Making naan

Day 11: Tuesday May 6, 3:00 pm - Sunny Side Up restaurant, Candolim Beach, Goa

One of the best parts about Indian food is the garlic naan, a type of flatbread with butter and garlic slathered all over it. I have eaten more than my share since we've been in Goa. While we were eating lunch at the Sunny Side Up restaurant, Andy talked the cooks into teaching him how to make garlic naan.

Good thing Pointer was there to take pictures, because quite frankly, Andy's camera frightens me. I'm always afraid I'll break it or do something wrong. Pointer got some great pictures of Andy making naan.

First, he pounded the dough flat with his fingertips.

Then, he flipped it up in the air, like making pizza dough. I love this picture, because Pointer really captured Andy's joyous smile. He is always so smiley, and I'm glad we have such a great picture.

After he had the dough at the right thickness, he slapped it on a beanbag-type thing that they use to put it into the tandoori oven. The tandoori oven is 120 degrees Celcius. That's flipping hot! So they slap the dough on this beanbag, and then use that to slap it into the oven. The dough just sticks to the side of the oven, where it cooks until it's done. Once it's done, it falls off.

Andy's naan was definitely a success. They gave him the recipe, which I brought home and am going to perfect by the time he comes home. Although now that I think about it, naan is probably the last thing he'll want to eat when he comes back from India.