Shreya Naan is a beloved flatbread from the Indian subcontinent and found in Indian restaurants all over the US, and safe to say rest of the world. It is made in a special oven called ‘Tandoor’ where it is baked to perfection. It is usually eaten as a side with Indian curries. In today’s recipe, I’m sharing a deconstructed dish involving naan which can be served as an appetizer. The buttery toasted mini naan are topped with paneer in a tomato based sauce. Of course, one can make the paneer dish and eat it with a regular sized naan but trust me, these naan bites are too cute to pass!
| Yield | 6 servings | |
| Prep time | 0 h | 15 mins |
| Cook time | 0 h | 45 mins |
| Total time | 1 h | 0 mins |
Ingredients for naan bites
- 1/2 lb Paneer cut into small cubes
- mini naan (link here)
- finely chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup beaten yoghurt
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
For the sauce :
- 1 onion diced in cubes
- 1 tomato diced in cubes
- 1/4th cup cashews
- 1 chopped green chili
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
Spice mix (1 tsp each)
- turmeric powder
- red chili powder
- coriander powder
- cumin powder
- garam masala
- dried fenugreek leaves
Directions
Heat up 1 tsp oil in a frying pan and toss the paneer cubes in until they turn golden brown. I used homemade paneer this time (recipe can be found here). Keep aside
To make the sauce to put on the naan bites :
🔅Heat up a pan with 2 tbsp butter
🔅Add your chopped onions, tomatoes, cashews and chilis
🔅Add in 1 tsp of crushed ginger and garlic
🔅Cook everything until mushy
🔅Add the spice mix and cook until the oil separates
🔅Blend the sauce in a blender and keep aside
🔅Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a pan
🔅Temper the oil with 1tsp cumin seeds, 1-2 bay leaves and 1-2 dried red chilis
🔅Add 1tsp red chili powder and mix for 1 minute
🔅Next, add the sauce and cook covered for a few minutes.
🔅Add 1/4 cup beaten yoghurt to the sauce and simmer until the oil separated again, Add water if needed and season with salt as per taste
To assemble the naan bites :
Spread some butter on the naan pieces and toast them in the oven at 350F or 180C for 5 minutes
Slather a generous amount of sauce on the naan and add 3-4 pieces of paneer
Garnish with finely chopped coriander
