How to Make Naan

Naan, particularly garlic naan, is my favorite Indian flatbread. I got hooked on it when my husband, myself and our two children lived in India for a short period of time. After returning to the U.S., I largely mastered Indian cooking, primarily through following recipes in Indian cookbooks. My friends and family all raved over my Indian cooking, but there was one thing I simply could not do: make naan.

The problem is, naan is traditionally cooked at 900 degrees Fahrenheit in a clay oven, called a tandoor. Even most Indian families do not have a tandoor, and at a few thousand dollars, I certainly didn't foresee buying one any time soon. So I regularly cooked Indian food at home, and when we just couldn't stand not having naan, we'd head to the nearest Indian restaurant, where naan was sure to be served.

Being the frugal person I am, I tried to cook naan. I tried every recipe I could find. Every now and then I'd get renewed hope when I came across a new recipe or method for cooking naan, but they were always dismal failures. Sure, they tasted okay. Tasty even. But they weren't naan.

One thing all the recipes had in common was they required the use of an oven at a high temperature. That makes sense, because naan is indeed usually cooked in an oven. So imagine my skepticism when I found a recipe where the naan was not cooked in the oven, but on the stove top. In a cast iron griddle. With a lid (which would simulate an oven). I got up my nerve to give it a try.

Oh my. It was good. Really good. Did it turn out 100% like naan I would get in an Indian restaurant? Not quite. But pretty darn close. So close in fact that I now cook naan regularly at home, and we are no longer overly impressed with naan purchased in Indian restaurants.

Come along as I show you how to cook naan in a simple cast iron griddle, on the top of your stove.

(Photo Nan Shiva by Wikimedia Commons)