Naan Pizza - Indian Flatbread Pizza

This is one of the simplest and fastest dishes you could make. Definitely something that you can make in a jiffy if you are pressed for time. And while it can be made fast, you do not have to compromise on the taste. I was inspired by my greek pizza recipe. I thought "if pita bread can be made into quick pizzas then why not naan (which is an Indian flatbread)?" Naan is a flat bread, made in a hot kiln or tandoor. The dough is fermented and then stretched into a triangular shape before being baked. It is one of the most popular Indian breads and can be found in most Indian restaurants.  In fact it is becoming so popular that I have seen ready made naans popping up in local grocery stores everywhere. I no longer need to drive all the way out to the Indian store to buy frozen naans. I can just walk into the nearby grocery store and buy fresh naan. Another feature of the recipe is that you can use any vegetables that you have on hand to make the toppings. Quick, easy and delicious and kids love it too!

Ingredients
4-5 naans (Indian flatbread)
1/2 cup crushed tomato
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger -garlic paste
salt to taste
red chilli powder to taste (optional)
1/2 cup grated cheese
 sliced red onions
1 cup baby spinach or regular spinach

Method
Heat the crushed tomato and add the garam masala, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder and salt. Reduce this to a thick consistency. The consistency should be similar to ketchup consistency. Take this off the heat and add the ketchup. Let it cool down till warm. You can make this sauce in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container for a week or freeze it for a few weeks. Then take the naans and apply an nice even coat of the sauce over one side of each naan. Then sprinkle about 2 tbsp of grated cheese on each naan and add the onion and spinach toppings. You can add any vegetables you want as toppings. Bake these in the oven till the cheese starts to melt. You can cook it for an additional time if  you want the base to get crispy.  Serve hot.

Tips
If you have bought frozen, pre-cooked naans then cook them according to the instructions on the packet before adding the sauce and toppings. The ginger and garlic proportions are about equal in amount. So, if you are using fresh ginger and garlic, add about half a tsp of each. If you are using fresh tomatoes, then you will need to dice them and cook these down to a thick sauce (ketchup like consistency) before use. If you use a very watery sauce (this applies for any pizza), your base will become soggy, especially in the center.

Hearty Sandwhich - A Template

While we are on the theme of quick meals, here's a sandwhich recipe which is really easy to put together. It is a delicious gourmet sandwhich. I was inspired by the cafes in Time Square, New York. When we we visited Times Square we used to pick up wraps and sandwhiches to go; and then roam around the city looking at tourist attraction. These shops or cafes have a wide variety of fancy looking sandwhiches and wraps all ready to go. These worked wonderfully for us; the tourists with a packed agenda. It so happened that I had bought a couple of mini French baguettes a couple of days ago. I was browsing through my refrigerator, trying to decide what to make for dinner, and I spotted some boiled potates and hummus. I thought why not use hummus as a sandwhich spread. As they say the rest is history. The sandwhich was so good, that it has been filed in my recipe book. It's something I can easily modify with available ingredients. An easy and filling meal.

The recipe is a great template which you can modify to come up with different sandwiches everytime.

Ingredients
Mini Baguette (4-6 inches long)
1/4 onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1 boiled potato, mashed
salt to taste
black pepper powder to taste
1 green chilli, thinly sliced, optional
2 tbsp hummus, regular or flavored
1 tsp ketchup
1 slice of pepper jack cheese
4-5 leaves of baby spinach

Method
Slice the bread through the center length wise and heat the bread in the oven for a few minutes. Add the slice of cheese to one of the bread slices while its being heated, so that it melts a little. Take the toasted bread out of the oven. On the slice of bread without the cheese, spread a layer of hummus. Then add a thin layer of tomato ketchup. Mix the mashed potatoes with the salt and the sliced chilles. Layer this over the melted cheese. Next add a layer of tomato slices, followed by a layer of onions. Top with the spinach leaves. Then close the sandwhich. You can serve this as a warm toasted sandwhich or wrap it up in some plastic wrap and refrigerate. It makes a great cold sandwhich for lunch.

Tips
You can use different vegetables that you have on hand like cucumbers, lettuce. I think any vegetable that can be eaten raw, can be used to change the flavor of the sandwhich. Also, you can change the bread to make a different version every time