and knead for 5 minutes or until soft and pliable. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth and let rise for 30 minutes.



Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Knead the raisins and mango chutney into the dough. Then divide the dough into six pieces and place them on the baking sheet. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.



On a floured counter top, roll each piece of dough out into approx an eight-inch circle or oval. Let rest for another 5 minutes. In a large frying pan, heat some coconut or canola oil until very hot. Shallow-fry each naan on high heat until it is browned on both sides.

Makes 6 naan.

This recipe is from Paul Hollywood's 100 Great Breads cookbook