Two of my favourite things in the world are naan and pizza. I love them in all shapes and forms from classic peshwari naan to hybrid naan pizzas – especially when they involve cheese, green veggies and lashings of garlic. I’ll be honest, getting home from a long day at work and sitting down to a naan pizza made with shop-bought garlic and coriander naan and leftover paneer butter masala is one of the most incredible dinners ever! Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.

Here’s a simple recipe that celebrates my love of naan and pizza in an easy-to-eat fashion. My recipe for naan pockets uses crumbled paneer and crushed peas as a stuffing for the deliciously-light and buttery naan envelopes. They’re folded into the classic teardrop shape, brushed with a mixture of butter and turmeric, sprinkled with kalonji seeds, and then baked in a hot oven until golden.

If you’re not a fan of paneer, these are also great with a filling of grated broccoli and spinach, steamed sweet potato, and cauliflower and green chilli cooked in the exact same way as I do the paneer and peas filling.

To serve, slice the pockets in half and serve with a bowl of my spicy pizza dip which is infused with a touch of garam masala, green chillies and ground coriander.

These are the perfect party nibbles, starters for an Indian meal and a sure-fire hit with kids. I even love them for dinner, served with both the spicy pizza dip and a cooling cucumber raita.

Stuffed Naan Pockets with Spicy Pizza Dip
Makes 18-20 mini pockets

Ingredients

For the naan dough:
310g strong white bread flour
7g fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
1 small clove garlic
1 tbsp plain yoghurt
2 tbsp sunflower oil
135ml warm water

For the peas and paneer stuffing:
250g shop-bought paneer, cubed
130g frozen peas, thawed
1 clove garlic
2 green chillies
1 inch piece ginger, peeled
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tbsp crème fraiche
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped finely
2 tbsp sunflower oil

To brush the pockets:
Melted butter
¼ tsp turmeric
Kalonji seeds

For the spicy pizza dip:
2 large tomatoes
1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
1 clove garlic
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Method
First, make the naan dough. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt kalonji seeds and garlic. In a separate jug, whisk together the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil and yoghurt. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid. Bring together using a spoon and then your hands. Knead for 10 minutes. The mixture may seem stick at first, but keep kneading and it’ll come together. Grease the bowl with come oil, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend together all the ingredients for the spicy pizza dip in a food processor. Add the mixture to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and allow to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes.

To make the stuffing: in a food processor, blend the garlic, chillies and ginger. Remove and set aside. Next, pulse the peas a few times until coarsely chopped. Remove and set aside. Repeat the same process with the paneer. Bring the peas and paneer mixture together in a bowl. Heat a saucepan and add the oil. Sauté cumin seeds and the garlic, ginger and chilli mixture until aromatic. Add the peas and paneer mixture, black pepper, salt, crème fraiche and coriander and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a few baking trays with greaseproof paper and spritz with non-stick cooking spray.

To fold the pockets: take the risen naan dough and knock out all of the air. Take a ping pong ball-sized amount and roll into a ball. Use and rolling pin to roll into 3-inch in diameter round. Don’t add any extra flour – the oil in the dough should stop it from sticking too much. Take a tablespoon full of the cooled stuffing mix and place into the middle of the dough. Starting with the top and bottom of the dough, pull the dough around the filling, pinching the dough to seal until you get to the outer edges. Ensure the dough is well sealed without any cracks by pinching it all together until smooth.

Roll the dough gently until around 3 inches in diameter. Then use your hands to gently pull the top of the dough into a teardrop shape. Place the other side up on the greased and lined baking tray and repeat for the rest of the pockets.

Use a sharp knife to make small holes (not all the way through) in the naan pockets. Melt the butter and whisk in the turmeric – this will give them a lovely golden colour. Brush the pockets generously with the butter mixture and sprinkle on the kalonji seeds.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden all over.

Serve hot from the oven with the warm spicy pizza dip.

Love Sanjana

The post Stuffed Naan Pockets with Spicy Pizza Dip appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Velvety, bitter chocolate cream cheese sits on top of a crisp base of almonds and ground ginger biscuits. Top with nuggets of crunchy almond and fennel seed-studded praline and drizzle with luxurious homemade caramel sauce. 

Have we died and gone to cheesecake heaven? Maybe.

The fact of the matter is, once you’ve tasted chocolate and fennel seeds together, you’ll never look back.

My love affair with the delicious duo all started as a curious fourteen year old when my family were dreaming up desserts to take to our temple for Diwali. My mum made chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate and fennel ganache and that was all it took; I’d found my first love.

Ever since that sweet little Diwali, I’ve been stuck in a little bubble experimenting with chocolate and fennel desserts. This is my most delicious creation so far. Are you ready?

My original baked cheesecake recipe is adapted from Kurma Dasa’s Great Vegetarian Dishes. This book helped inspire my love for cooking and I doubt my passion would have grown the way it did without it. In this version I’ve strayed significantly from the recipe in the book, but the basis remains the same.

If you’re throwing a dinner party, celebrating a special occasion or just feeling a little bit indulgent, this cheesecake is the perfect way to show off. With its balance of truffle-like, aromatic and sweet flavours and smooth and crunchy textures, one slice just isn’t enough.

Spoil yourself.

Eggless Dark Chocolate Truffle and Fennel Seed Cheesecake with Almond Fennel Seed Pralines and Caramel Sauce
(Serves 12)

Ingredients

For the almond biscuit base:

300g ginger biscuits, ground finely
125g melted butter
100g ground almonds

For the dark chocolate truffle and fennel seed filling:

1kg cream cheese
510ml double cream
375g sugar
135g cocoa powder
85ml lemon juice
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp ground fennel seeds

For the almond fennel seed praline:

260g sugar
60ml water
80g skinless almonds, roughly chopped
1 tsp whole fennel seeds

For the caramel sauce:

350g sugar
100ml water
240ml cream, warmed
40g salted butter

Method

1. For the almond biscuit base: combine the biscuits, almonds and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a greased 12-inch springform tin. Dust the sides with ground almonds if you have any left over. Refrigerate whilst you get on with the filling.

2. For the dark chocolate truffle and fennel seed filling: in a large bowl, beat together all of the ingredients until it has thickened. Do not overmix.

3. Pour the mix on top of the chilled biscuit base and smooth the top with a wet spoon.

4. Place the cheesecake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 1 ¼ hours or until firm and golden. If you find that the top of the cheesecake is going too brown, cover with foil and continue to bake.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate for 8-10 hours.

6. For the almond fennel seed praline: combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook until copper coloured. Add the almonds and fennel seeds stir through. Quickly pour onto a greased baking sheet on top of a baking tray. Spread out and allow to harden at room temperature. Once completely cooled, break up into small pieces using a toffee hammer, pestle or rolling pin.

7. For the caramel sauce: heat together the sugar and water in a large. Bring to the boil and cook until copper coloured. Turn the heat off. Quickly and carefully pour in the hot cream, whisking all the time. This will bubble and spit (which is why a large pan is necessary) so be very careful. Whisk in the butter. For an extra glossy sauce, finish with a few whizzes from a hand-held blender. Pour into a sterilised jar or cream pourer.

8. Make some holes in the cooled cheesecake with a bamboo skewer and pour 6 tablespoons of caramel sauce on top. Leave to soak in for 30 minutes. Scatter over the crushed pralines. Cut and serve drizzled with caramel sauce.

Love cheesecake? Check out these other delicious versions:

Eggless Saffron & Lemon Srikhand Cheesecake
Eggless Blueberry and White Chocolate Baked Cheesecake
Eggless Cardamom and Chocolate Cheesecake

The post Eggless Dark Chocolate Truffle Fennel Seed Cheesecake with Almond Pralines appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.