Chickpea Curry and Naan Bread

My cousin gave me this recipe years back now and it’s become one of our staple meals. It’s easily my husband’s favourite meal, begging that I make it every time I ask him for thoughts on our weekly meal plan. Crock pot eating at it’s best.

The naan bread I made tonight was a new recipe and oh so good! Naan bread is so easy to make, especially when you make it on a crock pot meal day and supper is made in the morning.

Chickpea Curry

• Oil
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 8- 12 cloves Garlic, minced
• 10- 15 cm piece of Ginger, grated
• 4-8 tbsp Patak’s Mild Curry Paste (or other curry paste)
• 2-3 cups cooked Chickpeas (canned if you must)
• 3 cups Yam, chopped
• 1 head Cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 1 bunch Cilantro, chopped
• 1 can Coconut Milk
• 1 15 oz can Diced Tomatoes

1. (Start this curry in the morning so it cooks about 8 hours)
2. Cook soaked chickpeas if you aren’t using canned.
3. Heat some oil in a deep pan or skillet. Add onion, garlic and ginger. (I usually mince the garlic and ginger in my hand food processor for speed.) Cook until softened. Add curry paste and stir intermittently to keep from sticking. Add chickpeas and cook for a few more minutes.
4. Put this curry mixture with the rest of the ingredients in the crock pot, turn it on high and gently toss. You know you have the right proportions when you can barely toss everything together. At least this is how it is in my crock pot. No problem, as the curry cooks if will soften making it easier to mix. I usually turn the crock pot to low or off when the veg starts falling apart.

Naan Bread

• 2 1/4 tsp Yeast
• 1 tsp Demerara Sugar
• 1 cup warm Water
• 3 tbsp Milk (I used almond)
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 2 tsp Salt
• 4- 4 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
• 4-8 cloves Garlic, minced (optional)

1. Proof yeast by heating a large bowl under hot water. Add to now empty and warm bowl, yeast, demerara sugar and warm water. Cover and set aside to proof.
2. To proofed yeast add milk, beaten egg, honey and salt.
3. Slowly add flour, mixing with a wooden spoon and finishing with your hands to make a soft dough.
4. Knead for about 7 minutes.
5. Place back in lightly oiled bowl, cover and put in warm spot for 1 hour.
6. Carefully take dough out the bowl onto the counter or board. Instead of committing dough violence by roughly punching down, redistribute the air bubbles by pushing the dough around with your knuckles. You can spread the minced garlic on the dough at this point. Fold the dough in three like a package and again redistribute the bubbles with your knuckles. Do this one more time and then break of balls (or squares, if you’re like me!), set aside to let rise another 30 minutes (or don’t if you’re rushed).
7. 
8. 
9. Preheat oven with pizza stone to 450′.
10. Roll into rounds and place on a pizza stone and turn over once it balloons and/or is slightly browned. Bush with ghee or butter.
11.