HOME MADE NAAN -HENRY K'S

I'm so glad I signed up for foodbuzz because I found this wonderful recipe on Henry K's Flavour's blog through foodbuzz. He called it Excellent Home Made Naan and with a title like that how could anyone resist trying the recipe. Also I noticed that there were five stars next to the recipe so I never gave it a second thought and decided to make it.

Like I always do, I skimmed through the recipe, picking up only the important parts, scrawled the recipe (ingredients only) ona scrap of paper and tried to remember the rest in my head. Computing has a way of making you detest handwriting.

The original recipe called for unbleached flour and 1 tablespoon of wholewheat flour. I used plain white bread flour and instead of peanut oil I used olive oil.

3 cups plain bread flour plus 1 tablespoon
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

In a small bowl add water, oil, sugar and yeast. Stir. Keep aside and let it froth. I always thought this step was not necessary when using instant yeast but I wanted to follow instructions so I did it anyway.

Put flour in a large bowl and put in the frothed yeast mixture and 1/2 cup of milk. Mix first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands knead until smooth. Maybe 5 to 10 minutes. Add flour bit by bit if sticky. When smooth let it rest for 10 minutes on the board. I have no idea why but that was what Henry K said to do. Then put into a greased bowl and leave it to rise till double the size with a damp cloth over the bowl.

When the dough had risen I put it back on the board and pressed it GENTLY with my knuckles, careful not to push it forward, as per Henry K's instructions, as you would normally do when kneading other kinds of bread. When I pressed it down into a rough rectangle, I then, according to Henry K's instruction, folded one end over midway and then the other end over it. I pressed the dough down again GENTLY into a rough rectangle and did the same folding over again. Then I was not sure whether I should make it into a long roll or what.

In the end I did not do anything like that but instead just divided the dough into 8 equal parts and then formed them into balls by gathering up the edges and pinching it underneath until they formed a ball shape. Henry K gave strict instructions not to roll the dough between your palms like modelling clay. The feel of the dough should all the time be soft and spongy.

Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (I did not use cling wrap) and let them rise a little....about 5 - 10 minutes.

At this point heat up the oven to 200 C. Place an ungreased baking tray to heat up in the oven at the same time. Henry K suggested a pizza stone! If anyone out there (In Malaysia) has a pizza stone I'd like not to know.

Then take one roll and with your thumbs and four fingers press it into a flat circle and continue doing so until the circle gets bigger and then start flipping it from one hand to another until it develops into a naan shape, oval, that is. Somehow the circle never got bigger so I had to pull it bit by bit to make it get bigger. Watch the video on the link to Henry K's blog that I am going to give you at the end of this post (after you have finished with mine).

Do this for all the other rolls of dough and when all are ready then cover with a damp cloth/tea towel, let them rest for about 5 minutes and then just before putting them into the oven on the heated baking tray give the naan a few more flips. I put in 3 naans at a time.I used a pretty large tray. I did not use the broiler though because I did not remember reading that Henry K said to use the broiler. I could not go looking at his blog while I was so busy focussing on flipping the darn naan.

I baked them in the oven until it turned lightly brown and they bloated up. The puffiness subsided after a while out of the oven (thank god) otherwise it would have looked quite unbecoming. It didn't take long at all actually...I did not time the baking it but I would say about 5 minutes.

My naans looked nothing like Henry K's. They were no dark brown spots and they were thicker because I could not keep checking his blog to see what they looked like exactly. So depending on my memory, If you can call it one, I thought the naans were supposed to look like how I made them. Nice, thick and fluffy looking.

Also I did not look at his video on flipping the naans until I had finished eating my naans because my computer is so S-L-O-W. So you should look at the video first if you have to urge to make the naans. Henry K's were thinner and I am sure that that was how they were supposed to look. But it tasted really good anyhow and I liked the puffiness. They went well with the chicken curry. Yum.

The link is here.

TIPS : All on Henry K's post.

CHINESE ONION PANCAKES

When we lived in Taiwan for three years I loved watching the chefs of a certain eatery make these Chinese pancakes through the glass window of the shop. The pancakes looked so good and crispy when just off the hot pan that I practically stood there and drooled. And the chefs were so deft at making them that I could have stood there all day just watching them roll out, fry and flip them over one after another almost deliriously for the long queue of waiting customers outside. Like all skilled cooking demos I found the pancake making quite mesmerizing. Not that they were all that difficult to do but, heck, I just love watching skilled chefs at work.

Apparently it was a favourite snack amoung the locals and I was so delighted that I came across a recipe book in ENGLISH that had a recipe for that exact Chinese pancake.

The pancake looks very much like a mamak roti canai although not as flaky but delicious just the same. These pancakes can be eaten with anything you fancy. A curry in my case or as the Taiwanese would eat it , with Moo Shu Pork, (stir fried pork and eggs).

Like the roti canai, eggs can be added to these Chinese pancakes when stir frying them. It's the Chinese version of a Malaysian 'roti telur' or 'egg roti' I suppose. I've never tried cooking the pancakes with eggs as we are a little health conscious but I am very certain it tastes even better that way.

Because of the way the pancake is rolled up and then rolled out the pancake does fluff up a little
when fried thus giving it it's crispiness while hot. And the onions give it sweet flavour. The original recipe calls for lard instead of olive oil to be brushed on before rolling it up.

Recipe for the Chinese pancakes/crepe :

1 1/4 cups plain flour
3/8 cup boiling water
1/2 egg or 1/8 cup cold water

1 Tbsp chopped green onions
1/2 Tbsp shortening or olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Dough : In a bowl add boiling water to flour and mix. Add egg or cold water. Mix again until smooth. Set aside for 20 minutes. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth. After resting remove the dough and knead it on a lightly oiled surface until smooth and elastic. Roll the dough to form a long roll and cut into 6 pieces.

Take one of the 6 pieces of pancake dough and roll out into a cirlcle about 4 inches in diameter. Brush dough lightly with shortening or olive oil. Sprinkle salt and then some green onions over the dough.



Now fold one side over up to the middle of the circle and then fold over the other side as in the picture.




Then taking the dough from one end roll it up like a swiss roll. Then turn it over on its side like in the picture below.




Press the dough down and roll it out into a circle ready to be fried in a pan.



Do the same to the other 5 rolls of pancake dough. And its best not to overlap them up the way I did though especially if you're making quite a number. Keep them seperate otherwise they'll stick.



Heat up a pan and then pour in about 1to 2 tablespoon of cooking oil. The original recipe called for 4 tablespoons but I found that a little too much. When the oil is hot fry the pancakes until golden brown on one side and then turn over to fry the other side.



Enjoy. YUM!