Naan in Den Haag - Authentic Indian Bread at Chopras
Fresh baked in tandoor. Soft. Sturdy. Real. Indian bread as it should be at Leyweg 986, Den Haag.
What Makes Naan So Special
Naan in Den Haag is not something you can bake at home in your oven. Naan bread is made in a tandoor - a vertical clay oven that gets very hot. Much hotter than a normal oven. The heat of a tandoor reaches temperatures above five hundred degrees Celsius. That extreme heat gives naan its characteristic carbon flecks, its soft-charred interior, its lightly-scorched surface. This is why tandoori naan cannot be duplicated in a regular oven. This is why you must eat real naan in a restaurant that has a tandoor.
Chopras has a tandoor. This is not something many restaurants in Den Haag have. A tandoor requires expertise to maintain. It requires understanding of temperature, timing, touch. It requires knowing how you get the dough into the oven without burning it. These are things you only learn if you spend years working with tandoor naan. Our chef here has spent those years. That is why our naan tastes different from naan bread from restaurants that bake it in a normal oven.
Indian flatbread exists in many forms. There is roti. There is paratha. There is kulcha. But naan is perhaps the most iconic. It is the bread you see in Indian restaurants everywhere in the world. It is the bread you get when you ask for Indian bread. This is why it must be good. This is why Chopras serves naan Den Haag with the same care as the rest of our food.
Naan Den Haag costs about four to six euros per piece, depending on what you put on it. Garlic naan. Tandoori naan. Peshwari naan with nuts and raisins. These are all variations that are possible because you must have the base tandoor naan first. And the base tandoor naan must be perfect.
How Naan Is Made at Chopras
The Dough
Naan dough starts simple: flour, salt, yoghurt, water, and a small amount of oil. It is mixed and kneaded until it is elastic. Then it is rested a long time - this is important. The dough must relax. It must feel soft. This usually happens three to four hours, usually in a warm place. If you do not rest the dough long enough, the naan will be tough.
The Tandoor Preparation
The tandoor is fired up until it is glowing red inside. That can take an hour. You do not just feel the temperature, you feel it from a distance. The heat is intense. When the tandoor is ready, the coal inside is swept out until it is clean.
The Baking
Dough balls are flattened into roughly three-quarter inch thick circles. They can be smooth or can be torn and look irregular. This is okay. This is feel. They are thrown into the tandoor via a long stick on the end of a long pole. They stick to the inner wall of the tandoor. They bake from above, from below, from both sides. That takes about two minutes. They puff. They puff more. They get blisters. They get coal spots. They smell incredible.
The Finish
They are removed from the tandoor with the same long pole. They are placed on a plate. They are immediately brushed with melted butter. If you want garlic naan, finely chopped garlic is sprinkled on top of the butter. This is naan bread. This is what real Indian bread is.
Frequently Asked Questions About Naan
What is the difference between naan and roti?
Naan is made with yeast and yoghurt. Roti is made with only flour and water. Naan goes in a tandoor. Roti goes on a griddle. Naan feels soft. Roti feels thinner. Both are good. They are just different.
Is naan vegetarian?
Yes, naan is vegetarian. It contains flour, water, yoghurt, salt, and butter. There is no meat or fish. It is also halal-friendly.
Can I bake naan at home in my oven?
You can bake naan-like bread in your oven, but it will not be the same. Tandoor heat is different. Try it by all means, but also come to Chopras to taste real tandoori naan.
Order and Enjoy Naan
Naan is the food you share. It is the food you eat next to a curry. It is the food that feels like India. Visit Chopras at Leyweg 986, Den Haag. Order naan bread fresh from our tandoor. Open Tuesday to Sunday.