By Kurma Dasa on 20 Jan 2008
This popular leavened bread, especially enjoyed in Punjab in
north-west India and Pakistan, is cooked in a traditional coal or
wood-fired clay oven called a tandoor. Many versions of this flat bread
are found throughout central Asia, from Iran in the East to the Soviet
countries in the North.
The breads, enriched with milk, yogurt and butter, are
slapped onto the inner walls of the hot oven where they cook quickly,
partially puffing, and taking on a smoky flavour. The occasional
charred spot from where the flames lick them adds a delightful crisp
textured crust. This recipe calls for a household griller, which does a
pretty good job.
If you have a tandoor oven, all the better. Naan are
traditionally sprinkled with kalonji seeds that are also known as
nigella seeds and occasionally misnamed as onion seeds. Kalonji seeds
are available at Indian and specialty grocers.
