Topic: Chapati v Naans

[Bobdylan]

Phil yes I quarter a naan up with a pizza cutter and store in a foil bag. When the need arises I just pop what I fancy in the toaster. any toaster would do. I mostly try to avoid using a microwave as to not dry out the Naan. Afraid I’m not uptodate on brand names. It was laying about with abandoned equipment at work so I cleaned it up.

[livo]

Well that's a lucky score then Bob!  A Dualit toaster is worth 5 times what my toaster cost to buy new.  Does it have a crumpet setting that allows 1 side to cook more than the other?  I'd love one of those. 

Used correctly a microwave will not dry the naan out in re-warming anywhere near as much as a toaster will.  A toaster uses a high resistance electric element heater, which is further cooking and therefore drying the bread no matter what you do.  Proof? Even slightly toasted fresh bread is immediately drier.  Surprisingly, nearly 2 decades into the 21st century, and even though they've been around in home kitchens for 50 years, most people still don't know how to use a microwave oven correctly or as intended.  A microwave oven, used correctly for this purpose, will only excite the molecular energy of it's contents just enough to provide warming without further cooking or loss of moisture.  If you blast it at 1200 Watts for a minute you'll have something that will kill a brown dog on impact.  Place the naan in a MW safe freezer bag or MW safe covered container and use a setting of 600 Watts for about 20 seconds.  Let is stand for another 30 seconds and it will have warmed without cooking further or drying out. Experiment with your own MW oven until you find the power level and time that works.  If you haven't already buttered the naan you could even just wrap it in MW safe cling wrap.  Even MW safe cling wrap will react on contact with oil in a microwave so the naan must not be oily.  Although for just warming it probably would be OK. I lived with a modern Home Economics teacher for 5 years and she taught me plenty whether I wanted to know or not.  :

After nearly 30 years married though, my wife still thinks a microwave has only 1 speed.  Full power.  As much as I've tried to explain to her the way a microwave operates it still has not sunk in.  Quicker is better and therefore the highest power is always required.  Why does a microwave oven need different power settings anyway?  Get a new Microwave oven out of the box and plug it in.  Possibly take a quick look at the cover of the instruction manual that comes with it and then promptly throw it in the bottom drawer never to be seen again, or for an even more permanent solution, simply discard it with the other superfluous packaging and warranty forms.  Why do they even put them in the box? 

[Bobdylan]

I love a peshwari naan with my chicken ginger/garlic balti, packed with sultanas, crispy round the edges and softer inside, I start at the outside and go round and round, pulling off pieces to mop up my balti and eventually come to the thicker middle part which I leave. I've had some very wierd concoctions when asking for peshwawi naans, some just covered with syrup ugh! others with desiccated coconut in ugh too, some really sweetened ones, some with cashew nuts (in India) nice., they're like having your pudding with your dinner!

Foureyes/DalPuri You have prompted my memory about Aidey’s YouTube video on Peshwari Naan, I remember he covered the exterior in ground coconut/sugar. Stuffing was coconut powder,sugar and mango pulp.

I will add my own preference, I see Phil has posted his preference below. Light and crispy Garlic Naan heavy with Butter and fresh green Chillies really works for me.

Phil I sometimes find Keema Naan can distract from a main dish due to its pungent oily flavour. However made well and with light Indian salad it’s divine.

https://youtu.be/zuf07jqjhMQ

[Peripatetic Phil]

Sorry, for me peshwari naans are a real turn-off; only a keema naan can really excite me, and (in my experience) go really well with a lamb dhansak, pulao rice, lime pickle and onion salad.  Basic naans don't really do anything for me

[livo]

Hey BobDylan, what did you use to "sand" your non-stick tawa? Why not just buy a proper steel Indian one that would have been cheaper and negated the need to do that?

[Bobdylan]

Hey BobDylan, what did you use to "sand" your non-stick tawa? Why not just buy a proper steel Indian one that would have been cheaper and negated the need to do that?

If it’s a help to you Livo I used “Sandpaper”

Teflon If heated frequently to an extremely high temperature, the coating may begin to decompose and give off fumes. Not nice fumes.

Heavy duty Steel pans Cheaper? Really?

[Garp]

If it

[livo]

Bobdylan, I'm not having a go at you. I was just interested, My kids do a pretty good job or removing non-stick Teflon from my pans. It just takes a bit of time, but sadly not long enough. 

Heavy duty Steel pans Cheaper? Really?

About pricing, yes really, and I'm pretty sure it's easier over there.  I went to the local Indian Grocer and bought a proper Indian steel Tawa, crooked handle and all, for about $20 This is about

[Garp]

Do you ever get the feeling you're turning into some horrible cross-bred incarnation of Phil/Chewy, Livo?

[Peripatetic Phil]

Well, I for one appreciate the intellectual content that Livo is bringing to the forum.  "Bring it on", as I understand the UFC/cage-fight  sub-culture might say ...  Incidentally, I looked for a simple (uncoated) tawa/tava before Livo posted his prices, and found one just as he describes for just under GBP 10-00.

** Phil.