Garlic Naan

What's the point in making tikka masala if you don't have any naan to swipe up the leftover sauce?  If I had known how easy it was to make naan on the stovetop, I would've made it a long time ago!  Since I had some garlic and scallions lying around, I decided to make the garlic version, which let's face it, is so much better than the plain version.

I found the dough to be on the wetter side, so make sure you work it on a floured surface and use a floured rolling pin or else it'll end up sticking everywhere and to everything.  Sadly, naan does not keep well so I would suggest eating it the same day it is made.

Garlic Naan (adapted from Saveur)
makes 4 pieces

6 tablespoons water heated to 115°F
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 heaping teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
Melted ghee or butter, for brushing

Stir water and honey in a bowl.  Add the yeast and let sit until foamy. Add the flour, yogurt, oil, and salt and stir until dough forms. Knead the dough in bowl until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Transfer dough to a floured work surface and divide into 4 balls. Working with 1 ball at a time and using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 7" circle about 1⁄4" thick. Sprinkle with garlic and scallions and press into dough.

Heat a 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high. Working with 1 piece dough at a time, cook dough, plain side down, until bubbles appear over the surface and brown spots appear on the bottom, about a minute. Flip the dough and cook until the bottom gets browned in spots as well. Transfer naan to a plate and brush with ghee.  Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve hot.

Next:  Pasta con le Sarde
Previously:  Tofu Tikka Masala
Last Year:  Vegan Almond Joy Ice Cream and Bon Bons
Two Years Ago:  Spaghetti Carbonara for One
Five Years Ago:  Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn)
Six Years Ago:  Black Sesame Ice Cream

Tofu Tikka Masala

One of the dishes I knew I was going to miss the most when I gave up meat was chicken tikka masala.  I love that tangy, spicy sauce so much that sometimes I've even asked for just the sauce without any chicken to eat with naan.  So when I saw this recipe for a tofu tikka masala on Food52 I was pretty excited to try it out, especially since I've never cooked Indian food before.

The Food52 recipe is itself adapted from the Cook's Illustrated chicken tikka masala recipe.  I love that America's Test Kitchen took this exotic dish and made it accessible to the typical American home.  All the ingredients are easily found at just about any grocery store, and you don't even need a tandoor to cook the tofu, just your broiler and a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.  I'd recommend spraying the wire racks with cooking spray beforehand so that they're easier to clean after.

I think I like the tofu version even more because I used to find the chicken kind of dry.  The tofu stays moist and is packed full of flavor from the spice rub and yogurt dip.  For these pictures, I followed the Food52 version and used half and half, but in the recipe below I changed it back to heavy cream like it says in the Cook's Illustrated version because I like my sauce a little creamier. I also left out the cilantro since I hate the herb, but if it's your thing, definitely add some as a garnish at the end.

Tofu Tikka Masala (lightly adapted from Food52)
serves 4

For the tofu:
14 oz. extra-firm tofu, drained
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
3 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pat the tofu dry and slice into 3/4" slabs.  In large bowl, whisk together the ginger, garlic, oil, and yogurt; set aside.

Combine the coriander, cumin, salt, and cayenne in small bowl. Coat all sides of the tofu slabs with the spice mixture. Set aside while you start making the masala sauce.

For the masala:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups onion, diced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
3 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2/3 cup heavy cream

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
   
Add the ginger, garlic, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
   
Add the salt, sugar, and crushed tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and turn on the broiler. Dip the tofu into the yogurt mixture (tofu should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on an oiled wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil tofu for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
   
Cut the tofu into chunks and stir into the warm sauce (do not simmer tofu in sauce). Adjust seasoning with salt, and serve with basmati rice and/or naan.

Next:  Garlic Naan
Previously:  Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) with Tofu
Last Year:  Homemade Ginger Beer
Two Years Ago:  Rosemary Honey and Lemon Frozen Yogurt
Five Years Ago:  Homemade Dulce de Leche and Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
Six Years Ago:  Butter Mochi Cupcakes

Kaddo (Afghan Pumpkin with Yogurt and Tomato Sauces)

One of my favorite places to bring visitors to Boston is this Afghan restaurant in Cambridge called The Helmand.  Usually, it's the first time any of them have had Afghan food, and I love introducing them to the signature appetizer there, the kaddo.  It's a "pan-fried then baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served on yogurt garlic sauce, topped with ground beef sauce."  It sounds like a pretty strange flavor combination and is unlike anything else I've ever tasted, but it's absolutely delicious.

I've had kaddo at another Afghan restaurant before, and it was definitely less sweet, so my guess is that the version served at The Helmand has been "Americanized".  I found this recipe on Chowhound that gives a range for the amount of sugar to add and also suggests a vegetarian version.  I didn't add the dried mint to the yogurt sauce because I didn't have any, and I reduced the amount of onions for the tomato sauce.  Despite the changes, I was really impressed with how close this recipe is to what they serve at The Helmand.

Kaddo (Afghan Pumpkin with Yogurt and Tomato Sauces)
serves 4 as an appetizer

2 - 2 1/2 pound sugar pumpkin
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 -1 1/2 cups sugar (I used about 2/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried mint (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup water

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

Cut the pumpkin into quarters. Remove seeds and strings, peel the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut down into about 2-inch chunks.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a dutch oven.  Brown the pumpkin pieces, turning frequently, until golden brown.

Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over pumpkin. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Mix together yogurt with the mint (if using) and crushed garlic in a bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and cook the onions until lightly browned. Add the garlic, coriander, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cook until the spices are toasted and fragrant.  Add tomato sauce and water, mix thoroughly and bring to a simmer.  Lower heat and cook about 20 minutes until it cooks down to a thick sauce.

Serve the pumpkin with the yogurt and tomato sauces.

Next:  My Mom's Taiwanese Sticky Rice
Previously:  Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)
Last year:  Miso Marinated Black Cod

Rosemary Honey and Lemon Frozen Yogurt

I'm back, both figuratively and literally!  I got back last week from a 2 week vacation to Europe.  My friend, Ces, and I went on a Celebrity cruise to Italy, Greece, and Turkey and then stayed an extra couple of days in Rome.  Being on a cruise, we definitely ate our fill, but the most memorable food I ate was all in Rome.

Before we had left for the trip, I had looked up the best gelato in Rome to make sure that we didn't waste any space in our tummies on inferior product.  We tried San Crispino when we were at the Trevi Fountain and Grom near(ish) the Pantheon, but the one that blew me away was Gelateria del Teatro, in between Piazza Navona and Ponte Sant'Angelo.

I chose the Rosemary Honey and Lemon and Sicilian Almond flavors and could not stop raving about them while we made our way to the Vatican.  I love almond flavored anything, and this was the first time that I had tasted an ice cream that really captured the pure almond flavor without tasting buttery or artificial.  And the rosemary was an unexpected first note that mellowed out with the honey and lemon in a way that was completely and perfectly balanced.  Ask Ces; I think I actually stopped walking several times because I was just enjoying the gelato so much.  It was so good we went back for a second round after returning from the Vatican!

I knew I had to try to make the rosemary honey lemon flavor when I got home so I pulled out Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home and searched for a honey flavored base but didn't find one.  So I tried using her ice cream base, substituted honey for the sugar, and steeped the mixture with rosemary and lemon peel before thickening it.  It ended up tasting way too sweet for me, and I think the honey kept it a little softer than I would have liked.  I decided to try making it again with less honey and using the frozen yogurt base to lighten it up a little and give it a little more tang.  I was really pleased with this version; it's not an exact duplicate of the gelato from Rome, but I think it's just as good!

Rosemary Honey and Lemon Frozen Yogurt (based on on the Frozen Yogurt Base from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home)
makes about 1 quart

1 1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup honey plus more, to taste
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Zest from half a lemon
1 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used 2% low fat, but I think nonfat and regular would work fine)

Mix about 3 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.  Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.  Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Combine the remaining milk, cream, honey, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat, add the rosemary and lemon zest, and let steep for 20 minutes.

Remove the rosemary and zest with a slotted spoon.  Taste the mixture; if it's not sweet enough, add some more honey (I ended up adding about another tablespoon).  Gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture and return the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the yogurt and blend well.

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath.  Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Pour the frozen yogurt base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid.  Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Next:  Spaghetti Carbonara for One
Previously:  Happiness Cake
Four years ago:  Black Sesame Ice Cream