I’m into simple flavors, simple ingredients, straightforward prep. Every once in a while I’ll try and get fancy with something, but more often than not, I like my salt a pepper, garlic and onions, butter and toast. Or I’ll add a little cinnamon sugar to the butter if I’m feeling adventurous. But honestly, simple is better in my book.
And a lunch of hummus and naan? Well, that’s just the kind of elegant-simple that brightens my midday, or afternoon snack time, or midnight munching. Or any other excuse to nibble that I can come up with.
Naan is softer and chewier than pita bread, and Beth over at Budget Bytes clearly shows how easy and affordable it is to make your own! With only 45 minutes of rising time, it doesn’t take long until you can tear into a warm disc of yeasty goodness.
Clearly one of my favorite pairings with the naan is hummus, and Christa from Brown Sugar Toast guided me in the right direction for developing my own variation, but naan is also lovely with a chickpea masala or entrees like it. Most grocery stores carry jarred masala and curry sauces in their ethnic food aisles. Throw a can of chickpeas or some cooked chicken into the sauce, heat, and serve over rice, and you have an easy, complete meal!
Naan
{makes 8}
[ingredients]
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2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/2-3 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 vegetable oil
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1 large egg
butter, for brushing
cilantro, for garnish
[directions]
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Combine. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined. In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).
Knead. At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. I ended up using about 3 cups of flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.
Rest. Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.
Cook. Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about ¼ inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs!
Hummus
{yields approx. 1 1/2 cups}
[ingredients]
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1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp tahini
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 clove garlic
[directions]
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Blend. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil or small amounts of water until you reach the desired consistency. Drizzle with extra olive oil just before serving.
Naan Source :: Budget Bytes
Hummus adapted from :: Brown Sugar Toast
All photography is my own.
Susanna \\ {Re}visionary Life
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