Curried Red Lentils with Nutty Naan

If I was forced to make a list of my top 10 favorite foods, naan, a south-central Asian and Middle Eastern flatbread, would most certainly be included. Similar to a pita, this bread has a true rustic texture: soft, chewy, and dappled with crispy bubbles. Depending on the region, naan can be fried or baked, leavened or unleavened. I got such a craving for this bread that I tried making it myself.  It was a impulsive craving.  I swear one of those hot, doughy bread saucers was floating around my head and filling nostrals with smells of toasted wheat brushed with butter. Naanaanaan!  I had to have some! With such a sudden cooking outburst, I hadn't realized that my bread flour supply was running dangerously low until I ended up with an empty bag in the middle of preparing dough. The end result was a "nutty naan."  Whole wheat flour became a main ingredient to make up for the lack of bread flour in my pantry.  Despite such a recipe alteration, the end result was just as dreamy...

Homemade, whole-wheat Nutty Naan.

Nonetheless, in my option, naan truly shines at the table when it can be accompanied with dishes laden in spicy sauces to dip, scoop, and clean your plate with.  Red Lentil Coconut Curry, brown rice, yogurt, and hot sauce became my naan's handsome counterpart. 

Red Lentil Coconut Curry

Sassy red lentils. 

This dinner was an experiment of sorts. Never before had I prepared flatbread, cooked (let alone ever heard about) red lentils, or used coconut milk as a curry base. Luckily, everything turned out even better than I had imagined. Scrumptious! I happily enjoyed these spicy winter veggies with sassy lentils as leftovers... even long after the naan had disappeared.  If you are looking for a hearty meal to warm you up from the inside out, I recommend making the recipes that follow.

Nutty Naan

Adapted from "Simply in Season" cookbook

Serves 8-10

1/4 cup warm water

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbsp. oil

2 teaspoons salt

2.5 cups bread flour

2.5 cups whole-wheat flour, plus extra for kneading

Extra oil or butter

Mix the first three ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to make sure yeast is alive (will begin to foam). Mix the 1 cup water, yogurt, egg, oil, and salt in a large bowl until wall combined. Stir in yeast mixture. Now, begin to stir in the bread flour and then begin adding whole wheat flour until a soft dough forms. Knead 5 minutes. Turnout into a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Near the end, begin heating a bit of oil/butter in a large frying pan (medium-high heat). I used about 1/2 Tbsp. butter to cook each piece of naan. Separate leavened dough into golf ball-sized balls (I did one at a time). Roll each ball into a very thin circle, only a few millimeters thick. Cook each piece, one at a time, until golden and puffy on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side). 

Leavened dough pile from which I would tear off one small
ball at a time and then roll it out as thin as possible.

The thinner the dough, the better it will bubble up in the
hot skillet. This piece got too thin and tore. 
But this level of thinness was what I strived for.

Red Lentil Coconut Curry 

Adapted from "Simply in Season" cookbook

Serves 8-10

1 large onion, minced
13.5 ounce can coconut milk (full fat best)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups red lentils, dried, rinsed
5 cups water
1/2 head cauliflower florets
1/2 large sweet potato, peeled, cubed
1/4 head cabbage, shredded and chopped
1 cup peas (frozen are fine)

Spice mixture:
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp. ginger powder
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 teaspoon tumeric, ground
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayanne pepper, ground
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 bay leaves

Throw your can of coconut milk in the freezer for 20 minutes while you dice the onion and mince the garlic. By that time, the fat from the can will congregate at the top, as shown here:

Use the coconut milk fat to saute the onion and spices.
The fat separates from the milk nicely with a quick freeze. 

Once your coconut milk fat is displaced from the can to a large cooking pot, heat it over medium heat and saute the diced onion until translucent and soft. Add the ingredients listed under "Spice mixture" and cook, string constantly, for 3 minutes. Do not let the spices or the onion to brown! Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and tomato sauce to the pot. Turn heat down and simmer this spiced sauce on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring often. Now add the lentils and water. Continue simmering the mixture for another 20 minutes. Now add the prepared fall/winter vegetables, reserving the peas until later.  Turn heat up to medium-high to allow the mixture to boil gently until the vegetables become tender (about 30 minutes).  Add the peas around the last 10 minutes of cooking if you like them to remain a vibrant green (I threw my peas in early specifically so that the peas would lose a bit of their green hue). Taste the seasonings and add more if necessary, perhaps just a teaspoon of salt.  Serve over rice garnished with your favorite curry toppings. My favorite curry topping happens to be plain yogurt and sriracha sauce!  However, toasted sunflower seeds or Indian chutneys could certainly give your leftovers a facelift.  

Must-have curry toppers.
If I don't have yogurt, sour cream is my go-to substitute.

Who knew that a simple craving for naan could inspire such a unique cooking cascade?