S’s Swap 9-28: Naanwich!

The Meal:

– Naanwich with Tandoori Chicken, Tandoori Vegetables and a Pea Sauce
– Spicy Thai Chips

This week I’m going fusion…the Naanwich!  It’s my husband’s invention, from early in our fusion marriage.  Back then, there were no naanwich recipes online…now there seem to be a few, which I think is awesome and one day, I’ll definitely try them out.  But for now, here’s our rendition.

Basically, you need to get hold of good quality naan, which is an oven-baked flatbread from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.  I actually have a good recipe for naan that I’ve used in the past and had I made this swap meal during the summer (and not during a week in which I had an NSF proposal due), I would have definitely attempted fresh naan.  But alas, I had to resort to my favorite frozen naan from my local Indian grocery store.

In addition to (buying the) naan, I baked some chicken in tandoori masala and sauteed some veggies, again in a bit of tandoori masala, and made a sauce for the sandwich (this time I’m trying a pea sauce).  That being said, I really don’t think that Indian flavors are required to enjoy a good Naanwich.  You could just as well slice up your your favorite roast chicken and sautee some veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper…and then stack ‘er up…may be toss in some cheese…smother on a sauce of your liking…perhaps throw it all in a panini maker…honestly, the possibilities are endless and endlessly delicious.

Tandoori Chicken

A “tandoor” refers to a cylindrical clay oven in which naan is typically made.  Tandoori chicken is also usually cooked in a tandoor with a special blend of spices known as tandoori masala.  Of course I bake my tandoori chicken (and naan, on the rare occasions that I actually make it at home) in my much less exotic KitchenAid convection oven.  And as for the special spice blend, I purchase that from my local Indian grocery store as well.  Here’s my recipe for tandoori chicken (for 8):

– 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
– 3/4 cup yogurt
– 2 teaspoons garlic paste
– 2 teaspoons ginger paste
– 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 2 tablespoon tandoori masala
– salt, to taste
– 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (optional, if you like heat)
– 1 teaspoon fresh garam masala (optional)

Directions: Repeatedly pierce chicken breasts with a knife. Toss in all the ingredients in a large bowl, mix and marinate for 1-2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking tray with foil and bake chicken breasts for 25-30 minutes. Turn pieces over and bake for another 10-12 minutes, this time at 375 degrees.

Veggies Sauteed in Tandoori Masala

– 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 6 oz. portabello mushrooms, cut in half and sliced
– 1 medium red onion, chopped
– 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cubed
– 1 medium red bell pepper, cubed
– 15 asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
– salt, to taste
– 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
– 1 teaspoon tandoori masala
– 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
– handful of baby spinach

Directions: Heat oil in pan and add mushrooms. Sautee till about half done and then spoon out all the mushrooms from the oil and keep aside. Return oil to heat (a bit more oil might be needed at this point). Add onions and sautee for a minute and add both red and yellow bell peppers. Sautee for 2-3 minutes, add asparagus and salt. Sautee for another 2-3 minutes, add garlic and tandoori masala. Sautee for another few minutes. Remove from heat. Toss in cilantro and mix. If you have having this fresh (not swapping that is), toss in baby spinach at this point. Otherwise, wait till reheating.

Pea Sauce

– 1 (12 oz.) packet of frozen peas, thawed
– 3/4 cup yogurt
– 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
– 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
– salt, to taste
– pepper, to taste
– zest of half a lime
– 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions: Blanch the peas (I like to use the microwaveable bags of frozen peas and just cook them in the microwave, straight out of the freezer). Toss the peas in a blender. Add yogurt and blend till a paste forms (might need to help it along with a sprinkle of water). Mix in rest of ingredients and blend some more.

To Prepare Naanwich:

– Thinly slice the chicken breasts.
– Reheat chicken (stovetop, preferrably…might need to add some oil to ensure it doesn’t stick to pan).
– Reheat the vegetables. At the end toss in a handful of baby spinach and mix.
– Thaw naan (can use microwave) and heat both sides of naan on a non-stick pan.
– Use two pieces of naan to make a sandwich using chicken, vegetables and sauce.
– Might want to put cheese in the sandwich as well and heat the sandwich on a panini maker.
– Serve with chips.

Enjoy!

The Verdict:

Tuesday:  Naanwich night.  Here’s the thing, though…my local Indian grocery store had only two packets of the frozen naan that I like.  So, I gave both packets to Heather and purchased two packets of frozen Tandoori Roti for myself.  Tandoori roti is usually made with whole wheat flour, it’s thinner than naan, and usually it’s round.  Because of the thinness of the roti, we ended up having our chicken and vegetables on the roti, soft taco style (instead of sandwich style)…..a tacoti, as it were.  Regardless, the dinner was a hit on our end.

Wednesday:  What a fancy meal for a Wednesday night!  Kavya really liked the rice and carrots…in fact she asked that I pack her the leftover rice for lunch the next day.  Alex loved the chicken and the raisins   Kept putting a raisin on top of each morsel of chicken that he ate…very cute.  Dave and I felt so grown up giving our kids this delicious, proper meal in the middle of a crazy busy week.  (I had a cold by Wednesday night, which I am still nursing…so the swap was a lifesaver this week!)  It was a pleasure to see our kids chowing down on wild rice pilaf and goat cheese infused chicken…wow!  Granted they both didn’t love all parts of the meal but to seeing a two year old enjoying roasted chicken with goat cheese and basil…oh, the wonders of the swap!  Thanks, Heather!