When I moved out of India, there were two things that I missed the most to begin with - one was kadhi and the other was naan. Kadhi is a spicy yogurt and chickpea flour based dish that is enjoyed widely in Punjab. And naan of course is the quintessential bread on every Indian restaurant's menu. Its made with maida (all purpose flour) in a special hot oven called tandoor. The bread dough itself is fairly easy to replicate at home. What is harder to replicate at home is the high temperature at which the naan is cooked in the tandoor. There are a lot of methods which allow to get the naan cooked right - it can be done on the stovetop on a griddle or it can also be done in a home oven. The key to getting this right is to cook it with the broiler on full heat and placing the rolled out naan as close as is possible to the broiler. this will ensure maximum heat for the naan.

Kulcha is a stuffed naan. The choices for the stuffing are endless! My personal favorite is paneer kulcha and keema kulcha comes a close second. Usually the kulcha is fairly well seasoned in itself thanks to the stuffing so it can be enjoyed with pretty much any gravy or even yogurt raita. My favorite is a butter chicken or makhani gravy - don't need the meat, just the silky tomato gravy, well seasoned with an added hint of kasoori methi. It is not the healthiest option but we don't eat this stuff often enough so might as well have a smaller portion of the real stuff.

The naan dough is my own creation (ahem ahem!) I experimented with various recipes till I could come up with my own. This works perfectly for me everytime and it does not matter what weather you're in or if you don't find your usual brands of ingredients. This will work nevertheless. There is some science to getting the dough right - the yeast needs to be dissolved in warm water with a bit of sugar added to it so it can bloom well. All the other wet ingredients need to be warm or at least room temperature. In case you are living in a cold place where the dough may not rise easily on its own, heat your oven to 100F for a few minutes and then place the bowl with the dough, covered with plastic wrap in it. The last thing to remember is that this dough needs to be very soft and its ok if it is a bit sticky when you knead it the first time. While the dough is rising, it absorbs the liquid and comes together. If the dough is not very soft, the naans/kulchas will turn out hard instead of soft and fluffy. This is the single most important step to getting your naan right.

Naan:

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp active dried yeast

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup warm milk (plus more if needed)

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 tablespoons melted butter (plus more for brushing the top of naans/kulchas when done)

Method:

1. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and add the yeast to it. Set it aside for a few minutes and let it bloom.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add the melted butter, warm water with yeast and warm milk to knead into a soft dough. If there is not enough liquid, add more warm milk till the dough becomes really soft - almost sticky. This dough does not need to be kneaded a lot.

3. Put the dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a plastic wrap. Place it in a warm spot or warm oven (100F) till the dough doubles in size.

4. Take out the dough on a well floured surface and knead it very gently with your hands for about a couple of minutes. Break the dough into balls and place them on a sheet covered with plastic wrap for about 30 minutes till the dough balls double in size.

5. When you are ready to make the naan, preheat oven to highest temperature on the broiler and adjust oven rack to topmost shelf. Take the dough balls, one at a time and place them on a well floured surface. The naans can be made by rolling the dough with a rolling pin or by pressing it with your hands to spread out the dough. The naan should be almost double the thickness of a chapati. If you want to give the typical naan shape, elongate the naan with your hand at one end to give it a teardrop shape.

6. Place the naan on a baking sheet/pizza rack and put on the topmost shelf till the naan starts to puff and brown spots appear on the top. Flip the naan and cook on the other side as well. Remove on a serving plate and brush some melted butter on top. Serve piping hot!

Note: You can put onion/sesame seeds on one side of the naan. Chopped garlic can also be put on one side to make garlic naan.

Kulchas:

Ingredients:

Naan dough (above - make till the balls are proofed to double in size)

Stuffing mixture.

Method:

1. Roll the naan into a 4-5 inch circle. Place the stuffing in the center and fold the edges of the circle towards the center to completely cover the stuffing with the dough.

2. Flatten the stuffed dough ball on a floured surface with your hands and either roll it out with a rolling pin or press with your hands till the ball flattens into a medium thick disc.

3.Cook the same way as the naan is cooked.

Stuffing Options:

Potato Masala - Combine the following: 2 Boiled potatoes (peeled and mashed), finely chopped onion (1/2 cup), 1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, fresh ginger paste 1 tsp, red chilli powder, salt to taste.

Paneer Masala - Combine the following: Grated fresh paneer (2 cups), 1/2 cup finely chopped onions, finely chopped green chilli, 1 table spoon coriander leaves, 1 tsp kitchen king masala, salt to taste.

Onion Masala - Combine the following: Finely chopped onions (1 1/2 cup), 1/2 cup boiled mashed potato [this can be omitted also - in small quantities the potato helps to bind the stuffing together without lending any taste of its own] , 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves, 1 green chili finely chopped, 1 tsp ajwain seeds, garam masala, red chili powder and salt (to taste).

Chicken Keema - Over medium high heat, cook 1 cup onion and 2 tablespoon grated ginger in 1 tablespoon of oil till soft. Then add 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp red chilli powder. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add 2 cups ground chicken and keep stirring till all the meat breaks down into small pieces. Add salt and cover and cook over very low heat for 2-3 minutes till all the flavors come together. Add 1 tablespoon chicken masala powder and 2 tablespoons fresh coriander. Stir to combine. Let the filling come to room temperature before stuffing the kulchas.