Last night, I attempt homemade naan (Indian flatbread). I’m learning that trying new culinary tasks–especially ones with great potential for failure–represents part of living with flair. I survived Italian Cooking Lessons, so why not try Indian food?
If I’m not risking disaster, maybe the task isn’t worth trying.
I make the dough and add fresh chopped garlic. With garlic, you press down until the clove escapes from its prison of sticky paper skin. I imagine the work it takes to release a person from her protective shell; that pressure accomplishes a beautiful thing in us. I have to remember this.
I let the dough rise all afternoon, return from teaching, and then roll out the dough. I apply brushstrokes of rich yellow butter.
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| Rolling Out the Naan Dough |
Then, I let the dough bubble and rise on the griddle. The smell of this garlic naan beckons the children toward the kitchen, their noses leading them.
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| Naan Bubbling on the Griddle |
We feast on the Indian Naan with yogurt raita (I add coriander, cucumber, and diced tomatoes).
Later, I think about how far I’ve come with these experiments in cooking. I want to move on to other experiments and unexplored regions of my abilities. Thank you for joining with me in these “experiments” of living with flair.
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What was your last life experiment?
