2tbspvegetable or canola oil+ more for proofing and cooking
1egg
To paint the Naan bread
50gunsalted buttermelted
1garlic clovefinely grated or minced
1tspsalt
For the garam masala
38gcuminwhole
38gcoriander seedswhole
1tspcardamom pods
1tspblack pepperwhole
1small bayleaf
1/2tspcloveswhole
1/2cinnamon stick
For the chicken curry
2tbspvegetable or canola oil
1 1/2large brown / yellow onion
2garlic cloves
5gpeeled ginger
2small tomatoes
1tspground coriander
1tspground cumin
1/4tspground turmeric
1/2tspchili powderadjust to your tolerance to spiciness
2tspgaram masala
60mlwater
2chicken breastsin cubes
1tbspwhipping cream
1tspunsalted butter
Salt to taste
Coriander or mint to garnish
Instructions
For the basmati rice
Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the rice and mix constantly for a minute.
Add the salt and water and mix. When it starts to boil reduce the heat to a minimum and put a lid on the pot.
Cook for 15-20min or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove the lid and use a fork to fluff up the rice.
For the Naan bread
Mix the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
Knead the dough until it's homogeneous and shiny.
Drizzle a bit of vegetable or canola oil in a bowl and place the dough inside. Turn it so it gets coated with the oil. This will help prevent it from drying out as it proofs.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and let the dough proof for one hour or until it has doubled in size.
Divide the dough in 6 portions and stretch them to 2-3mm thick using a rolling pin.
Preheat a pan on really high heat until it begins to smoke. Paint a bit of vegetable oil on the pan and place a portion of Naan on top. You'll see it puff up and from then give it a couple seconds and turn it around for a few extra seconds.
Place the bread in a bowl and cover them with a kitchen cloth so they stay warm. You can paint them with a mix of butter and salt or also add garlic like I did.
For the garam masala
Place all the ingredients on a baking tray and into a preheated oven at 180C for 3-5min. We want them to be nice and golden but they also burn pretty fast so keep an eye on them.
To grind them up I used a mortar and pestle and did it in 4-5 sections. You could also use a spice grinder or a food processor.
If you can't find any of the spices in their whole version you can replace for their ground version. You should still toast them a bit on a pan on low heat and stirring constantly since they are ready really fast.
For the chicken curry
Blend the onion, garlic and ginger. Also blend the tomatoes but keep them separate.
Place a pot over medium heat and add the oil. Cook the onion purée in there. At first it will release lots of water and you will only have to stir occasionally but as it dries up you need to be more careful because it will start to stick to the bottom of the pot.
It's ready when the mix has completely caramelized and it has a brown colour.
Add the blended tomatoes and mix constantly until it thickens up and you can clearly see the bottom of the pan when you stir.
Add the spices and mix. Then add the chicken and the water and place a lid on the pot. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook the chicken for 10-15min or until nice and tender.
Add the cream and butter, mix and correct the salt level. To garnish it would be more traditional to use coriander but I can't stand it so I went for fresh mint.
Notes
*If you're using dry or fresh yeast first mix it in with the warm milk and sugar and let it rest for 10min. If you don't see any bubbles or froth after this it means the yeast is dead and you need to get a new one.