Thursday, September 23, 2010

Naan Pizza with Coriander Tomatoes + Yogurt Cheese

I invented this cultural mash-up. At least I thought I did until a quick Google search revealed 10 billion similar recipes. Nevertheless, I was the first one in my house to make it, and surprisingly, it may just be one of the best things I have ever tasted. The marriage of pizza and Indian food sounds like a 3 a.m. dream food craving come to life, and it is. You must try this. It's delish.

The naan:

1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/8 tsp. garlic powder (fresh garlic will burn on the stone)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp rapid-rise yeast
about 1/2 cup warm water

The dry ingredients go into the food processor with the dough blade in place. Turn the processor on and drizzle the water in until the dough clumps into a ball and rolls around the bowl. Stop the processor, grab the dough, cut it in half, and roll each half into a ball. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes.

Place pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven. Turn the broiler on medium high and preheat for 20 minutes. This sounds strange, but it mimics the effect of a tandoori oven. Roll each dough ball out into an oblong shape that is about 12 inches on the longest side. Pull out the rack containing the stone, place dough directly onto the pizza stone, push the rack back in, and shut the oven door. Allow each bread to cook for about 3 minutes or until the top is blistered and brown. Remove naan from the oven.

The sauce:

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp coriander
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp hot curry powder
1 jalapeno (minced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 white onion (thinly sliced)
capful of white vinegar
salt

Toppings: yogurt cheese and cilantro

Add the butter and spices to a pot over medium-high heat. Cook spices in butter for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the onion and cook a few minutes until translucent. Add remaining ingredients. Smash the tomatoes with a potato masher or a large wooden spoon. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer until thickened.

Now set your oven to bake at 450 degrees. Dress each cooked piece of naan with half of the tomato sauce and a few ounces of shredded yogurt cheese. Place on the pizza stone until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish each with cilantro. Spring this unexpected pizza on your next dinner guests.

2 comments:

Mama said...

Indian flavored pizza is a favorite in our house. I had never thought to use yogurt cheese though. It sounds like a wonderful addition.

laputain said...

My other half recently tried naan for the first time and blogged about how he coped without a tandoor. Unfortunately our teeny oven won't let you run the grill (broiler) at the same time as the oven, so we just turned it up as high as we could. He'd taken advice about using two pizza stones to reflect heat at each other...for once the fact that his has cracked in two came in handy!

I did think naan was always made with yoghurt in the dough- did yours taste authentically asian or was it more the texture that did it?