Keema Naan

Keema naan is easier to make than you think

Growing up, keema naan was always a treat. We didn’t have it often, like other recipes that were on regular rotation in our kitchens. It was something special. My Khala (Mom’s sister) would send a batch of marinated keema to the closest tandoor in the market near her home. They would then make keema naan for us and we would devour it with cups of chai like no one’s business. Till this day she doesn’t trust the tandoor wala’s keema filling and sends her own! Clearly it runs in the family 😉 While these seemed unaccessible when I was a kid, I have made this recipe very easy and manageable so you can have these often!

But when I got married and moved to Germany, fresh naan was hard to come across in our tiny town, let alone keema naan. That’s when I started experimenting and making it at home. After years of trial and error, I came up with an easy yet delicious recipe of stove top keema naan that can rival the tandoor wala back in Lahore, just without all the grease.

You don’t need much time to make keema naan

The naan dough is a simple recipe. While I make it in my stand mixer, you can easily mix it in a bowl and give it a quick knead. It needs about an hour to rise. During that time you can cook the keema filling. I prefer using lean ground beef, but you can use ground chicken or ground lamb. The best part about this recipe is that it’s freezer friendly. I’ve started making mini keema naan, which I freeze. Then whenever I want one I just pop it in the toaster and brew a cup of chai. Now that’s a match made in heaven. Wait a second, are these like pop tarts? Did I just turn these into savory pop tarts?! Jokes aside, this recipe will give you 14 mini naan or 7 medium sized naan, and you’ll have some keema filling leftover which you can always use in many other ways.

Freeze them for a rainy day

If I’m making keema naan, I want to make a huge batch and freeze them. I divide the dough into equal portions, then roll into balls. Then a flatten them out slightly, fill them with keema and pinch to edges to create a ball again. Flatten it out with your hands slightly to evenly distribute the filling inside the dough, then roll out using a rolling pin until the naan is 1/4 inch thick. Cook them stove top with a little butter, then cool them on a rack. Transfer to a freeze safe container or ziplock bag and freeze until you want to eat them. You will thank me when you’re craving a keema naan and you have a batch in your freezer, ready to be eaten at a moment’s notice.

Keema Naan

Sconce&Scone

Fluffy Naan stuffed with spiced ground beef and cooked to crispy buttery perfection. What more could you want?

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Pakistani

Servings 7

Ingredients

  

• 1 batch Naan Dough

For the filling

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp laal mirch
• 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
• 1 tsp crushed pomegranate seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2-3 green chilies finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander chopped
• butter for cooking

Instructions

 

• Prepare the naan dough and cover it and let it rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
• In a pan heat the oil and add the onions. Sauté until light golden brown, then add the ground beef along with all the spices and mix well. Cook covered for 5 minutes, then uncovered until the water dries up and keema is tender. Add the green chillies and coriander, mix, and turn off the flame.
• Divide the dough into 7 portions for medium sized naan, and 14 portions for mini naan. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky, so lightly flour your surface so the dough doesn't stick.

  Take each portion and roll it into an even ball. Then flatten it out enough so you can add the filling, like shown above. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of filling if you are making mini naan. Add 2-3 tablespoons of filling if making normal sized naan. Take the edges of the dough and pinch them together on top, creating a ball again. Slightly flatten it with your hands to evenly distribute the filling inside the dough then roll out using a rolling pin. The naan should be 1/4 inch thick.
• Heat a cast iron skillet or frying pan on medium heat. Brush a thin layer of butter and add the rolled out naan. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes, or until the naan starts to get a golden crust. Continue cooking all the naan brushing them with butter when you transfer them to your serving dish. Serve hot with a side of chutney.
• To freeze: Cook all the naan, but don't brush them with butter when they are cooked. Let them cool completely on aware rack. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until ready to eat. To reheat, defrost then reheat on a pan. Brush with butter before serving. You can reheat the mini naan in your toasted on the frozen setting as well.

Keyword Keema, Naan

I love this naan recipe so much

I love this recipe and can’t wait for you all to try it. Let me know how it turns out in the comments below!

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