Naan II and Mint Chutney

Unlike the last naan I made, this recipe does not use yeast. It also comes up much puffier and less "pita-like." The recipe comes from my favourite Indian cookbook, The Spice Box by, Manju Shivraj Singh, as does the recipe for mint chutney.

I used bread flour and skim milk in mine without any bad results. I made a few changes in the technique such as having the milk at room temperature and adding the leavening agents with the dry ingredients.

For the Naan:

2 cups bread flour (you may need more, so keep it handy)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk (at room temperature)

2 tablespoons melted ghee, cooled to room temperature

1/2 cup of yoghurt (I used lowfat)

1 egg

1 tablespoon ghee for brushing tops

1 tablespoon onion seeds for topping

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. add the wet ingredients and mix well until you have a soft dough, adding more flour if needed. Let rise in a buttered bowl for four hours, covered.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Divide dough into four parts. Pull the dough with your hands into the shape of a footprint. Brush the top with a little ghee and top with some onion seeds. Wet the bottom with your other hand by dipping it first in water (it sounds weird, I know). Place on baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned. They may stick a bit, so give them a good budge with a thin spatula and don't freak out if you have to really chop them off the sheet. It cleans up easily enough.

For the chutney:

2 cups chopped mint

2 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 fresh green chili, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup water

Put everything in a blender and grind.