Get home at 8 after a busy day and getting busier with new projects (like oh, say, trying to get back to writing more than two posts a month here). Crank the oven. Grab a piece of naan (make a big batch over the weekend or use frozen). Slather with spread. Toss on a handful of vegetables. Naan in oven. Egg cooked over-easy in my favorite blue egg pan (it counts as a meal if I can put an egg on it).
Dinner and done.
The toppings really are up to your imagination, but in case you’re looking for some suggestions, the two above were: black bean spread, sliced green onions, queso fresco, over-easy egg; red pepper/eggplant spread, left over sauteed leeks, chicken sausage.
Naan
Ok, to be fair this part is not so quick though takes hardly any effort or attention and means I have the basis of dinner for at least a few nights. I’ve mixed together a batch of dough in about 10 minutes, shove the whole thing in my (turned off but warm) oven for up to four hours while I’m out doing fun things. Get home, take the bowl out of the oven, crank up the heat, flatten out the pieces of dough, and have fresh naan about 40 minutes after walking in the door (and most of that is just waiting for the oven to heat up).
I usually end up with about 6 slightly-larger-than-my-hand sized naan, but you could make more or less depending on your needs. Recipe adapted from Manjula’s Kitchen.
3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups flour (up to 1 cup can be whole wheat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of baking soda
2 tablespoons oil (olive or canola work equally well)
2 1/2 tablespoons plain yogurt
In a small bowl sprinkle yeast over the warm water. Set aside to get bubbly, about 5 to 10 minutes.
In a larger mixing bowl, stir together flour(s), salt, sugar, and baking soda. Stir in yogurt and oil until the dough is crumbly; add the water and yeast. Stir/knead (I used a fork as the dough kept sticking terribly to my hands) everything together until the dough is smooth. You may need to add up to a 1/4 cup more flour to make it manageable but the dough will still be very soft and sticky.
Drizzle with a little extra oil, cover the bowl in plastic wrap, and set in a warm place until doubled, up to four hours.
Place a baking stone or upside-down cast iron pan on the lower-middle rack of your oven, turn the heat up to 500 for at least 30 minutes. Gently press the dough to deflate and knead for a minute or two.; divide into equal sized balls. Lightly roll each ball in flour then press or roll flat.
Turn your oven to broil. Fit as many naan onto the baking surface; bake 2 to 3 minutes or until the dough bubbles begin to brown. If serving immediately, brush with melted butter (ghee if you want to be authentic) or allow to cool and wrap tightly with foil for up to three days. To reheat, preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake naan for 2-3 minutes.
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