Sunday, April 17, 2011

Vegan Garlic Naan


I was little hesitant about this. I made naan previously for a potluck and it was kinda suck. They were flat, too hard, and not helpful with the scooping of delicious things. Approaching this recipe with an open mind was a bit difficult, but I had a few new ideas. One reason my last batch didn't do so well was because my oven was too low and they cooked too long. Now, I could try it again with higher heat, or I could go the pan route. I chose Saute Pan as my weapon of choice.

This was a very wise decision, indeed. Maybe a hearty, toothsome, almost chewy naan isn't to your taste, but oh crap was it to mine! I had no idea that's what I wanted until I took a bite. This is no piddling bread to go with better food. This is NAAN. Not only was it delicious ripped apart and eaten alone, but I loved making open-faced sandwhiches with my stewed tomatoes and lentils on top. The coriander made this a much more flavorful, savory bread then I was expecting, but it really raised the bar. It goes suprisingly well with many more food combinations that you'd imagine.
Drawback: my pan looks like I tried to kill it. Anything cooked on my stovetop looks like that now. I think a heavy bottom skillet with more oil than the smidge I used would work wonders. Or, I bet a cast iron skillet without oil would work too. I'm sure there's a way to get them puffy in a skillet, but I haven't gotten there yet. Let me know if you have any tips.

Here is the base recipe. I went ahead and added the minced garlic, but about half of the recommended. I could have handled more since I used a mix of whole wheat and buckwheat for these, and the flour gave it a darker, more robust flavor. Also, I left out the vegan sour cream because I couldn't find any. I just substituted a little more almond/coconut milk with a tad of lemon juice. Does anyone have a favorite recipe for naan?

I know I'm all kinds of behind on vegan recipes. Ugh. What's up with this? I'll try harder, especially since I've found some amazing ones. Next time.

No comments: