Homemade Naan & Sanaa Dipping Sauces (2024)

4.83 from 23 votes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: African, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Author: Victoria

• ▢ ¾ cup canola oil
• ▢ 1 ½ cups shallots, peeled and sliced thin
• ▢ 6 tablespoons kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
• ▢ 2 tablespoons paprika
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons cayenne pepper powder
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 cup white vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lime zest
• ▢ ½ cup lime juice, fresh squeezed
• ▢ 2 cups fresh jalapeno, stems removed, sliced ¼ inch thick

• Heat the oil in a heavy bottom sauce pot. Add the shallots and salt. Cook until the shallots are soft and translucent.

• Add the ancho chili powder, paprika, curry powder and cayenne pepper. Cook stirring frequently to avoid burning the spices and until the spices are fragrant.

• Add the sugar, white vinegar, lime juice and lime zest and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for approximately 10 minutes.

• Turn off the heat and add the jalapenos and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes. Chill in refrigerator and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

4.95 from 20 votes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: African, Indian

Author: Victoria

• ▢ 20 ounces fresh tomatoes, diced
• ▢ 12 ounces red onion, diced
• ▢ 4 ounces scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, stems and seeds removed, diced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons canola oil
• ▢ 1 ounce minced garlic
• ▢ 2 ½ tablespoons white vinegar
• ▢ 2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.

• In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes, red onion and peppers with canola oil, season with salt and pepper. Lay the vegetables out flat on a sheet pan and bake until slightly charred, remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

• Place the vegetables in a blender with the white vinegar, lemon juice and cilantro, and puree until smooth.

4.95 from 18 votes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: African, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Author: Victoria

• ▢ 1 pound fresh garlic, whole, peeled
• ▢ 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• ▢ 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• ▢ ½ cup rice vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup tamarind paste
• ▢ ½ cup canola oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black mustard seed
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fenugreek
• ▢ Pinch cayenne pepper

• In a two quart pot add garlic, turmeric, salt, rice vinegar and tamarind paste. Place the pot on the stove on a high heat. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly to make sure everything is well mixed. Cook until the garlic is soft but not mushy, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the pot.

• In a large pan, heat up the canola oil and add the chili powder, mustard seed, fenugreek and cayenne pepper and cook for thirty seconds. Pour the spiced oil in to the cooked garlic and mix well. Allow the mixture sit out for 15 minutes before cooling down in the refrigerator. Store in a refrigerated airtight container for up to two weeks.

*Note* I reduced the recipe when I made it to the following measurements, used much smaller pans for cooking, and yielded about ½ cup:
2 ounces peeled whole garlic cloves
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ + ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons (½ tablespoon) tamarind paste
1 tablespoon canola oil
¼ teaspoon chili powder
Pinch black/brown mustard seeds
Pinch fenugreek (I used the whole seeds and fished them out after, but in the future would grind them in a spice grinder instead for more flavor)
Pinch cayenne

Also, I lowered the heat to low once it came to a “boil” and covered the saucepan so it wouldn’t dry out–I would uncover and mix occasionally, and add a few drops of water here and there if it got too dry.

5 from 17 votes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: African, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Author: Victoria

• ▢ 2 cups cilantro, washed and dried, large stems removed
• ▢ ½ cup mint leaves, washed and dried
• ▢ ¼ small jalapeno pepper, seeds and stem removed
• ▢ 2 teaspoons peeled minced ginger
• ▢ 2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
• ▢ Juice from one lemon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons coarse salt

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Refrigerate and eat within 4 to 5 days.

4.90 from 19 votes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: African, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Author: Victoria

• ▢ 1 cinnamon stick
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 2 star anise
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup orange juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh ground garlic
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 28 ounces diced canned tomato
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• ▢ ½ cup medjool dates, chopped
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ Black pepper

• Combine cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and star anise into a cheesecloth sachet, tie with a butcher twine.

• In a large pot, add orange juice, cumin, garlic, ginger and spice sachet. Bring to a boil, add brown sugar and stir until well mixed.

• Add tomatoes and cook over medium high heat until liquid is reduced. Fold in cilantro and dates, season with salt and pepper. Cool in the refrigerator.

5 from 16 votes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: African, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Author: Victoria

• ▢ 1 tablespoon canola oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground fennel
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried hibiscus flowers
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
• ▢ ½ cup soy sauce

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin, ginger, garlic powder, fennel and garam masala. Cook until the spices become fragrant, careful not to burn. Add the dried hibiscus flowers. Whisk together water, brown sugar, tamarind paste and soy sauce, add to the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer.

• Continue to simmer the sauce for approximately 30 minutes, or until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Store refrigerated for up to five days.

5 from 15 votes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: African, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Author: Victoria

• ▢ 3 large mangoes, peeled and chopped
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ▢ 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup chopped onion
• ▢ ½ cup white vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup minced ginger
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons madras curry powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• Combine mangoes, red pepper, sugar, onion, vinegar, and ginger in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and boil gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until fruit is tender and mixture is thickened, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice, curry powder, nutmeg and salt. Boil gently for 5 minutes.

5 from 15 votes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: African, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Author: Victoria

• ▢ 3 cups chickpeas, drained (do not discard the brine)
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled seeded and chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• ▢ ½ cup tahini
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sundried tomato paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 5 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon paprika

• Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor, stopping the food processor every sixty seconds to scrape the sides. Add teaspoons full of the chickpea brine until desired consistency is reached.

5 from 18 votes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: African, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Author: Victoria

• ▢ 1 ½ cups plain yogurt
• ▢ 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced into small pieces
• ▢ ½ small jalapeno pepper seeds and stem removed, minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin seeds toasted and freshly ground
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coarse salt

• Stir all the ingredients together a large bowl.

5 from 16 votes

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Rising Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Author: Victoria

• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more as needed
• ▢ 3 teaspoons sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing

• In a medium bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and ¾ cup warm water (about 100°F). Let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.

• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar, flour, and salt. Set aside. Once the yeast is ready, add the yogurt and olive oil and whisk to combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a fork. When the dough has just come together, dust your hand with flour and knead gently into a soft, slightly sticky dough (you may need to add a bit more flour if it’s too wet and sticky, but it will still be a relatively soft dough). As soon as it comes together, stop kneading.

• Lightly oil or spray a clean bowl with nonstick cooking spray or rub lightly with oil (the bowl should be large enough to allow the dough to double in size). Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let it sit in a warm place for 1 ½ to 3 hours, or until about doubled in size.

• Dust a work surface with flour and dump the dough out on top. Sprinkle some more flour on top of the dough and on your hands. Shape the dough into a thick log and cut into 6 equal portions, dusting each lump of dough with more flour as necessary so it doesn’t stick and shaping it roughly into a ball.

• Warm a large cast iron or heavy nonstick pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Use your hands to gently stretch one of the dough balls into an oval shape about ⅛-inch thick (about 9-by-4 inches in size). Dust off excess flour and gently lay the dough in the dry skillet and cook until you see air bubbles on top and the bottom is golden and blackened in spots, a few minutes. Flip the naan and cook about 1 to 2 minutes more until the the bottom is lightly browned and blistered in spots.

• Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with melted butter, then place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, adjusting the heat lower if necessary as you go to ensure they cook evenly and don't burn.

• To keep the cooked naan warm, place them in a 200°F oven. Store leftovers in a zip-top bag and reheat in a 350°F oven wrapped in foil.

Slightly adapted from Once Upon a Chef