Naanthe tandoor dough, the blistered top
A dough that's thin, high-hydration, and cooked fast over high heat — the heat is the rule (the tandoor's equivalent, on a home pan or grill), and the blisters on the top are the sign of the heat doing the . The yeast underneath is the structure, and the ghee on top is the finish that ties the chana masala's sauce to the dal makhani's stock — the body underneath, the aroma on top.
Equipment
- A heavy, dry pan or a grill grate, for the heat
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour, for the dough underneath
- 125 ml natural yogurt, and a 100 ml of warm water, for the dough's hydration
- 5 g instant yeast, for the dough's structure
- 30 g ghee, for the finish on top
- A pinch of fine sea salt, for the dough
Method
- The dough. Mix the flour, the yeast, and the salt. Add the yogurt and the warm water, and bring it together to a dough. Knead for 8 min, until the dough is smooth and holds its shape. The dough's rest is what lets the heat do the on the pan without tearing the wrapper.
- The rise. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 h, or until doubled. The yeast is the structure underneath the heat, and the dough's gluten is the move that holds the heat without tearing the wrapper.
- The shape. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, and roll each thin — about 12 cm across, the wrapper logic: the flour and the water doing the structure, the dough's rest doing the thinness.
- The heat. A heavy, dry pan on high, or a grill grate on high. Cook the wrapper about 90 s a side, until the top has blisters and the underside is charred in spots. The heat is the rule: the blisters are the sign of the , and the heat doing the is the move that carries the section's flavor logic.
- The finish. Brush the wrapper with the ghee, and serve it while it's still warm. The chana masala's sauce, or the dal makhani's stock, is the move the wrapper reads against — the body underneath, the aroma on top.
Common failures
- Dense, tough, no blisters. The heat was too low, so the wrapper cooked instead of blistering. The heat is the rule: the blisters are the sign of the heat doing the , and that's the whole flavor logic, on a dough body.
- Rough, tearing, the wrapper broke. The dough didn't rest long enough, so the gluten tore when the heat hit. The dough's rest is the move, and the wrapper's thinness is what lets the heat do the without tearing.
- Yeasty, sharp edge, the smell came through. The yeast rose too long, and the ferment did the flavor work on its own. The yeast's dough is the structure, and the heat's is the finish that ties the two together.
Variations
- The butter. Double the ghee at the finish, and the wrapper reads a little richer. The butter logic on a dough body — the same move the chana masala's sauce reads against.
- The garlic. A 4 g scatter of grated garlic, brushed into the wrapper just before the heat hits, and the sauce logic is the same, on a dough body.
What to serve with it
The chana masala's sauce, or the dal makhani's stock, is the move the wrapper reads against. The biryani, as the section's stock on a rice body, is the other half of the table.
More
Back to Indian · Techniques (doughs, pan heat, grilling, yeast, sauces 101, stocks and dashi, wrappers, fermentation, rice)