Hi , Zzikester
This is the recipe that has? been given to me by a top chef .They never use yeast in authentic  Nan bread, they use some thing like sourdough and not much of it , the Indian chefs call it? Kamera
It can live for ever and it will not die unless you don't feed it , it is an active living thing.
You need to make it once? in your live ,you don't need to make it every time you make Nan? bread.
It is a little bit difficult ,but remember you need only to make it once.
If you don't make Nan in a daily bases then it will die and you need to start again.
Her is the recipe for Kamera :
100g of live yogurt ( please use the one from the Indian stores because it is really alive ).
50g sugar (any? kind? ) i once used mild honey and it was fine.
25g plain white flour
25g wholemeal flour ( please don't substitute any other kind of flour ,only wholemeal flour ,other wise it will not work, i made this mistake before )
Mix all the above together very well? cover and leave in a temperature of 30 C degree.until it rise and fill the bowl. I don't know how you are going to get this temperature her in the U.K, i will leave it to you to figure it out . It is very easy in the restaurant kitchen because it is very hot in there .
I made mine? while i was in a holiday? abroad (it was very hot) and brought it? back with me her to the U.K.
this is it .
Now to make the dough:
100ml? warm milk
25g sugar or mild honey
100g yogurt
100g true? butter ghee? melted
1 tea spoon salt.
0.25 tea spoon ground fennel
0.25 tea spoon whole black onion seeds (kelonji )
The Kamera from above
Mix very well then add as much? plain flour as it take to make a dough
You can add extra warm milk or flour .
Cover and leave to rise until it is doubled.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?..................................................................................

This is the most important bit if you forget to do it you will start making the Kemera again from the beginning,please be careful.

TAKE AT LEAST? 75g? OF THIS DOUGH AND PUT IN A WELL COVERED CONTAINER AND PUT IN THE REFRIGERATOR FOR YOUR NEXT PATCH OF NAN BREAD.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?.............. ...................................................................................................

Then cut the rest of the dough into Nan shape and bake in a tandor? (this what they told me ) but try a very very hot oven? with the tray heated inside the oven as well, be very careful when you handle the hot tray.


Some points? :
Some restaurants? use 100g eggs , (but after they take the piece of the KEMARA out? and put in the refrigerator)? , then of course they will add more flour because they added liquid (eggs) to the dough
Eggs will make a very very soft dough ,i tried it my self .
Some restaurants add baking powder as well but you don't kneed it if your Kemara is really active alive and kicking.
The Kemara need to be really alive before? you use it, it can take from 12to 24 hours to rise in a30C degree .It will smell very nice it will smell of Nan bread,if it doesnot smell nice please don't use it through it away and start again with a very very clean bowl, please don't use your hands to mix the ingredients for the Kemara use a metal spoon after you washed it throughly.
Please don't get poision ed be very careful.

I have different kinds of stuffing for Nan, from sweet to savory
Please let me know and i will post it.
I hope i helped
Thanks
ghanna

Dear Mary
Could you please see my thread on Chicken tikka masala  ,it is from a top chef in the U.S.A .
Thank you
ghanna

Hi, All
I kept thinking why don't i smell that awful odour in the restaurant chicken tikka masala, despite it is not cooked the way that i described in the other thread ,i.e it is  not boiled .
I phoned the  kitchen staff ,this is what he said :
Yogurt is a great odour eater.
He  encouraged me to do this test, take the chicken  away from the marinade  after keeping it in the marinade for at least 24 hours ,then  boil this marinade and try to smell it or tasted ,it is full of this awful odour.
Because of that most of the chefs asking people to through this marinade  away and never to re-use it.  As well it is full of bacteria
I am going to fellow his advice and try the marinade recipe that he gave me today and see what is the result.My main concern at the moment is the odour
I hope that this information will help you all.
thanks
ghanna

Hi, Darthphall
yes they are using gas and so do i.
When you say that you cook the oil on high for 20 to 30 minutes do you mean you heat it up like when you are going to fry chips ?
I wish you luck with the  Lasan chicken curry.
Please come back and tell us.
Thanks
ghanna

Hi,Darthphall
It take approximately the same time for me , but in the restaurant it is quicker,it take less less time.
I don't know why.
Thanks
ghanna

hi,Darthphall
thank you
you really helped , saved me going through different books and  surfing in the internet
i will use it next time
thanks
ghanna

hi,all
last time when i went inside the restaurant kitchen i noticed some thing called   UHT cream in a papper box, it look like the fresh orange juice boxes.
when i asked about it no one seems to know any thing about the word UHT.
if any one know what does it stand for ,please come back and tell me.
they use it in  Chicken tikka masala, Korma and  pasanda , they told me that this UHT cream make the curry more creamy and smooth and it is cheaper than the tinned evaporated milk.
by the way this UHT cream can stay in its box at room temperature but if you open the box you need to use it within  two days.
thanks
ghanna

hi,Pete
yesterday i made the chicken jelly kept it refrigerated, skimmed the chicken fat from the top.
i used only the chicken jelly in the curry gravy, it added specail kind of taste and richness to the gravy.
it mellowed the onion taste a bit,the dominate flavor was the chicken flavor.
sorry Pete i couldnot taste that missing taste that all of us are after...
i am going to carry on using your curry gravy  (600ml oil ) really and honestly it is one of the best.
Pete do you think that we will ever discover how to produce that very nice taste ?
my hope is fading.
thanks
ghanna

Dear Barry
Very nice post.
Thank you
ghanna

hi,all
when i go inside the restaurant kitchen and watch them prepare my curry ,i notice that the oil separates very quickly from the gravy even when their  gravy is very thin .
when the gravy is that thin it only means that they watered  it a lot, so how come that the oil separate very quickly when there is a lot of water in the gravy ? i have been told that the oil will not separate from the gravy unless much of the water is evaporated.
in my kitchen it take me some time to get the oil separated ,i cook over a very high heat  like the restaurant do.
if any one know the reason for this ,please tell me.
thanks
ghanna