Spicy Keema Stuffed Naan Bread w/ Mint

The seasons are rapidly changing and it appears that autumn is in a hurry this year, we've already experienced the first frost and endless torrential rain, its musical patter is currently keeping me company as I write. 
In fairness we've had some beautiful autumn days too, such as last weekends trip to the countryside, the day was as golden as an apple with crisp cold air, bright sunlight and crunchy leaves underfoot. I know I'll miss this in a few weeks time when the cold really settles in and I forget what it feels like to have feeling in my fingertips. I suppose the only remedy is spicy food and mugs of hot chocolate, so who's complaining.  

The parkland we visited had a kitchen garden where they grow their own produce and although there were no summer fruits to be seen, there was a scattering of apples still clinging to bare branches, figs in the greenhouse, herbs of a great variety and pumpkins - lots and lots of pumpkins. In our own garden the herb patch is still thriving and the mint is particularly resilient this year. 

Now here comes the somewhat smooth segue into todays recipe - keema stuffed naans. A fluffy naan bread almost focaccia-like in texture, with a spicy minced meat filling, freshness from chopped mint and a golden exterior topped with crunchy nigella seeds.  

This was a bit of a learning curve for me as I'd eaten something similar and wanted to recreate it, any adjustments required will become apparent in the recipe but this is well worth a try as the results are delicious. 

So to make the Spicy Keema stuffed Naan Bread with Mint begin by making the dough:

To activate the yeast in a small ramekin pour in one sachet or 1 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast and 2 tsp of sugar, mix to incorporate. Then add in 4 tblsp of warm water (not too hot), stir and leave to rest for a few minutes. When the yeast is activated it will form bubbles. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine 450g of plain flour, 300g of wheat flour, 1tsp of salt, 1tsp baking powder, 150g natural yogurt and 2tsblp oil using the dough hook attachment, once the yeast is activated mix this in. Pour in around 150ml milk, you may not need all of it or you may need more, bring the dry ingredients together under you have a soft dough.

Rub some oil over the dough and the inside of the bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours. 

To make the spicy keema filling:

 Begin by finely chopping one large onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger and 2 green chillies. In a pan heat up 2tblsp of oil and fry the onion mixture until golden brown. Next sauté the spices - 1 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp mixed masala, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 1/2 tsp salt. In addition to 2 tblsp tomato puree and 1 1/2 tblsp lemon juice. 

Once the spices are mixed in, add in 200g of minced chicken and a splash of water if required. Cook on a high heat until the chicken has coloured. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and leave the mixture to cook stirring occasionally.

Once all the water has evaporated (the mixture must be dry), add in your freshly shredded mint leaves - the amount you add depends on your preference. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning and spices as you see fit.

To make the stuffed naan:

Lightly flour a surface, punch the dough to release some of the air then divide into 7-8 pieces. 

Roll the dough balls one at a time until they are an inch in thickness, keep the other dough balls covered when not using.

Place a few tablespoon in the centre of the dough circle and scatter on some more mint.

Then bring the edges up to cover the mixture, seal into a ball then roll out - roll on the side pictured i.e. the one with that is crimped, the dough is slightly thicker on this side and it will stop as much mixture coming through (the picture below shows what happens if you roll the other side)

Pierce the surface with a fork, brush with melted butter and top with nigella seeds and more shredded mint.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7 and heat up a heavy baking tray. Grease the tray then place on the naans (as much as you can fit), cook for 3-4 minutes until cooked on one side, then flip and cook the other side for a further few minutes until golden. 

Whilst hot brush with more melted butter.

Serve warm with cucumber and fresh yogurt, or reheat for tasty packed lunch option.

😋

Enjoy!

 Now for a few seasonal pictures for those who stayed to the end

 Appreciating the beauty of autumn with a walk in the park

Pumpkins galore!

The last of the crop from the Kitchen Garden

The figs we picked

Q x

Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

In my psychology class in college we studied sleep, it was mostly a dull yawn-worthy subject but I did learn that our bodies natural circadian rhythm determines if we're a night owl or a morning person. Judging from my moody morning state and hate for all things AM I'm pretty sure I know which category I fall into. Although this isn't from lack of trying I must say, I want nothing more than to wake up happy and refreshed at the crack of dawn, watch the sunrise, have some tea and an instagram-esque breakfast, listen to a relaxing playlist, do some yoga (lol) and be productive af basically, but alas it is not to be. 

This morning was as hectic as any other, but now its nearing midday I'm in my element. I have a hunk of soft banana bread, strong tea in pretty blue china and a decent book, so its all good (even though I do have a very long to-do-list to get through later).  

As for this banana bread, it is quite magnificent. Now I've never been one for bananas or breads I'll be honest but with an alarming amount of darkening bananas on hand I did have an issue. 

So yesterday I whipped up a super quick loaf and now I'm a die-hard fan, a fully fledged banana bread convert. The flavour is subtle and not too sweet with a toasty crust and soft middle, oh and the smell is insanely good, plus its healthy. Win-win-win.  

So to make this Choc Chip Banana Bread, you will need the following ingredients:

- Ripe bananas

- Plain flour / self-raising flour

- Sugar

- Sunflower oil

- Eggs

- Baking powder

- Bicarbonate of soda

- Ground cinnamon

- Vanilla Extract

- Milk

- Rolled oats

- Dark chocolate chips

Begin mashing up two large bananas until smooth and no lumps remain. An additional banana can be added if you want to enhance the banana flavour. 

In a separate large bowl crack in two large eggs, 60 ml of sunflower oil (or other flavourless oil), 75 ml of milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract - beat until until combined, then mix in the banana.

To this add 170g of plain flour, 55g self-raising flour, 1 tblsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 1 and a 1/2 tsp baking powder, 150g caster sugar (or granulated) and 65g rolled oats. 

Using a spoon, mix until combined taking care not to overbeat as this can affect the texture of the bread.

Gently stir in the desired amount of dark chocolate chips, then pour the mixture into a lined loaf tin.  

Bake in preheated Gas Mark 4 oven for roughly 35-40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. the exterior may look slightly dark but take care to check the skewer as there is a lot of moisture in the cake. 

Slice up and eat while warm or save for a delicious breakfast, this can be spread with soft butter or eaten as is.

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x

*recipe adapted from Bigger, Bolder, Baking

Soft Pretzel Buns

In theory I love the idea of making bread, the almost therapeutic putting together process and then the smell of the baking (has some revolutionary captured this bread bakery-esque scent in candle form yet, because if so I need) and finally the consummation aka devouring of soft, fresh, fluffy, bready goodness. In practice however I've only made bread from scratch a handful of times, mostly because I rarely have the foresight to plan in advance and also bread making can take a great deal of time and skill. A colleague of mine is actually trying to sustain a sourdough pet, admirable but something I wouldn't even consider. A couple of weeks ago however I did venture into bread territory, the reason being that it was my grandmother's birthday and I wanted to bake her something. She's diabetic so sugary things weren't an option and upon doing a little internet searching I settled on pretzels. 

This particular recipe* that I ended up using yielded incredibly soft and fluffy buns with a golden brown exterior. Now I'll be honest I've never had soft pretzels before, those small hard-baked pretzels are the extent of my culinary experience in this field, but I'll be completely biased in saying that these are the nicest soft pretzels, ever. They are also amazingly easy to make aka virtually no proving time required aka music to my ears.

So to make these soft pretzels buns you will need the following ingredients:

- Plain flour

- Fast action yeast

- Water

- Butter 

- Brown sugar / salt

- Bicarbonate of soda

In the bowl of a stand mixer begin by stirring 1 sachet of fast action yeast into 360ml of lukewarm water, allow this to settle for 1 minute before stirring in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of cooled melted butter. If using unsalted butter add 1 tsp of salt otherwise add 1/4 tsp of salt.
Add 3-4 cups of plain flour to the liquid mixture, one cup at a time, beating well using the dough hook attachment. Judging by the texture, add a 1/2 cup more flour if required - at the end of this stage the dough should be springy to the touch. 

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes, once done pop the dough back into the bowl and cover with a tea towel. This rests for around 10 minutes and in the meantime we can create the bicarbonate of soda bath. To do this bring 9 cups of water mixed with a 1/2 cup of bicarbonate of soda to the boil. 

To create the traditional pretzel shape follow the picture diagram above, note that the thicker the dough rope used the more bun-like the pretzel will be. 
Then using a slotted spoon, submerge the pretzels one at a time into the boiling bicarbonate bath, remove after 30 seconds, drain as much water as possible and place onto a lined baking sheet. This treatment step is important because it gives the pretzels their golden colour and traditional flavour via the Maillard reaction (click the link for more nerdy info). 

Sprinkle the pretzel buns with your desired flavouring, I opted for salt and black cumin (also known as Nigella seeds or fennel flower). Then pop the baking tray into Gas Mark 6 oven until the pretzels are golden brown, around 18 minutes. 

Have the pretzel buns whilst their warm, either plain or slice and add a filling or even dunk in a dip of your choice. 

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x  

*recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction