What is Naan?
Naan is a pan-cooked Indian flatbread made of water, wheat flour and sometimes yogurt. It may be cooked plain or sprinkled with spices, such as cumin seeds. The dough is rolled into a thin, flat disc and cooked over a medium high heat until it is firm and tender. Naan is best served hot and traditionally eaten as a side in Indian meals.
What does Naan Taste Like?
Sweet is one of the five main tastes. It has smooth and round notes in its flavor profile. Sweet is a naturally occurring flavor in many foods, including fruits, berries, winter squashes, sugarcane, and honey. The sweet taste in these foods is due to a higher sugar content. Sweetness is characteristic of desserts and is used as an accent in savory foods.
Ingredients
All purpose flour comes from wheat and though wheat is cultivated all around the world today, it was first cultivated in Turkey 10,000 years ago. All purpose flour is white in color and has a soft texture. This incredibly versatile flour is used in everything from breads, cakes, pastries, crackers, pasta, sauces and much more because of its pleasing and mild flavor that is slightly nutty and buttery. The gluten protein is what helps hold together breads and other products, part of what makes all purpose wheat flour so popular.
Yogurt is a bacteria fermented dairy product made from milk. Cow's milk is usually used, but any kind of milk will create yogurt. The bacteria and gentle heat coagulates the milk to create the thick and creamy substance known as yogurt. Yogurt is white and easy to eat with a spoon. Its flavor is gently tart. Yogurt is used for dishes both sweet and savory and is most often eaten as a snack in the US.
Butter is made from churned cream, usually from a cow. It has a cream color and a texture that is smooth and melts easily. The flavor is mild and creamy. Butter is often sold in square sticks, or as a flat or round block. It is delicious on bread. It pairs better in baked goods than salted butter, due to its more neutral taste. It also makes an excellent cooking fat.
Sugar comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. The sugar is extracted from the juice of both plants and refined into the granulated substance known as sugar. Sucrose, the sweet substance of sugar is a combination of glucose and fructose. White sugar is composed of tiny white, dry granules. The flavor is sweet and neutral. Brown sugar is brown and has more moisture, with a richer flavor that hints at molasses. Sugar is used in both sweet and savory foods.
Baking powder is a fine, white, powdery substance with a neutral smell and a very bland taste. It is an acid and used to instantly leaven baked goods. It reacts when it touches moisture and differs from yeast because of its instant leavening reaction. Baking powder is primarily used in flour-based baked goods to help cakes and cookies rise. Baking powder can be found in many non-yeast baked goods.
Yeast is a single celled organism used in food and beverage production. It both naturally occurs and is added in to certain foods such as breads, beer and wine. Specific kinds of yeast are used to add depth of flavor to savory foods. Yeast is usually sold as tiny beige granules. It leavens bread, ferments beer and imparts a satisfying umami flavor.
Nigella seeds, also called Nigella sativa, or black seeds all come from the blue and white flowering black caraway plant, or Nigella sativa plant. The seeds are the size of a sesame seed and black. The flavor is peppery and strong with a taste similar to oregano, but highly pungent. The flavor is almost medicinal. These little seeds are used in cooking to flavor dishes and pack a small punch of flavor.
