Here’s my trick to cheap indian food: Dirty Naan.

If you know me [which you don't] then you’ll know I like to cook. But it’s more than that, I like to cook on the cheap, which often leads me to discoveries that the most diehard ‘foodies’ wouldn’t uncover. I actually have a pretty good number of these “dirty” culinary tricks up my sleeve [external hard drive] so maybe I’ll roll some of those out as post-droughts permit.

If you’re not familiar, naan is basically an indian flatbread that’s chewier and thicker than a traditional mexican tortilla. To be honest, I don’t know what goes into naan, but I do know it doesn’t contain any numbers [lame programming joke]. Either way, it’s super delicious and if you can muster the real thing, either from your local indian grocery or a restaurant, then by all means spring for the naan. Matter Usal knows no better brother than sweet buttery naan. But, if you’re like me, there will come many a time when naan just isn’t an option. So here’s what I do:

Dirty Nan

Use uncooked or par-cooked flour tortillas. The good news is, that these things are super-versatile, keep really well, [even in the fridge] and cost next-to-nothing. My brand of choice is “La Banderita.” They are often offered in huge packs of 50-100 tortillas, and at around $3-$5 a package, will last for months. Couple this purchase with some cans of refried beans an investment in a big bottle of Valentina’s salsa picante [hot sauce] and some cheese every now and again and you’ve got yourself meals for a long time. But that’s another recipe…

So what I do for these, and really any other use of these tortillas, is to basically fry/grill them on both sides.

• Step one: Slather a thin layer of butter on one side, place face down on a non-stick pan over medium heat and put whatever butter is left on the knife on the other side.
• Step two: Wait until that side is golden brown and delicious [some black welts are acceptable] and then flip
• Step three: Leave them in the pan for about half as long, leaving this second side a bit underdone. This way if you choose to slap together a ‘mexican pizza’ you can use that side to fry on and it won’t get burnt to a crisp.

Now at this point, you’ve got your naan. Just heat up your leftover/microwave indian food and dip your newly acquired ‘dirty naan’ into the delicious curried mixture. This isn’t so much a recipe as a strong recommendation to go this technique, really when anything calls for a tortilla. Tacos, tostadas, chips, burritos. These banderitas will serve you well, taste better and save you money. The only downside is the prep time compared to your garden variety “pre-grilled” tortillas. But those taste like notebook paper, so leave them to the droves of convenience cooks who can’t taste bitter from sweet.