Your food looks great Livo and your enthusiasm is infectious - it's what this forum needs at the moment.

How did you prepare the Laziza Tikka marinade? I've only ever bought the premade Laziza botti marinade on a jar, but this is not so easy to find in shops whereas the packet mixes seem to be more readily available.  It's good that you achieved a result you were happy with.

Ok, so you've achieved the soft texture you felt was lacking when cooking the same recipe using a tawa?  How much shorter is the cooking time in the tandoor?

Looks very nice  Livo. How was the texture of the naan? Did it live up to expectations?

Thanks Livo, I've bookmarked that site to go back to when I have more time. Looks like she has some interesting pizza toppings to think about.

I like the detailed description of technique in that video and will try to replicate this technique with H4C ingredients and a tawa cooking method next time I make naans. Unfortunately it's only a couple of weeks since I last made them, so I have a freezer full (ok, about ten really) so this will have to wait.

For what it's worth, I agree with you. I can make a nice tasting naan at home with a tawa. It's close to the real thing, but I also notice the difference in texture compared with a good restaurant naan.

I think your theory is a resonable one - perhaps the higher temperature and shorter cooking time of a real tandoor makes for a naan with a higher moisture content post-cooking. 

What was your conclusion on more kneading vs less kneading by the way? You said you'd tried both.

I think it's interesting you're seeking to analyse this recipe and method - I'm sure with practice you'll find a combination which suits you best.

  A couple of thoughts - the bad flavour you noted from the self raising flour could be from the baking powder used, or some other additive.  Does the packaging give any clues?

Salt vs. No salt - I think this is a misconception on the part of H4C, because as far as I'm aware, self raising flour in the UK does not contain salt. It seems to be just the American market where salt is added to self-raising flour, but because of the mass of online content produced in the US you don't have to look far to find websites stating that all self raising flour has added salt.  As usual the yanks don't seem to be aware of the existence of the rest of the world.

For sure you should add salt to this and any bread recipe.

Are you sure of the ratio 30g baking powder to 1 kg plain flour, to replicate self-raising flour?  Not because I think you're wrong, but just because I will make note of that for future reference if it's confirmed.

Which recipes did you use for your test cooks last night? Have you thought of sticking with 1 recipe and experimenting with different amounts of kneading or varying the rest period, to see what different results you get?  Often with bread recipes it's the technique used, rather than the exact ratios of ingredients, which produces the biggest variation in the result.

I would've thought it's very possible.  Either that or you didn't make the naan wet enough with water before slapping it onto the tawa.

Hi Zikomo,

You could safely add any of the substitutions you mentioned, or omit the coconut entirely - it's far from necessary in this or any other base sauce recipe. If you were cooking a chicken Ceylon curry then yeah, you need some coconut flavour from somewhere, but for a base gravy the most Important flavours are very well boiled onions and turmeric. Other additions like carrots, red peppers, tomato, garlic and spices only add small changes to the flavour.

Most of the flavour in your finished curry will come from the garlic, ginger, spices and tomato paste you fry at the beginning of the dish. The base gravy will just be adding bulk to the sauce. Don't get too hung up on trying to replicate exact ingredients in a base recipe. Most important is that it's mostly comprised of onions, has turmeric in, and is cooked for long enough to give a mild flavour without a harsh bitter onion taste.