Sunday 9 March 2014

Cumin & Black Sesame Seed Vegan & Gluten Free Naan

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Punjabi MC ~ Challa
Bonnie Raitt ~ Love Me Like A Man
Clare Teal ~ So In Love
KORN ~ No One's There
Bruce Springsteen ~ Born To Run
Bach: Cello Suite #2 in D Minor: Praeludium
Meredith Brooks ~ Bitch
Madison  Avenue ~ Fly
The Smiths ~ There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Sammy Davis Jr ~ She's Funny That Way
Joan Jett ~ Naked
The Union ~ Black Gold
Terrorvision ~ Still The Rhythm
Eddie Vedder ~ Guaranteed

Yesterday was a very good day...during the day we celebrated my Mum's birthday with a lunch and some family fun and then in the evening we enjoyed a lovely evening with some of our close circle of friends. I cooked another meal from the cook book I recently reviewed World Cafe Vegetarian Bible...Ann and I chose the Panch Kol curry which is a deeply hot and spicy curry using many layers of flavours and cauliflower, spinach, mooli, fresh peas and carrots as the veggie base. We all enjoyed the curry and those who can eat wheat had theirs with wheat naan bread and wholewheat chapatis. I ate mine with brown rice and a new test recipe which is today's posting.

I found this recipe via good old Pinterest and the photograph and simplicity of the recipe had me printing it off and placing it in my 'must test today' file. lol. When I could eat wheat, naan was by far my favourite Indian bread. I loved it in it's many varieties but best lightly spiced or with garlic. Now these vegan and gluten free naans are by no means a replacement for the wheat versions but I really didn't expect them to be. My expectations since transitioning to gluten free have all but died when it comes to a replacement for the doughy goodness. I have also gone yeast free so that closed down a lot of recipe doors for me. But I am stubbornly resolved to finding or creating some 'good enough' recipes.

The naan's were easy to make except for the one small issue with keeping them together once they are rolled out but with patience and gentle handling you can make this work. The smell of the toasting cumin and sesame seeds as they cook is heavenly and they also look great and you can feel very satisfied as they begin to stack up. Now for the kicker...I cooked mine off earlier in the day before all the festivities had started because I knew I wouldn't have the energy left to start making them from scratch in the evening. This is where I messed up because the recipe clearly states...serve immediately. When in the stack freshly cooked, they were soft and pliable but when I re-heated them in the evening they had toughened up...a lot. You could resole your shoes with them...lol. But the flavour was great and next time I will make them to eat straight away and not make the same mistake. I may try using a self raising version of the gluten free flour blend I used too to see if that helps...but I look forward to trying them again. See how you get on...I would be happy to hear from you. Thanks go out to Beard & Bonnet for this adapted recipe from The Vegan Planet

Cumin & Black Sesame Seed Naan - vegan and gluten free

Cumin & Black Sesame Seed Naans      Serves 6
(Adapted recipe from Beard & Bonnet)

2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
1/2 tsp salt 
1 cup water 
olive oil
black sesame seeds 
ground cumin

In a medium sized bowl combine the gluten free flour and salt, mix well to combine then add the water and stir until the dough comes together. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until smooth. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. 

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Lightly flour your work surface and hands with gluten free flour then shape the dough into balls and flatten them slightly. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into circles about 6" in diameter. Brush both sides of the dough with olive oil then sprinkle with the cumin and black sesame seeds. If the seeds are having trouble sticking simply press down on them. Roughly a 1/4 tsp of each per naan. 

Lightly oil a large heavy based skillet with olive oil and preheat over med/high heat. Place a circle of naan into the skillet and cook until brown spots begin to appear on the dough and air pockets form inside the naan like giant bubbles, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side then transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough until all of the dough has been cooked. 

SERVE IMMEDIATELY! (lol this is a reminder for me folks..)

The delicious Panch Kol curry...so good. World Cafe Vegetarian Bible

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Sunday has been a relaxing one...

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my recipe so I take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the work of Beard & Bonnet and The Vegan Planet. I thank them for the recipes. ~R~