Roti naan(Naan bread)

Naan is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread. It is one of the most popular varieties of South Asian breads and is particularly popular in India, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, and Indian restaurants in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand. Influenced by the large influx of Pakistani, Afghan and Indian labour, Naan has also became popular in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. It is considered a typical bread of Northern India and Afghanistan.

The most familiar and readily available varieties of "naan" in Britain (and other Western countries) are the South-Asian ones. In Iran, from which the word "naan" has ultimately originated[citation needed], nān (نان) does not carry any special significance, as it is merely the everyday word for "(any kind of) bread". On the other hand, naan in South-Asia usually refers to a specific kind of thick flatbread (another well-known kind of flatbread is chapati). Generally, it resembles pita bread and, like pita bread, is usually leavened with yeast; unleavened dough (similar to that used for roti) is also used. Naan is cooked in a tandoor, or clay oven, from which tandoori cooking takes its name. This distinguishes it from roti which is usually cooked on a flat or slightly concave iron griddle called a tava. Modern recipes sometimes substitute baking powder for the yeast. Milk or yoghurt may also be used to give greater volume and thickness to the naan. Typically, the naan will be served hot and brushed with ghee or butter. It can be used to scoop other foods, or served stuffed with a filling: for example, keema naan is stuffed with a minced meat mixture (usually lamb or mutton); Another variation is peshwari or peshawari naan. Peshawari naan and Kashmiri naan are filled with a mixture of nuts and raisins; Kulcha is another type of Naan. Amritsari naan also called as Amritsari kulcha is stuffed with mashed potatoes, onion (optional) and lots of spices. Possible seasonings in the Naan dough include cumin and nigella seeds. The Indian dish of balti, popular in Birmingham, England is always eaten with a naan and this has given rise to the huge "Karack" or table naan, easy to share amongst large groups.