Fabulous Flats Tandoori Naan - Product Review

Delicious though the butter chicken may be, the best part about dining out at an Indian restaurant is the naan. Naan, for those who've not had the privilege, is the Indian version of a starchy accompaniment to your meal. At steakhouses, you get crusty round rolls. At Mediterranean restaurants, you get pitas. At The Olive Garden, you get those uniformly shaped breadsticks. And at an Indian establishment, you get naan, a billowy flatbread delectable all by itself or dredged in curry sauce. Even just a decade ago, naan would have been limited to lunch buffets or a sit-down meal at your favorite Indian restaurant. The American palette has expanded since then, and food businesses are keeping pace. You can walk into many supermarkets nowadays and find packaged naan nestled among the Kaiser rolls and artisan breads. Grad a pack, take it home, and you're all set. But can the store-bought, heat-and-eat naan really simulate the real thing, fresh from the tandoor at your local restaurant? Give Fabulous Flats Tandoori Naan a try, and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Fabulous Flats is a young operation with a surprisingly homey webpage. You can learn all about the company's beginnings and aspirations. While the company also makes pizza crusts, muffins, and sandwich flats, naan is the main draw for this consumer. According to the site, Fabulous Flats naan is baked in a tandoor and counts ghee - clarified butter - among its ingredients. This is a promising start. Each package contains two naan, and the flavor choices are Original, Garlic, and Whole-grain. As a supplement to a meal, half a naan is sufficient, although an entire naan is preferable. A serving will set you back about 150 calories - depending on how you prepare it. Warm it in the oven, brush on some melted butter, and you have yourself a few more calories, albeit worthy ones. I've tried the Whole-grain and Original, the latter of which is closest to restaurant naan. The Whole-grain variety has popped up on the clearance rack quite frequently at the local Meijer, sometimes discounted up to fifty percent. For under a $1.50, that's a deal too good to pass up, even if the Original version's enriched wheat flour tastes a little more sinful. (Fabulous Flats naan can fetch nearly $4 at area specialty markets!)

You might have to do a little bit of searching at your local market. Naan's oblong shape doesn't quite fit in with the loaves of multi-grain, white, potato, wheat, and rye. Look for packages of naan near other pitas or wraps, perhaps in the deli section. Store-bought naan heated in your Kenmore oven might lack the authenticity of taste you'll find in naan fresh out of the tandoor. The crust might lack that perfect balance of seasoning, lightness, and chew. And you might be eating that store-bought naan with jarred curry that you've simply dumped into the skillet with some sliced onions. Slightly less romantic than being served the real thing as prepared by skilled cooks, yes, but think of store-bought naan as a way to meet your cravings halfway. Maybe it's not quite the real thing, but it is more than satisfying in a pinch.