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I'm a busy stay-at-home mommy of a 2 year old monst-- er toddler. This is a blog about stuff I like to cook, including recipes and pictures. <3
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Indian Bread
Saturday, November 8, 2008 | Time: 2:36 PM
This recipe makes lovely Naan bread, excellent for curry dipping!
Ingredients:
1 .25oz package yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
- Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
- At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.
It was going to be Naan bread...
| Time: 11:05 AM
I made some delicious curry [see previous post] and I was going to have home-made Naan bread with it. After making the dough, I didn't really end up having the time to let it rise and do the whole 'bread' thing. So I ended up pan frying some flour tortillas in garlic butter to serve with the curry. It was yummy yummy!!!!
>>Note: Will put up Bread recipe in next post
But what to do with that leftover dough? When my sweetheart likes something, there usually aren't any leftovers. So the curry thing was out. I wanted to make something interesting...
So I ended up making a few 'naan bread pizzas' and a nice loaf of honey-sesame bread!
Honey Sesame Bread
Ingredients:
Indian Bread Dough, Honey, Sesame Seeds
After letting the dough rise and kneading it, I tore it into several large chunks. Taking three of the chunks, I flattened them a little and rolled them, putting them into a bread pan. Like little dough enchiladas! After they rose to double, I drizzled a little honey and scattered some roasted sesame seeds on top.
Bake at 35O F oven for about 2O minutes.
 The yummy conclusion:
A really nice bread with fluffy interior and lovely gooey-sweet exterior. Alot of the honey sank to the bottom during baking so it was nice and sticky on the bottom too!! Serve hot with honey butter!
Naan Pizza!
Ingredients:
Indian Bread Dough, Spaghetti Sauce, Shredded Cheese, Cooked Hamburger
The pizzas were super easy. I took the last piece of dough, tore it into 4 small pieces, rolled them into balls, then rolled them out flat - with a trusty tumbler glass. I really need to buy a rolling pin at some point, lol.
I let everything rise [along with the bread] for about an hour.
Preheating the oven to about 4OO degrees F i baked the rounds on a cookie sheet for 2-3minues until they started puffing up, just to get them started. Then I took them out and poked holes with a fork and let the air out.
You could easily make just about any kind of pizza since its such a versitle food. 
I happend to have cheddar cheese and a bit of hamburger leftover [from making mini burgers for hubbys lunch] so I got cheeseburger pizza :>
Baked the whole thing for about 1O minutes, broiling the last few minutes to get a nice crispy crust and cheese.
Deeeelicious :> im a big pizza fan!
After all is said and done, I'd probably have preferred cooking the pizzas on a grill or at least on a rack in the oven. The middle of the crust was a little soggy with the sauce. Other than that, it was really good and probably would be even better to take proper Indian Bread [with spices kneaded into it] and toast a little pizza on top of that! :> Yum!
Curry!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, November 6, 2008 | Time: 5:45 PM
I love curry. Curry is yumalicious. I'm especially fond of Thai curry, but every so often I find an Indian-style curry that isnt too pungent or spicy for me. I found a really great recipe for curry today and I have to admit, I'm surprised at how well it turned out. Its got lovely flavor that improves endlessly with time. Its kind of sweet and savory and a little creamy.
The original recipe is here, but I changed it slightly in order to accommodate what I had on hand already.
Coconut Chicken Curry 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into cubes) salt and pepper to taste 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons curry powder 1/2 onion, thinly sliced 1-2 teaspoons Minced Garlic (or 2 cloves, crushed) 1 can (14oz) light coconut milk 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled (fresh from the garden) 1/2 cup tomato paste (to taste) 2-3 tablespoons sugar 3 red potatoes, peeled, cut into cubes 1-2 teaspoons Red (cayanne) Pepper A little water, a little half and half
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat oil and curry powder over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir it, watch it doesnt burn, but heating the spices and oil together produces a lovely flavor and aroma, so don't skimp on this one!
Stir in onions, potatoes and garlic and cook about 10 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add chicken, toss to coat everything with the curry/oil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle, about 10 minutes.
Pour coconut milk over everything, add in tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Stir to combine. At this part I added a little water and a little half-and-half, because I didn't have a can of stewed tomatoes with the juice, the mixture was a little too thick.
Cover and simmer about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Serve over basmati rice and/or with fresh naan bread.
Curry Puffs!
The original recipe called to simmer only 30-40 minutes but I find this curry becomes WAY more flavorful the longer the spices get to mesh together. Feasibly, you could put this on a low simmer for several hours.
In fact, you could probably make this in a crock pot (slow cooker) - saute the oil/curry, onions and garlic and chicken and then add everything to the pot and cook on high 5-6 hours.
And if you have any leftovers... make Curry Puffs!!! Easiest thing in the world and perfect for my sweetheart's lunchbox.
((Note: I added rice to the curry to make it thick enough to use in pastry))
Just fold a square of puff pastry (store bought, in frozen section usually next to pies) around a bit of curry. Using the edges, making a triangle. Crimp edges together with a fork to seal. Optionally, brush a little egg-wash (beaten egg with water) on top. Bake at about 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.
I really like these with puff pastry, even though alot of 'Curry Puff' recipes call for you to make your own pastry. I hardly ever fry anything ('cause its just so MESSY.. and its unhealthy;P), and I think the satisfying crunchyness of this type of pastry holds on to the spirit of fried food without being too bad-for-you.
Anyways, after adding the rice, I always have a ton of curry leftover for other meals. I like to stash some in the freezer for curry-rice balls or pastries or whatever, a quick easy dinner or lunch.
Also, I can add another can of coconut milk and/or some milk to the mix to make it 'curry' again. Play with the spices as need, such as adding a little more tomato paste. This way you sort of 'reconstitute' it back into a saucy curry and can easily sop it up with some nice hot naan bread or just a great big spoon :)
Cheers!
|
Indian Bread
Saturday, November 8, 2008 | Time: 2:36 PM
This recipe makes lovely Naan bread, excellent for curry dipping!
Ingredients:
1 .25oz package yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
- Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
- At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.
It was going to be Naan bread...
| Time: 11:05 AM
I made some delicious curry [see previous post] and I was going to have home-made Naan bread with it. After making the dough, I didn't really end up having the time to let it rise and do the whole 'bread' thing. So I ended up pan frying some flour tortillas in garlic butter to serve with the curry. It was yummy yummy!!!!
>>Note: Will put up Bread recipe in next post
But what to do with that leftover dough? When my sweetheart likes something, there usually aren't any leftovers. So the curry thing was out. I wanted to make something interesting...
So I ended up making a few 'naan bread pizzas' and a nice loaf of honey-sesame bread!
Honey Sesame Bread
Ingredients:
Indian Bread Dough, Honey, Sesame Seeds
After letting the dough rise and kneading it, I tore it into several large chunks. Taking three of the chunks, I flattened them a little and rolled them, putting them into a bread pan. Like little dough enchiladas! After they rose to double, I drizzled a little honey and scattered some roasted sesame seeds on top.
Bake at 35O F oven for about 2O minutes.
The yummy conclusion:
A really nice bread with fluffy interior and lovely gooey-sweet exterior. Alot of the honey sank to the bottom during baking so it was nice and sticky on the bottom too!! Serve hot with honey butter!
Naan Pizza!
Ingredients:
Indian Bread Dough, Spaghetti Sauce, Shredded Cheese, Cooked Hamburger
The pizzas were super easy. I took the last piece of dough, tore it into 4 small pieces, rolled them into balls, then rolled them out flat - with a trusty tumbler glass. I really need to buy a rolling pin at some point, lol.
I let everything rise [along with the bread] for about an hour.
Preheating the oven to about 4OO degrees F i baked the rounds on a cookie sheet for 2-3minues until they started puffing up, just to get them started. Then I took them out and poked holes with a fork and let the air out.
You could easily make just about any kind of pizza since its such a versitle food.
I happend to have cheddar cheese and a bit of hamburger leftover [from making mini burgers for hubbys lunch] so I got cheeseburger pizza :>
Baked the whole thing for about 1O minutes, broiling the last few minutes to get a nice crispy crust and cheese.
Deeeelicious :> im a big pizza fan!
After all is said and done, I'd probably have preferred cooking the pizzas on a grill or at least on a rack in the oven. The middle of the crust was a little soggy with the sauce. Other than that, it was really good and probably would be even better to take proper Indian Bread [with spices kneaded into it] and toast a little pizza on top of that! :> Yum!
Curry!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, November 6, 2008 | Time: 5:45 PM
I love curry. Curry is yumalicious. I'm especially fond of Thai curry, but every so often I find an Indian-style curry that isnt too pungent or spicy for me. I found a really great recipe for curry today and I have to admit, I'm surprised at how well it turned out. Its got lovely flavor that improves endlessly with time. Its kind of sweet and savory and a little creamy.
The original recipe is here, but I changed it slightly in order to accommodate what I had on hand already.
Coconut Chicken Curry2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into cubes) salt and pepper to taste 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons curry powder 1/2 onion, thinly sliced 1-2 teaspoons Minced Garlic (or 2 cloves, crushed) 1 can (14oz) light coconut milk 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled (fresh from the garden) 1/2 cup tomato paste (to taste) 2-3 tablespoons sugar 3 red potatoes, peeled, cut into cubes 1-2 teaspoons Red (cayanne) Pepper A little water, a little half and half
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat oil and curry powder over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir it, watch it doesnt burn, but heating the spices and oil together produces a lovely flavor and aroma, so don't skimp on this one!
Stir in onions, potatoes and garlic and cook about 10 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add chicken, toss to coat everything with the curry/oil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle, about 10 minutes.
Pour coconut milk over everything, add in tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Stir to combine. At this part I added a little water and a little half-and-half, because I didn't have a can of stewed tomatoes with the juice, the mixture was a little too thick.
Cover and simmer about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Serve over basmati rice and/or with fresh naan bread.
Curry Puffs!
The original recipe called to simmer only 30-40 minutes but I find this curry becomes WAY more flavorful the longer the spices get to mesh together. Feasibly, you could put this on a low simmer for several hours.
In fact, you could probably make this in a crock pot (slow cooker) - saute the oil/curry, onions and garlic and chicken and then add everything to the pot and cook on high 5-6 hours.
And if you have any leftovers... make Curry Puffs!!! Easiest thing in the world and perfect for my sweetheart's lunchbox.
((Note: I added rice to the curry to make it thick enough to use in pastry))
Just fold a square of puff pastry (store bought, in frozen section usually next to pies) around a bit of curry. Using the edges, making a triangle. Crimp edges together with a fork to seal. Optionally, brush a little egg-wash (beaten egg with water) on top. Bake at about 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.
I really like these with puff pastry, even though alot of 'Curry Puff' recipes call for you to make your own pastry. I hardly ever fry anything ('cause its just so MESSY.. and its unhealthy;P), and I think the satisfying crunchyness of this type of pastry holds on to the spirit of fried food without being too bad-for-you.
Anyways, after adding the rice, I always have a ton of curry leftover for other meals. I like to stash some in the freezer for curry-rice balls or pastries or whatever, a quick easy dinner or lunch.
Also, I can add another can of coconut milk and/or some milk to the mix to make it 'curry' again. Play with the spices as need, such as adding a little more tomato paste. This way you sort of 'reconstitute' it back into a saucy curry and can easily sop it up with some nice hot naan bread or just a great big spoon :)
Cheers!
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about me
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This site was designed by BibiPiggy and edited by ME :o) Links to give credit:
stephanie | designer
wordpress | inspiration
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The yummy conclusion:
