Peshwari Naan,Mughlai Apricot Biryani,Shahi Paneer

Peshwari Naan
The final recipe required to create the most divine Mughlai
banquet is this recipe for Peshwari Naan; a soft and fruity
coconut-flavoured bread to mop up a variety of sumptuous
sauces.
Naan is one of India’s most famous breads, and probably the
most well-known Indian bread in British restaurants. Whether
it’s flavoured with chilli, garlic and coriander or sultanas
and coconut, you can be sure that a good naan will be soft,
slightly chewy, a little charred in places and finally,
drenched in butter.
Can I share one of my pet peeves with you? The term ‘naan
bread’. Want to know why?
Naan means ‘bread’, so saying ‘naan bread’ is about as useful
as saying, ‘bread bread’. My point being that by simply saying
‘naan’, the bread part is implied. You wouldn’t say ‘kuchen
cake’ would you?
Sultanas and coconut are very traditional ingredients in
Peshwari Naan, which can be stuffed with a sweet filling and
cooked in a super hot tandoor (clay oven). Simply stick them
to the side of the oven walls and watch them puff and bubble
up.
Unfortunately my repertoire is not yet bad ass enough to carry
off an entire tandoor (the big boy power tool of the Indian
kitchen), so I used a domestic grill. Having said this, my
birthday is coming up… and you know what that means.
Nuts are also common ingredients in recipes for Peshwari Naan
– I skipped these in fear of being all ‘nutted out’ at my
Mughlai banquet. Feel free to add almonds or pistachios if you
prefer. I also mixed my sultanas and coconut into the dough as
opposed to stuffing them inside the naan in order to really
simplify the method.
This recipe for quick and easy Peshwari Naan is my favourite
accompaniment to Melt in the Mouth Paneer Kofta, Shahi Paneer
Stuffed Okra and Creamy Pistachio and Cauliflower Curry. Hang
in there for an entire Mughlai-inspired menu coming up in the
next post.
Peshwari Naan
(makes 8-10)
Ingredients
475g bread flour, plus more for rolling
270ml milk
130ml oil
7g instant yeast
50g sultanas
30g coconut powder
30g desiccated coconut, plus more for sprinkling
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp rosewater
1 tsp sugar
Butter to serve
Method
1. Heat the milk to 32°C and whisk in the yeast and sugar.
Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
2. Mix together all of the other ingredients except the oil.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the
oil. Mix in the milk and yeast mixture and bind to a dough.
The dough will appear sticky at first but continue kneading
for 5-8 minutes, adding another tbsp oil if necessary. When
smooth and elastic, place the dough in a large, greased bowl
and cover with a damp tea towel. Allow to rise in a warm place
for 1 hour.
3. Knock the risen dough back and knead for 2 minutes. Divide
into 8-10 pieces.
4. Flour a clean, smooth surface and roll the dough to around
½ cm thickness and pull into a teardrop shape. Sprinkle one
side with more coconut and gently roll a rolling pin over to
press the coconut into the surface.
5. Place the naan, coconut side down on a piece of foil and
grill until golden. Flip and cook the coconut side for a
further minute until the coconut is lightly toasted. Butter
and serve.
Omit the sultanas, coconut and rose for a recipe for plain
naan, or substitute these ingredients to make garlic and
coriander naan, chilli naan or cheese naan. They’re simply
divine with any Indian curry.
Mughlai Apricot Biryani
The past few days have been spent planning an elaborate baking
mission composed of sweet treats to make your heart cry out
for a detox – though I’m not yet ready for said detox.
In honour of all things royal wedding, I’m creating a banquet
fit for kings and queens. Our party spread will be formed of
rich, sweet and spicy dishes for us to present to our family
and guests so they can ‘ohh’ and ‘ahh’ over it while we take
all the credit for such an extravagant and mouth watering
menu.
Biryani is a bit like a newborn kitten – except you don’t cook
nor eat newborn kittens. It requires heaps of concentration,
patience and love.
Each individual component needs to be prepared to just the
right level before the ingredients can be assembled in a
harmonious fashion, and then gently steamed to create an
insanely delicious smelling and tasting dish to fight over at
the dinner table.
Swollen soaked saffron strands
In the last post we discussed the origins of Mughlai cuisine
and what
rice is
layered
aromatic
makes it so majestic, and this fruity, nutty aromatic
right on point. Juicy apricots and pineapples are
up with fluffy rice, spicy potatoes, sweet onions,
saffron and kewra water (screwpine extract).
Screwpine is the same plant that produces pandan and as the
name suggests, kewra has a very distinct ‘pine’ incense aroma
and a very slight vanilla flavour. It’s traditionally used in
biryanis (among other rice dishes), meat curries, Indian
desserts, baking and savoury gourd (melon) dishes.
I’m not going to lie to you, you are likely to do a double
take when you see the ingredients list. Take courage, my
recipe provides you with a straightforward process to follow
to create a true masterpiece. In truth, the assembly of
biryani is not unlike the process used to make lasagne – it’s
all in the preparation, so be prepared.
The following method is very detailed because I want to give
you a complete guide full of handy hints and tips to make the
perfect biryani for any occasion, and not only this one.
Mughlai Apricot Biryani
(serves 6, or 8 as part of a large meal)
Ingredients:
400g basmati rice
340g baby new potatoes, cut into quarters
320g onions, sliced into thin strips
60g dried apricots, chopped, chopped into 2cm chunks
20g dried pineapple, chopped into 2cm chunks
20g whole almonds
20g whole pistachios
10g unsweetened desiccated coconut or 30g fresh coconut,
grated
1 pinch saffron soaked in 4 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp kewra water
250ml hot water + more for boiling the rice and potatoes
4 tbsp oil or ghee
Salt
For the spicy yoghurt mixure:
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 ½ tsp minced ginger
2 tsp minced chillies
1 tsp cinnamon powder
4 whole cloves
1 tsp ground green cardamom seeds (flowery, aromatic flavour)
¼ tsp ground black cardamom seeds (smoky, heady flavour)
¼ tsp whole fennel seeds
¼ tsp pomegranate seed powder (sharp, sour taste – available
in most Indian shops)
1/8 tsp ground mace
1 small pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
Method
1. Wash your rice 8-10 times in cold water. Allow to soak in a
bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Note: You’re washing the
rice to remove the starch and promote fluffy grains when
cooked. Soaking the rice helps even cooking of the rice
through the tenderisation of each grain.
2. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in a pan of salted boiling
water until half-cooked. Drain and set aside. Note: Don’t
overcook your potatoes because they’re going to go through
another two cooking processes – frying and steaming.
3. Soak the chopped apricots and pineapples in warm water and
set aside.
4. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the spicy yogurt
mixture and set aside. Note: We’re using this as a sauce to
cook our potatoes in to keep them delicious and moist.
5. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan (I used a wok) and
add the part-cooked potatoes. Fry until golden all over.
Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil
behind and drain on kitchen paper.
6. Mix the fried potatoes with the yogurt mixture and set
aside. Note: Adding the hot potatoes to the yogurt mixture
will allow them to soak up all of the spices.
7. Fry the slices of onion until golden in the same oil used
to fry the potatoes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon,
leaving the oil behind and drain on kitchen paper.
8. Next, fry the almonds and pistachios until slightly golden
(do not over brown) in the same oil used to fry the potatoes
and onions. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving
the oil behind and drain on kitchen paper. Note: We are using
the same oil to get as much flavour into this biryani as
possible – if you used new oil each time, the flavours would
just be thrown away.
9. Boil the rice in water seasoned with plenty of salt for
just five minutes or until half-cooked. Drain and set aside.
Note: We do not want to cook the rice too much because we’re
going to gently finish cooking it with all of the other
ingredients later.
9. Add the potato and yogurt mixture back into the pan of warm
oil and cook for 4-5 minutes or until aromatic. Remove half of
the potatoes from the pan and set aside, leaving half behind.
Were now ready to start layering up the biryani.
10. Turn the heat off before you begin layering. Place enough
rice over to potatoes to cover them. Spread on half of the
onions, drained apricots and pineapples, coconut, nuts and
spoon over half of the saffron water and kewra water. Cover
with more rice, then potatoes and more rice.
11. Again, spread on half of the onions, drained apricots and
pineapples, coconut, nuts and spoon over half of the saffron
water and kewra water. Add 250ml boiling water (salted with 1
tsp salt).
12. Cover the biryani with foil and place a tight-fitting lid
on top. Cook on a low heat for approximately 20 minutes. Check
the rice at the halfway point – it’s better to be safe than
sorry. Note: We want the biryani to gently steam and a
delicious golden (not burnt) crust to form on the bottom of
the pan. This is a conventional way to cook biryani – not a
traditional way. I will go through traditional biryani cooking
another time.
13. Remove the lid and gently fluff up the rice with a fork,
taking care not to combine it too much. Beautiful, uneven
colouring is characteristic of a good biryani.
I’ve detailed the biryani-making process as fully as I can,
however if you feel I’ve missed anything please feel free to
leave a comment or send me an email.
Serve with Melt in the Mouth Paneer Kofta, Shahi Paneer
Stuffed Okra and other Mughlai treats I’ll be showing you
soon.
Now let’s get down to business – when are you having this
royal Mughlai banquet and where is my invitation? I’ll be
waiting for it.
Shahi Paneer Stuffed Okra
Coconut, dried fruits, nuts and rich spices are what make
exotic Shahi cuisine fit for royalty – and for you and I.
Dishes created in imperial kitchens during the rise of the
Mughal Empire (in the heart of northern India and on the now
India-Pakistan border) echoed the deeply aromatic flavours of
Persia.
The Mughals, known
were no different
with ground nuts,
most delicious and
for their extravagance and majestic style,
to their eating habits. Rich sauces made
kebabs, koftas and kormas are some of the
popular bites to come from this era.
My recipe for Shahi Paneer Stuffed Okra is not a traditional
Mughlai dish – it’s entirely my own creation cooked up during
a 2am food fantasy. I’ve taken my inspiration from the
delicious Shahi cuisine I love to indulge in a little too
often.
By now you must know how I love contrasting flavours and
textures, and if you do too, you need to try this. Juicy okra
stuffed with homemade paneer which has been spiked with golden
sultanas and heady fennel.
The individual okra are then drenched in a sweet and tangy
sauce laced with cardamom and made creamy with ground cashews.
This aromatic sauce is similar to the kind used in my recipe
for Melt in the Mouth Paneer Kofta (which, to be completely
honest, should be a part of the Mughlai banquet you’re hosting
and inviting me to).
This is going to be so delicious.
Shahi Paneer Stuffed Okra
(serves 4)
Ingredients
500g whole okra, washed and dried (do not cut your okra before
washing because they will become sticky and inedible)
For the stuffing:
350g fresh homemade paneer, crumbled (made from around 2 pints
whole milk)
30g sultanas, soaked in hot water and drained
3 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 ½ tsp finely ground fennel seeds
-1 ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
1 very small pinch bicarbonate of soda (to help cook the okra
and to keep the paneer light)
For the sauce:
60g cashew nuts, boiled until tender then ground to a puree
2 tbsp ghee or oil
1 tsp black cumin seeds (shahi jeera) or regular cumin seeds
4 large red chillies, minced (or to taste)
5 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
100g creamed coconut, grated
200ml milk
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp cardamom powder
Salt to taste
To garnish:
White poppy seeds
Desiccated coconut
White poppy seeds (khus khus)
Method
1. Cut the stems from the washed and dried okra, then split
them lengthways, not cutting all the way through. Take your
time, you don’t want the okra to fall apart. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, crumble together all the ingredients for the
stuffing. Use your fingertips to lightly rub the mixture to
make sure it’s well combined.
3. Stuff the okra with the paneer mixture and place on a tray.
Enlist the help of a slave if need be.
4. Once all the okra are stuffed, you will need to microwave
them in batches of three. Place a third of them in a
microwavable dish and cook on high power for 6 minutes. Do not
cover. Repeat another two times for the remaining okra. Set
aside.
5. In a large non-stick pan, heat the oil or ghee and add the
cumin seeds, chillies, cashew puree and tomato puree. Cook on
a medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients
and cook for a further 5 minutes. Place the mixture in a
blender and pulse until smooth. If you’re particularly anal,
sieve the sauce for an extra silky finish. Return to the pan
to heat through until just bubbling.
6. To assemble the dish, pile the okra into a large dish,
spoon over the sauce and allow to warm through in a
moderate/low oven for 5-10 minutes. Be careful, you don’t want
to overcook the okra. Serve sprinkled with poppy seeds and
desiccated coconut.
I served my stuffed okra with aromatic turmeric basmati rice,
but you can create your own Mughlai feast (the one I already
decided you’re having) by pairing it with Peshwari naan and
Shahi pulao, or apricot biryani (recipe coming soon). A bowl
of creamy doodh vari sev (sweet noodles in cream) would be the
perfect way to round off your royal banquet – no pressure or
anything.