Naan with Mango Salsa and Raita

Feel like taking a trip to India? I made this for our Indian Themed dinner party and was a little nervous, since I have never had Naan before, and didn't know what to expect. It was actually quite easy and some of the party goers who have had Indian food said it tasted pretty authentic. This recipe came from allrecipes.com


1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (between 105-115 degrees)
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp minced garlic (optional, I did half with garlic, half without)
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat. I used a grill pan on the stove top.

4. 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.

I found that the longer it sat on the grill, the puffier it got, and I may have screwed up my yeast too. As a side note, I used rapid rise yeast since I was in a time crunch. Perhaps regular yeast would work better.

This recipe made about 20 or so 2-3 inch sized naan.

Mango Salsa, would be great with chicken!
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 cups chopped pitted peeled mango (I used the fresh mango already in the jar in the produce section)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 habanero pepper diced finely
4 tsp olive oil

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Makes about 2 3/4 cups.

Raita
recipe from Bon Appetit

1 large unpeeled English hothouse cucumber, halved, seeded, coarsely grated
2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh mint
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp plus pinch of cayenne pepper

Wrap grated cucumber in kitchen towel and squeeze dry. Whisk yogurt, mint, cumin, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper in medium bowl to blend. Add cucumbers and toss to coat. Season raita to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Sprinkle raita with pinch of cayenne pepper and serve.

As a side note, I strained the yogurt for about 1 hour or so, to get rid of the excess water. It could have been strained a little longer. The comments mentioned using Greek yogurt, and straining was not needed then.

Makes 8 servings.