Grilled Cardamom Naan

Cardamom is a spice that is popular in Indian cuisine.  I really like it and have been trying to figure out how to describe it to you.  Wikipedia says it's intensely aromatic - which is true because everything on Wikipedia is true.  The only thing I can think to say is that it is a very warm spice.

If you've never had cardamom you should try it - it's definitely a great spice and makes a great addition to a lot of Fall dishes (think pumpkin)... plus it's pretty awesome in this Naan bread.

If you've never had naan, you should try that too.  It's a flatbread that's popular in India and other parts of Asia.  Many cultures have their own versions of flatbread - like Greek Pitas and Mexican Tortillas - and I generally prefer them to regular bread.  Probably because they're generally used as a vehicle for other things like dip and tacos.  Regular bread is usually just a vehicle for butter which is not bad (I obviously have an affinity for butter) but I'll take some hummus, tzatziki or huevos rancheros any day.

The dough comes together like regular bread dough - yeast, water, honey, olive oil, bread flour, salt and cardamom get kneaded together, separated into individual naan and left to rise.

Traditionally naan is cooked in an oven, a tandoor to be exact, but these are cooked up in a cast iron skillet.  They cook up pretty quickly - just a minute or two per side.

I love the texture of this bread - it's like eating pizza crust.  I personally think it's a little aggressive on the cardamom flavor, particularly when you eat it by itself.  However, when you eat it with another food - like a tasty curry - the cardamom flavor blends in really nicely.  CA thought it had the perfect level of cardamom, so there's that.

You can find the recipe on Food and Wine.  It's pretty cardamomey so feel free to cut back on the spice if you want to.

I served this with a Beef Penang Curry, also from Food and Wine - the pairing was perfect.

I also served this with wine.... from the wine store...  a Gewürztraminer to be exact.  Which is a slightly sweet wine which is perfect with spicy foods.  It's also cool because it comes with an umlaut.  Google that.

Enjoy!
Julie