It is HOT this week! Here on the east coast, it’s in the 90s and HUMID! The west and northwest are getting hit with temperatures in the 100s. That’s 32 to 37°C for those not in America! And I know, I know… not as hot as some places! My son and I went to Southeast Asia two years ago, and it was 110° plus humidity many of the days we were there! And I’m seeing parts of the Middle East have been setting record numbers above 120°F recently. So HOT, HOT, HOT!
And when it is super hot like this, the last thing you want to do is turn on your stove or oven! Whether you have air conditioning or not, the added indoor heat that the stove and oven generate is just not something you want pouring into your home! But, I was craving Indian food this week… and I know, most Indian food is made on the stove. But there are some dishes, like tikka masala, where the meat, or paneer, is grilled and you only have to make the sauce on the stove… not so bad!
BUT, you can’t have Indian food without naan, in my opinion. I mean, obvs you can have roti, but I really, really prefer a good piece of naan with my Indian food. I love soaking up the sauces with it. Hands down the best naan I’ve ever had was in Singapore in Little India. OMG. Heavenly.
My son and I spent a couple of days walking around Singapore… and I mean walking. I think we walked 10 miles one day? Pretty good for a then fourteen year old! As I love Indian food, going to Little India was an absolute must for us. We had a food tour later that day in Chinatown, so we only needed something to hold us over. We went into the large food market in Little India and there were so many stands, how do you choose? They were all generally offering similar fare, so it was basically playing a game of eeny meeny miny moe. Well, we spun the bottle and ended up choosing well (hell, maybe any choice would have been an excellent choice!).
We ordered a plate of butter chicken and garlic naan to share. The butter chicken was delectable. But the naan, omg, the naan! Garlic, buttery naan! The naan was so delicious, we ended up ordering more… and they were huge! But so, so good! And it has been my mission to figure out how to make naan as good as Little India in Singapore! Honestly, I wish I could go work in an Indian restaurant kitchen for a week just so the chefs can teach me all of their amazing secrets!
That said, I still make a pretty good naan. Nothing close to Little India, but definitely better than store bought! And normally, I make naan by cooking it on a very hot cast iron pan… but as I said, it has been hot this week! And while it’s one thing to make an Indian sauce on the stove over medium/medium-low, it’s a whole other thing cooking naan on a very hot cast iron pan! But as I also said, I gotta have naan with my Indian food!
So, I said to myself, grill it. What??? Yea, grill it! People grill pizzas. Why not grill up your naan? And I approached it very uncertainly, not sure how it would turn out. But let me tell you, this is a game changer! And if you grill this over charcoal or even wood for the extra flavor, then you’re really going to have your mind-blown! And it really could not be easier!
If you use a gas grill, then heat it up nice and hot… I like to maintain a temperature between 400°F and 450°F. When it’s nice and hot, turn the flame off and spray down the grill generously with a high temperature grill spray… vegetable oil, avocado oil, you get my drift. If you’re using charcoal or wood, do this before you light up your grill. Basically, you don’t want to be spraying oil directly at fire! Then, just like with a cast iron pan, the naan cooks for about 2 minutes per side.
Since the grill is generously oiled, I don’t rub anything on the naan itself. I saved this for after grilling it. If you prefer to do this beforehand, go for it. This is totally personal preference. After my naan was done grilling, I melted ghee in the microwave and brushed it on the top of each piece. Again, personal preference, but you could definitely brush ghee (or butter) on both sides of the naan. I just didn’t feel the need to add that much extra fat to my naan!
Now, my grill is old and crotchety and ready for a replacement in the next year. AKA, it’s turning into a rust bucket and I can only really get the center grates really, really clean. So, I only used the center of my grill to grill the naan, which meant working in batches of three. However, if you have a nice grill or don’t mind if your ancient grill stains your naan a bit with all its old grease, then you should be able to fit all of the naan evenly across your grill. I like to move the naan into different spots once I flip it to ensure that nothing sits in a particular hot spot longer than another piece.
And that is it! Delicious and super easy naan on the grill while the inside of your house stays nice and cool… or not, if you don’t have air conditioning, in which case I’m an ass for rubbing that in here.. sorry. But, well, less hot then.
Anywho, enjoy!
How to Make Naan on Your Grill – Grilled Garlic Naan
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Rise Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 naan 1x
- Category: Indian
- Cuisine: Side, Bread
Ingredients
¼ cup warm water (about 110°F)
1 TB yeast (or one packet)
2 TBs honey
650 grams flour (about 4 cups, not scraped flat)
1 TB salt (I prefer Himalayan pink salt)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¾ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
20 garlic cloves, finely minced (trust me!)
high temperature cooking spray (i.e. grill spray, avocado spray, etc.)
2 TBs melted ghee, for brushing
mixed herbs, chopped (dill, cilantro, parsley, thyme)
Instructions
Measure the water into a measuring cup. Check the temperature with a thermometer to make sure it’s between 105° to 115°F. Add the yeast and honey and whisk to combine. Let sit until frothy ~ about 5 minutes. Whisk again to absorb the yeast.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, measure the flour (I prefer to weigh it). Add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. With the dough hook attachment, mix together on low. While still on low, add the yogurt, almond milk, yeast water, and garlic. Slowly increase the speed one notch at a time as the dough comes together until its working on high. Once all of the flour has been incorporated into the ball of dough, turn the stand mixer off.
Scoop out the dough and place on a wooden cutting board, bread board, or lightly floured surface. The dough may be tacky but should come cleanly off of your hand. If dough is sticking to your hand, sprinkle the dough lightly with flour and knead for several minutes until the dough removes cleanly from your hands.
Lightly grease the bowl of the stand mixer with olive oil, using a paper towel to wipe the oil around the sides and bottom and remove any excess oil. Form the dough into a ball and place back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel and let sit in a warm spot until doubled in size ~ about one hour (NOTE: I like to turn on my oven for about 2 minutes to create a warm environment, particularly during air conditioning months; then, turn off the oven, place the bowl in the middle of the oven and close the door).
Punch the air out of the dough and scoop it out onto a light floured surface. Knead it for a minute or two to get the air out. Cut it into eight equally sized pieces (I again like to weigh it). Using your hands, flat each piece into a small puck. Then pick it up and, working along the edges, pull the dough and flatten it with your hands until it’s about ¼” thick (visualize working a pizza). The pieces do not have to be round. I prefer elongated. For ease of transfer, stack the naan dough on a plate with wax paper separating each piece.
Preheat the grill. If using a coal grill, clean the grates as best as possible and thoroughly spray with the grill spray before lighting the coals. If using a gas grill, preheat the grill to 400°F before cleaning the grates. Then, turn the grill off and thoroughly spray the grill spray. Turn the grill back on and maintain a temperature between 400°F and 450°F. When the grill is at the desired temperature, arrange the naan evenly across the grill, working in batches if necessary. Grill for 2 minutes then flip and continue to grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Return to the plate.
Melt 2 tablespoons of ghee in the microwave. Brush each pieces of naan on one side with the ghee. Sprinkle with mixed herbs, if desired. Serve while hot! Enjoy!
(To store, wait until completely cooled. Store in the refrigerator for 1 week in a ziplock bag or freeze in a ziplock bag up to 6 months. Defrost and heat to desired temperature in the microwave, wrapped in paper towels.)
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