Homemade Keema Naan Bread is the perfect combination of deliciously spiced minced lamb (lamb keema) and a soft&fluffy naan dough. They are a great accompaniment to Indian curries, as well as dips and soups. You can serve them for dinner and the leftovers are great for packed lunches or picnics.
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Naan bread is typically cooked in tandoori ovens but same as my Garlic Naan - Indian Flatbread, it can be easily cooked on a good quality cast iron skillet or frying pan.
Although some recipes recall cooking naan bread in a hot oven, I personally prefer cooking them in a hot pan. They puff up and char better on a Tawa - hot pan, also it is quicker and more efficient.
This meat-stuffed flatbread tastes its best when they are warm out of the pan. You can keep the leftovers for a couple of days in the fridge or for up to 3 months in the freezer. Reheat them in the oven before eating. It is made with raw keema filling which makes it quicker and simpler as well as much less washing up!
Why This Recipe Works?
- It is made with raw keema filling which makes it quicker and simpler as well as much less washing up!
- This stuffed naan bread is better than the ones from your favorite Indian restaurant, they are pillowy soft outside, and super juicy inside.
- They freeze beautifully! You can keep the leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Making your own naan bread is much easier than you think when you follow step-by-step pictures and instructions.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Keema Filling Ingredients
- Minced Lamb - The main ingredient for keema filling is minced lamb (ground lamb), and its fat content is as important as the quality of the meat. Ideally, it should have %20 fat for soft and juicy naan bread. Alternatively, you can use chicken or mutton mince.
- Onion - It adds extra flavor and moisture to the filling. You can either grate or finely chop it. Substitute it with two banana shallots if you don't have onions.
- Garlic Ginger Paste - This is a great ingredient for Asian-inspired recipes. It adds an incredible spicy flavor and amazing color to the filling. You can use finely chopped or grated ginger and garlic instead.
- Green chili - You can skip it if you don't like spicy. You can substitute it with red chilies.
- Spices - I use my favorite spices such as garam masala, turmeric, and cumin but you can use any Indian spices you like to customize it.
Naan Dough Ingredients
- Flour - The best type of flour for naan bread is plain white flour or all-purpose flour. Substituting it with other types of flour (such as whole wheat flour) will make the naan breads less soft and denser. you can also use strong white flour/bread flour if that's what you have in hand.
- Yeast - I use fast-action dry yeast for this recipe. The recipe also works with standard active/dry yeast or fresh yeast. Although you don't normally need to dissolve the fast-action yeast in warm water and then leave it to become foamy, the naan becomes fluffier if dissolved in warm water first.
- Ghee or Butter – Ghee is clarified butter with milk solids and water removed, leaving behind pure butterfat. It has a more intense flavor than normal butter and it doesn’t burn even on high heat. You can either make your ghee or use normal butter.
- Plain Yogurt: Yogurt is a great way to add a tangy & rich flavor while adding some softness to the dough.
- Salt: Adding salt adds a salty texture to the naan bread.
- Baking Powder - It gives the naan some extra rise and softness.
Step-by-Step Instructions
You might find daunting the idea of making your own naan bread at home. The good thing is that this bread is straightforward to make when you follow a few simple steps:
Prepare the Naan Dough
Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Whisk in the yeast and half of the flour.
Mix all together, cover the bowl and then leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Stir in the yogurt and add the rest of the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix with your hands to form a soft and sticky dough.
Spoon 2 teaspoon of the ghee or butter and rub it over the dough. Roughly squeeze the dough a few times, cover the bowl with cling film or a clean damp kitchen cloth and leave it to rise for another 15 minutes.
Pour another 1 teaspoon ghee or melted butter onto the dough and rub lightly all over. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and then knead the dough for 30 seconds. Return it to the bowl, cover, and leave for 15 minutes to rise in a warm place. By this time, the dough becomes much smoother.
Prepare the mince filling
Place all the filling ingredients in a bowl and then nicely mix with a spoon until combined.
Cook the keema naan
Knead the dough lightly on the oiled surface for a minute and divide it into 4 equal pieces, roll them into balls, lightly dust with flour, and leave covered for 5 minutes before shaping.
Divide the filling into 4 as well and heat a large heavy-based non-stick pan or a large skillet on medium to high heat.
Take one of the dough balls and roll it out to a size of a small plate using a rolling pin. While working on one dough ball, keep the remaining balls covered.
Place one part of the mince filling in the center and pull the edges up, seal and shape into a ball again.
Lightly flour the ball and turn it into a teardrop or oval shape (about 3 mm - ⅛“ ) using your fingers or a rolling pin.
When the pan is really hot, place the naan and cook until golden brown then flip it using a tong.
Place it on a plate and brush it with some ghee or butter. Keep it wrapped in a clean cloth while you roll out and cook the remaining naan bread.
Top Tip From the Chef
You can read all the useful tips about how to make the perfect naan dough on my post about Garlic Naan - Indian Flatbread.
On top of that, when making Keema Naan, it is very important to roll out the dough carefully to avoid having the keema rip through the dough.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this stuffed flatbread freezes beautifully! Let the leftovers cool down and then wrap them with a cling film before putting them in the freezer. They will keep fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer.
You can serve meat naan with Cacik (Turkish Yoghurt with Cucumbers) or refreshing onion salad on the side. Other ways to serve this stuffed bread are alongside a curry dish like Tandoori Chicken and Dal Palak (Spinach Dal), or soup such as Turkish Lentil Soup (Mercimek Corbasi), Red Pepper and Tomato Soup, Vegan Pumpkin Soup, and Ezogelin Corbasi (Ezogelin Soup).
Naan is a leavened flatbread usually cooked in a tandoor or on Tawa, made with all-purpose flour, wheat flour, or a combination of both. Although this stuffed bread is usually related to India, it is quite popular in the Western&Central Asia cuisines and the Caribbean too.
Related Recipes
For more Asian-inspired recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this soft, chewy, and buttery Keema Naan as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Keema Naan
Equipment
- 1 sifter
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 150 ml water (lukewarm)
- 5 g fresh yeast (or 3 g fast action dried yeast)
- 250 g plain white flour / all purpose flour
- 50 g plain yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 teaspoon ghee or melted butter (2 teaspoon and 1 teaspoon separately) (plus extra for kneading)
For the Meat Filling
- 150 g mince lamb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion (finely diced)
- 1 teaspoon garlic and ginger paste
- 1 chopped green chili (use half if you don't like spicy)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander (+ extra for garnish)
Instructions
Preparing the Filling
- Put a pan on medium heat and add the mince. Saute until brown.
- Add olive oil and onions, saute until soft and lightly browned then add the garlic ginger paste with green chili. Cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the spices and cook for 30 seconds before adding the tomato paste.
- Cook until the mixture is dry then add the salt and the coriander. Give it a good stir and remove it from the heat.
- Let it totally cool down before using.
Preparing the Dough
- Pour the warm water into a large bowl.
- Whisk in the yeast and half of the flour, mix, cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Stir in the yogurt and add the rest of the flour, salt, and baking powder. mix with your hands to form a soft and sticky dough.
- Spoon 2 teaspoon of the ghee or butter and rub it over the dough. Roughly squeeze the dough a few times, and cover the bowl with cling film or a clean damp kitchen cloth. and leave it to rise for another 15 minutes.
- Pour another 1 teaspoon ghee or melted butter onto the dough and rub lightly all over. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and knead the dough for 30 seconds. Return it to the bowl, cover, and leave for 15 minutes to rise in a warm place.
- By this time, the dough becomes much smoother. Knead lightly on the oiled surface for a minute and divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, roll them into balls, lightly dust with flour, and leave covered for 5 minutes before shaping.
Cooking the Naan Breads
- Heat a large heavy-based non-stick pan or a large skillet on medium to high heat.
- Take one of the dough balls and roll it out to a size of a small plate using a rolling pin. While working on 1 dough ball, keep the remaining balls covered. Place about 2 -3 tablespoon of the mince filling in the center and pull the edges up, seal and shape into a ball again.
- Lightly flour the ball and turn it into a teardrop or oval shape (about 3 mm or ⅛“ ) using your fingers or a rolling pin.
- When the pan is really hot, place the naan and cook until golden brown then flip it using a tong.
- Put on a plate and sprinkle some chopped coriander.
- Keep them wrapped in a clean cloth while you roll out and cook the remaining naan bread.
Notes
- When making Keema Naan, it is very important to roll out the dough carefully to avoid having the keema rip through the dough.
- They freeze beautifully! You can keep the leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- The best type of flour for naan bread is plain white flour or all-purpose flour.
- You can read all the useful tips about how to make the perfect naan dough on my post about Garlic Naan - Indian Flatbread.
Nutrition
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Fatima
Soft and pillowy, they turned out just as described! Thank you for the recipe:)
Ayla Clulee
Hi Fatima,
You are welcome and so happy you loved the naan!
Best wishes
Ayla
Rahsen
I’ve tried this recipe twice now. The first time with a cooked filling and today with the raw. Both turned out great. Will definitely be having this again. Thank you for the recipe.
Nina
I made this beautiful naan recipe this past weekend for my family cookout. What a wonderful flavourful recipe. I have not tried it before and just love the flavour! This is a keeper for sure!! My family loved it too!
Kate
Yum! So much better than many I’ve had in restaurants/takeout naan bread.
Sylvia
First time trying to make a Naan and used this recipe. Turned out AMAZING everyone in the house was impressed!
Shameen
This is a great recipe. I made this keema naan for my family and they were light fluffy and golden…yummy.
Stephanie
This was my first time trying to make naan from scratch and I am thrilled with this recipe! Thank you!
Chloe
Fabulous naan recipe! I made it today and it worked a treat!
Malika
Awesome recipe for naan. I just made them last weekend for my family and they all said they were better then their fav restaurant naan. Absolutely delicious! Thank you