Big news! This toasty piece of delicious toasted Stonefire naan topped with tomato achaar (made and sold by my friend Chitra at Brooklyn Delhi) and homemade raita laced with grated cukes and toasted mustard seeds, is not like the other dishes on this blog, the ones that exist only on your computer screen unless you go through the trouble of cooking them yourself.
This delicious piece of Indian-inspired pizza is yours to eat on April 5th in Williamsburg (at Kent & North 8th; it’s Smorgasburg’s first day outdoors), where I’ll be helping welcome Stonefire’s traveling food truck to the city and sharing bites of the delicacy above with all of you. Come say hi!
Here’s a little more about what we’ll be serving. As you can see, it kind of resembles a pizza. In reality, everything is spiced with Indian flavors, rather than being morphed into an Italian look-alike like this naan meatball pizza. Instead of tomato sauce, we’ve got achaar, a sweet, spicy, and tangy relish that’s traditionally used as a topping for rice, curries, or dal. In place of cheese, there’s a cooling raita, a yogurt sauce often paired with achaar. Lastly, we replaced pizza’s basil or oregano with bright mint and cilantro.
Though you might not normally see this naan prepared in exactly this pizza-like style, you definitely could wind up at an Indian feast with condiments, bread, and herbs on the table and find yourself eating just this combination of achaar, raita, and naan, bite by delicious bite.
And if you’d like one of those delicious bites to be yours, come try the Toasted Garlic Naan with Tomato Achaar & Raita in real life. With me. In Brooklyn. See you on Saturday, April 5th outside Smorgasburg, Kent Ave. & N. 8th St. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
This post was sponsored by Stonefire. Read previous Stonefire posts here and figure out where to get your own naan on Stonefire’s store finder. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep Big Girls, Small Kitchen delicious!
**Recipe**
Toasted Stonefire Naan with Brooklyn Delhi Achaar and Raita
Makes two pieces of naan or 20 two-bite pieces
Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon safflower oil or ghee
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1/4 cup grated cucumber, squeezed to remove some liquid
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of salt
2 pieces Stonefire garlic naan
6 tablespoons Brooklyn Delhi Tomato Achaar
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or cilantro, or a combination of the two
First, make the raita: preheat a small skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the oil and the mustard seeds and cover the pan with a lid or some foil. You’ll hear the mustard seeds start to pop-when they stop popping, after about 1 minute, transfer them to a bowl to cool.
While the mustard seeds cool, place the yogurt, cucumber, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to thin to desired consistency-you want to be able to drizzle it somewhat thickly on the naan. The amount of water needed will depend on the thickness of the yogurt you use. Add the mustard seeds and their oil and stir together.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the naan on a rack in the oven and toast until fragrant and golden, 5 minutes.
Spread the achaar on each piece of warm naan, leaving a 3/4-inch crust. Drizzle on the raita, then sprinkle with the fresh herbs. Cut into 10 wedges or “bars”.
