Sides
Garlic & Cheese Naan
Our local Indian restaurant is great – they do garlic and cheese naan for us even though they’re not on the menu. But when we’re cooking at home, the ready-made supermarket naan just don’t make the grade, so here’s a very simple recipe to make your own.
A perfect accompaniment to Andie’s Lamb Bhuna with turmeric rice!
Makes 8 small or 4 large
Ingredients
- 225g of self-raising flour
- 5g of fast-action bread yeast
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of natural or Greek yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon of melted butter plus extra for brushing
- 4 tablespoons of lukewarm milk
- 70g of grated cheese
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Method
- Half-fill a large mixing bowl with boiling water and place a glass or cup containing the butter into it along with a cup containing the milk. This will do three things: melt the butter, warm the milk to lukewarm and heat the bowl.
- Meanwhile, lightly whisk the yoghurt. In a separate bowl, add the yeast and salt to the flour.
- Once the butter has melted and the milk is lukewarm, ditch the water and, while the bowl is still warm, combine all of the ingredients in it and mix to form a lump-free dough. Cover with oiled (or buttered) cling film and leave to prove for 25 minutes in a dark, warm place. Being a flatbread dough, it won’t rise in the same way as normal white bread dough.
- Mix the crushed garlic and cheese together.
- Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Divide into 4 or 8 balls.
- With a rolling pin, roll each ball thinly, sprinkle half of each flattened dough ball with garlic and cheese, fold over and compress to encapsulate the filling.
- Glaze one side of the naan with melted (or softened) butter and heat under a hot, pre-heated grill until golden brown. Repeat for the other side.
You can vary the fillings and perhaps introduce some almonds or dried fruit.
Turmeric Rice
Turmeric is said to have numerous health benefits. And it makes rice a more interesting colour!
Makes 2-3 portions
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 cup of basmati rice
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 ½ cups of boiled water
Method
- Rinse the rice three times in cold water.
- Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat on the smallest ring of your hob
- Add the rice and fry for a minute, stirring constantly, ensuring all of the grains are glistening with oil
- Add the turmeric and stir well
- Add the 1½ cups of boiled water, stir one last time and cover
- Boil on full heat for 6 minutes. Then reduce the heat to an absolute minimum for a further 6 minutes.
- After 12 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork and serve. If it’s still a bit wet, cover with a folded tea towel, replace the lid and leave to stand for a few minutes.
Add a sprig of fresh coriander to garnish