Grilled Naan With Tomatoes

Make your dough: Whisk 3⅔ cups (416 g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and one ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.) in a large bowl to combine. Add ½ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt and 1 cup warm tap water (about 95°) and stir with a wooden spoon, adding more water by the tablespoonful if needed, until all of the flour is moistened and mixture comes together in a shaggy mass, about 1 minute. (The dough will not be smooth at this point; you just don’t want any spots of dry flour remaining.) Cover with a plate and let sit at room temperature 15 minutes.

Melt 1 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter in a small saucepan; remove from heat. Knead dough in bowl until it comes together into a smooth mass, about 2 minutes. Transfer dough to a clean surface (don’t flour) and continue kneading until smooth and elastic, 8–10 minutes more. (The dough will feel very sticky at first and grow smooth and soft as you go. Avoid adding more flour if possible.) Roll dough against work surface to form into a ball and return to bowl. Coat dough all over with reserved melted ghee and turn seam side down; reserve saucepan. Cover bowl tightly with a silicone lid or plastic wrap. Let dough sit in a warm, dry spot until doubled in volume, 1–1½ hours (or chill until doubled in volume, 12–16 hours).

Meanwhile, make the fresh tomato sauce. Grate 1 large tomato on the large holes of a box grater over a medium bowl.

Melt 2 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter in reserved saucepan over medium-high. Add 2 tsp. nigella seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant and sizzling, about 30 seconds. Scrape ghee and nigella seeds into grated tomato; season with kosher salt. Reserve saucepan. Transfer half of tomato mixture to a small bowl.

Lightly smash and peel 2 garlic cloves. Using a Microplane, finely grate garlic into small bowl with tomato mixture (the remaining mixture in the medium bowl will be used for the raita); set tomato sauce aside.

Now make the raita. Add 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt, 1 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice, and 1 tsp. sugar to remaining grated tomato mixture in the medium bowl (the bowl you didn’t just add the grated garlic to!) and season with kosher salt. Set raita aside for serving.

Finish the naan and tomatoes: Melt remaining ½ cup ghee or unsalted butter in same saucepan. Remove from heat and set near work surface along with a pastry brush (2 Tbsp. will be for the tomatoes and the remaining for the naan).

Uncover dough and punch down; transfer to a clean unfloured surface. Using a bench scraper or chef’s knife, divide dough into 8 pieces (about 3.5 oz. each).

Working with 1 piece at a time, cup your hand over dough and roll against work surface to form into balls. Brush with reserved ghee and return to bowl. Cover and let sit 20 minutes if proofed at room temperature and 1 hour if proofed in the refrigerator (it should look slightly puffed and take a second to bounce back when you poke it).

Meanwhile, mix 2 Tbsp. melted ghee, 1 tsp. coriander seeds, 1 tsp. mustard seeds, remaining 1 tsp. nigella seeds, remaining ½ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, and remaining 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl. Cut remaining 4 large tomatoes into quarters and place in spiced yogurt as you go. Gently toss to evenly coat; set aside.

If grilling naan, prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate. (If not, skip to step 14.) Gently stretch 1 ball of dough by holding it with 1 hand and letting it hang in the air while you pull the edges with the other and rotate until you’ve created an oval that’s about 10" long and 6" wide. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with ghee. Repeat with remaining balls of dough, arranging 2 pieces of dough side by side, then covering with a sheet of parchment and stacking 2 more pieces on top.

Head out to the grill with dough, yogurt-coated tomatoes, flaky sea salt, remaining melted ghee, and reserved tomato sauce. Place 2 rounds of naan on grill, ghee side down. Brush with more melted ghee, evenly spread 1 Tbsp. tomato sauce over each, and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook, undisturbed, until top is puffed and bubbling in places and underside is charred in spots, about 1 minute. Turn and grill on other side until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm. Repeat with remaining naan.

Place a wire rack on grill and grill yogurt tomatoes on rack, turning every minute, until lightly charred in places and spices begin to pop, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

If baking naan in the oven, place a rack in position just below broiler. Place a large cast-iron skillet or griddle on rack and heat broiler. Gently stretch 1 ball of dough by holding it with 1 hand and letting it hang in the air while you pull the edges with the other, and rotate until you’ve created an oval that’s about 10" long and 6" wide. Brush with ghee.

Carefully slide out rack with skillet from oven and place naan in skillet (bake one at a time if using skillet and two at a time if using griddle), ghee side down. Quickly brush other side with ghee, evenly spread 1 Tbsp. tomato sauce over each, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Immediately return to oven and bake until bubbly and charred in spots, about 4 minutes. Roll and stretch the next piece of dough while the first one bakes. Remove pan from oven and wrap naan in a kitchen towel to keep warm. Repeat with remaining naan.

Once you’ve cooked your last piece of naan, arrange yogurt-coated tomatoes in same cast-iron skillet, skin side down, and pour any yogurt in the bottom of the bowl over. Broil, turning often, until charred in spots and spices begin to pop, 8–10 minutes.

Serve naan with yogurt-coated tomatoes and raita.

Do ahead: Tomato mixture (without garlic) can be made 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Raita can be made 2 days ahead; cover and chill.