Ingredients

Check off ingredients as you go

For 6 very large naans or 12 medium ones

• 500g sifted flour (4 cups)
• 1 tsp dry yeast (5g) or a piece of fresh yeast cube (12g)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 170ml barely warm water (¾ cup)
• 125g yogurt (plain or Bulgarian) (½ cup) or cashew cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 60ml neutral oil (4 tbsp)

For the garlic and cilantro topping

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

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These Naans pair beautifully with chicken tikka masala.

Preparing the cashew cream

• If you don’t want to make the cashew cream, you can substitute with 125g (½ cup) plain or soy yogurt.

1. Bring 100ml (scant ½ cup) water to a boil. When the water boils, turn off heat and add the cashews. Let rest for about twenty minutes. Put the cashews in a blender with 5 tbsp water. Pulse at first - the mixture will be very grainy and gradually become a smooth cream. Scrape the sides several times so the blender can process everything.

Preparing the dough

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and water. Let rest a few moments until the mixture foams.

2. In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, put the flour, oil, and cashew cream, mix a little then add the water-yeast-sugar mixture. In the photo before mixing, you can clearly see the smooth texture very similar to yogurt, of the cashew cream.

3. Knead the dough well by hand or with the dough hook, until the dough becomes smooth and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl - this takes several minutes. Don’t hesitate to adjust with water or flour to achieve the desired consistency as this can vary depending on the flour used.

4. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise (1 hour or until the dough doubles or even triples in volume) in the turned-off oven (I preheat it to 37°C/98°F for a few minutes before turning it off and putting the dough to rise, so it’s barely warm).

5. While the dough rests, peel and chop the garlic. Wash, dry, and chop the cilantro. Put them in a small bowl with neutral oil (easier for brushing).

Shaping the naans

6. When the dough has risen, divide into 12 balls (about 70g/2.5 oz each). Place the small balls on a lightly floured work surface. Start with the first ball, and flatten it with your hands (or with a rolling pin) to obtain a relatively thin disk. Brush with the oil-chopped garlic-cilantro mixture using a pastry brush or the back of a small spoon.

Cooking the naans

Traditionally, naans are cooked in a Tandoor, a very hot clay oven. But if you want a result close to those served in restaurants, after trying both cooking methods, the one that comes closest is pan-cooking.

7. In a very hot small pan (heat to 9 on induction and lower to 7 when you place the naan), without fat, gently place the naan with the garlic-brushed side facing up so it doesn’t burn.

Cook for a few minutes covered (about 3 minutes, it goes fast), you’ll flip it for 10 seconds on the brushed side. Place on a serving dish, optionally brush with oil and proceed this way with the remaining naans.

9. Serve immediately, with cucumber raita sauce, mint chutney or chicken tikka masala for example.

Tips and variations

• Naans freeze well.
• You can also bake them in the oven in this case: preheat the oven to 300°C/570°F (mine goes up to 275°C/525°F maximum) for 15 minutes. Gently place on a baking sheet, they’ll puff up nicely with air. Lower the oven to 255°C/490°F and bake for 6 minutes. Brush with butter or neutral oil previously mixed with the chopped cilantro and chopped garlic right out of the oven (important if you want them to be slightly moist and shiny on top).
• You can find pure cashew butter in the organic sections of supermarkets, you can then use 50g (3 tbsp) of butter that you’ll dilute with 75g (⅓ cup) water if you don’t want to blend your cashews.

You can easily make variations by changing the herbs or even making, for example, cheese naans: