Yes, making Keema Naan is bit of a project. But this straightforward, easy-to-follow recipe makes it FUN and stress-free. Almost everything (including water!) is given in grams, you’re using raw keema for the filling, and the Naans cook (mostly) hands-off in the oven. Let’s do this!
Keema Naan
With charred, crispy edges, soft texture, and a tender filling, Keema Naan is one of those “I can’t believe I made this” recipes. I’ve been making these Naan all summer – tweaking the dough, playing around with the cooking methods, getting the darn salt right. 😑 And despite my often less-than-perfect results, every iteration has been ravenously devoured.
I’ve shared two methods, one is Lachha-style, where the Keema is layered inside the naan, and the other is the simpler, stuffed method. I’d suggest trying both to see if you like a flakier, more textured Naan (Method 1) or a puffier, single-layered Naan (Method 2).
Shortcuts (How to Make these as Easy as Possible)
- Use tools. A stand mixer, food processor, food thermometer, digital scale, etc.
- Start the dough in the morning or let the dough rise overnight in the fridge.
- For best results, get others involved. I have the most fun when we have an assembly line to brush the rolled out naan with milk, sprinkle with seeds, etc.
Ingredients
Notes for Naan Dough Ingredients
I am not an expert on bread-making, which is why I consulted my friend Ali’s book, Pizza Night, and website, Alexandracooks.com, to hone in on the technique. It’s through Ali that I’ve learned the importance of giving measurements like salt and water in grams, how higher water content = more air pockets in the dough, and how you must preheat your oven sufficiently before broiling your Naan.
- All-purpose flour: I use King Arthur’s flour.
- Kosher salt: Essential not only for flavor, but for overall structure of the dough. I use Morton’s Kosher Salt. You’ll need more if using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, and less if using sea salt/table salt.
- Sugar: Small amount to impart flavor and give extra insurance to help activate yeast. I suspect you could omit and it’ll still be fine.
- Instant yeast: Unlike Active Dry yeast, you don’t have to bloom instant yeast. If active dry is all you’ve got on hand, go ahead and use it in the recipe. I tried it and found that the wet mixture is hot enough to activate the yeast. The only difference was that it took longer to rise.
- Hot water: Yeast thrives in a warm environment, which is why I start with hot water. After mixing with yogurt and oil, it becomes warm and ready to activate the yeast.
- Neutral oil: Keeps the dough tender.
- Whole milk Greek yogurt: Essential for all types of Naan. Keeps naan soft and adds a faint tang.
Ingredients for Keema Filling
- Ground beef (Keema): I prefer ground beef but you can use ground chicken or lamb. Use full-fat (80% lean) ground beef for more flavor/tenderness and to prevent the meat from shrinking due to moisture loss. Strain/pat dry the meat so not to add any excess moisture within the naan.
- Aromatics: Be generous with aromatics like onion, serrano, and cilantro (i.e. use more than you think you need). They add essential flavor and texture to the meat.
- Spices & Salt: Again, use more than you think you need. Everything gets mellowed out when encased in the naan.
Ingredients for Broiling
- Whole milk: Moistens the dough before baking.
- Sesame seeds: I prefer to use natural or raw, not toasted.
- Nigella seeds (kalonji): Not essential but adds an onion-y, nutty flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Softens the naan after broiling.
- Cilantro: Perks up the naan with flavor and texture.
How to make Keema Naan – 4 Main Steps
1. Prepare the Naan Dough:
- Mix together the dry ingredients:
- Separately, whisk together the wet ingredients:
- Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour and knead to form a sticky dough (full details in the recipe card.)
- Lightly coat the top of the dough with oil to prevent it from drying out. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in the oven for a few hours until it doubles in size. You can also stick it in the fridge overnight.
2. Prepare the Keema:
- Combine all the Keema ingredients in a bowl (I like to use my stand mixer), and knead until it goes from crumbly to homogenous, with strands of meat, or resha, starting to develop. (Similar to the mixture for Chapli Kabab or Seekh Kebab.)
- In case you’re worried about the meat cooking, rest assured that in all my testing, not once has the Keema remained undercooked or had a raw taste in the naan.
3. Shape the Naan
- Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 4 pieces, then work with one at a time while keeping the remaining dough balls (pedas) covered.
Method 1 – Lachha (Layered – More Textured)
- Here’s how Method 1 differs from the simpler, stuffed naan:
- Because you’re distributing Keema throughout the dough, you’ll give the dough less room to fluff up. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if texture is your thing.
- Even though you’re using the same amount of keema, it’ll look and feel like you have more keema in the naan, especially after you roll it out.
- Lastly, try to make sure it’s rolled out thin and even, so that no parts of the dough layered in between the Keema remain undercooked.
- Distribute the keema, then make a slit from the center to the edge of the round naan, like you would when cutting a slice of pie/pizza. Roll it into itself until it forms into an ice cream cone shape.
- Seal the edges, press the top and bottom of the “ice cream cone” 😜 together to form a large dough ball.
- Roll out once more. Keep in mind the naan will eventually shrink in the oven which is why you want them larger and wider than you’d want the final product. Rolling them out wide also helps keep them soft.
Method 2 – Keema in Middle (More soft and fluffy/Easier!):
- Once again, you’re laying out the keema but this time, it’s more contained in the middle.
- Gather edges together at the top to envelope the keema inside, then press firmly to seal. Turn over and gently press down to flatten slightly. (Note that you’ll keep seam side down when baking.)
- Roll out again. This Method gives the look of less keema seeping through the top.
Prep the Naan before Baking:
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with oil. You can also use parchment paper, but it burns slightly. Plus, you’ll need aluminum to wrap the naans in after cooking. Transfer the naans to your baking sheet. Don’t worry about breaking them – they’re quite sturdy.
- Tip: If you have them, feel free to bake these in 2 (8-9″) round pans. It makes shaping and curving up the edges easier.
- Create a raised edge on the naan (see video), then brush with milk. Top with sesame seeds and nigella seeds (if using).
4. Bake/Broil the Naan
- Before we begin, I must confess that it’s impossible to get the broil timings accurate to everyone’s oven. I’ve made these Naan in 2 different ovens and I’ve had them tested by 2 testers and unfortunately, not once did our ovens act in the same way or cook in the same time. Instead, I can tell you what to look for at each stage. (Don’t worry. Once you figure out your own oven’s timings, you’ll know exactly how long to cook each side.)
- 1 – After the first broil, the top side of Naan will be spotted brown, especially around the edges, and it’ll have some charred spots. It helps to rotate the pan mid-way for even broiling.
- 2 – Flip and cook the underside in the same way. You’re looking for even browning and some charred spots.
- Tips for Baking/Broiling:
- Keep the Naan away from the heat source. This allows them time to fully cook from the inside without charring too much on top.
- If you have a low/high broil, you may have to toggle between them. I find a low broil takes too long to cook them, and a high broil cooks them too quickly. You might want to low broil for half the recommended time, then increase to high broil until it looks cooked and aptly browned/charred.
- If your oven doesn’t have a broil function, bake at the highest heat possible.
- To keep Naan soft after baking: Brush both sides with melted butter, then cover with aluminum foil to create a steaming/dum situation.
What to Serve with Keema Naan
- Adding a saucy element is enough to make Keema Naan a complete meal. I like it paired with mint raita, but you can keep it as simple as a side of whisked yogurt.
- It’s also great for a lavish Chai time snack.
How to store and reheat
- Freeze: Keema naan is ideal to stash away in the fridge. I put them in gallon-sized ziplock bags between parchment paper. Perfect for an easy-to-eat, complete meal on the go. I can’t say how long they last because they get eaten up so quickly. 😅
- To reheat: Like other freezer-friendly items such as Chicken Puff Patties, I find my air-fryer reheats these best. Thaw slightly if you have the time, otherwise air-fry at 350°F until heated through. You can also re-bake them to maintain the crisp. As a last resort, microwave until heated through.
Tried this recipe? If you have a minute, please consider leaving a comment telling me how it was! You can also take a quick picture and upload it directly into the comments. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I truly love hearing from you. Thank you!
Keema Naan (Easy + Foolproof!)
Yes, making Keema Naan is bit of a project. But this straightforward, easy-to-follow recipe makes it FUN and stress-free. Almost everything (including water!) is given in grams, you’re using raw keema for the filling, and the Naans cook (mostly) hands-off in the oven. Let's do this!
Servings 4 naan
Calories 745kcal
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar I use pure cane sugar
- 1 tsp instant yeast (see post for how to sub active-dry)
- scant 1 cup or ~3/4 cup + 2.5 tbsp hot water (~185°F/85°C) bring to a boil, then let sit for 3-4 min
- 2 tbsp neutral oil such as grapeseed oil, plus more for drizzling on top
- 1/3 cup plain, whole milk Greek yogurt (plain yogurt also works fine but it’ll make a more wet dough)
For the Keema:
- 1 lb ground beef (keema) preferably full-fat (80% lean) – Note 1
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped/minced (feel free to do this in a food processor using pulse setting)
- 2 Serrano peppers or Indian finger Chilies stemmed, deseeded, and finely chopped (again, feel free to mince in the food processor separately from onions)
- 1 tbsp roughly ground coriander seeds I use mortar & pestle to roughly crush so there’s some powder and some ground up seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3/4 tsp cumin powder
- 3/4 tsp garam masala store-bought requires less salt
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt start with 2 1/4 tsp if using store-bought garam masala
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves & tender stems, finely chopped (also use food processor to finely chop)
For Broiling:
- whole milk for brushing before cooking
- sesame seeds preferably either natural or toasted – not raw
- nigella seeds (kalonji) optional
- melted unsalted butter for brushing on top (Salted butter gets too salty)
- finely chopped cilantro for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Prepare the Dough:
- Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer or other large bowl. In another medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the water, oil, and yogurt.
- Turn your oven on to the ‘hold warm’ or 170°F/77°C setting for 2 minutes. Then turn it off.
- Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour. If using a stand mixer, use the dough attachment to mix on medium-low (speed 2) for 2-3 minutes, stopping the mixer to incorporate the flour at the sides bottom of the bowl. It will start to form into a sticky, slightly wet ball, eventually wrapping itself around the dough hook. If kneading in a bowl, mix the ingredients as much as possible with a silicone spatula. Then transition to kneading with your hands for 2 minutes, until it forms into a sticky ball. If you’re using a stand mixer, transfer to another large bowl (so you can use your stand mixer for the keema). Lightly coat the top of the dough with 2 tsp oil to prevent it from drying out. Cover with a kitchen towel.
- Place the covered bowl in the oven. Let rise for 2-3 hours, until it doubles in size. Alternatively, let it rise overnight in the fridge (~18 hours). Meanwhile, prepare the Keema.
Prepare the Keema:
- Combine all the ingredients listed under ‘For the Keema’ in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or other large bowl.
- If using a stand mixer, knead on medium speed (4) for 2 minutes. Alternatively, use gloved hands (try not to use bare hands or the green chili may sting), to knead for 3-4 minutes. You’ll begin to see a lacy, stringy texture (resha) of the meat. The mixture should be homogenous instead of crumbly. To test for taste, place a piece of the beef mixture onto a hot pan to cook, turning over as needed. Taste and adjust salt and seasoning if desired. Keep in mind that the salt and spice will mellow out once it’s inside the naan. Cover and set aside while the dough proofs.
Preheat Oven + Prep Baking Sheet:
- Preheat the oven on to the broil function, or 550°F/288°C. (If you have low/high broil, you may have to experiment and switch between the two. High broil takes shorter than the time indicated, while low broil takes 10+ minutes.) Place the rack in the middle of the oven, so it has some space from the heat source (mine is on top). If you place it high up, it’ll cook too quickly, which may leave raw parts inside.
- Brush/spray an aluminum foil*-lined baking sheet generously with cooking spray or oil. (A large baking sheet is ideal, but standard 12×17” is fine too – they’ll just have to squeeze in a little. Alternatively, you can use 2 8-9” round cake pans.)
Shape the Naan:
- Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a knife/bench scraper to divide the dough into 4 equal portions (~190g each piece), then gently shape each into a ball. Place one naan onto your work surface and cover the remaining naans with a kitchen cloth.
Method 1 – Lacha (Layered/More Textured):
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the naan to about 8” in diameter. Spread about a quarter of the keema mixture (~170g) tightly and evenly over the naan, like you would a pizza topping. Leave some space (~1”) toward the edges. Press down on the keema so that it’s flat instead of crumbly.
- Make a slit from the center to the edge of the round naan, like you would when cutting a slice of pie/pizza. (Tip: Make the cut at the thickest part of the rolled out dough, so there’s plenty of dough to fold over.) Roll it into itself until it forms into an ice cream cone shape. Seal the wide/top part by joining the folds and fold over/seal the sides so that the filling is contained within the dough.
- Press both sides of the naan (if it was an ice cream cone, press the wide part and narrow part together) gently together to make a large ball/peda.
Method 2 – Keema in Middle (More puffy/Easier!):
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the naan to 6” in diameter. Place a quarter of the keema filling (~170g) in the center of the rolled out dough, leaving space (~1.5”) toward the edges. Gather and fold the edges together at the top to envelope the keema inside, then press firmly to seal. Turn over and gently press down to flatten slightly. (Note that you’ll keep seam side down when baking.)
- Lightly dust as needed. Flatten the dough ball using your hands to about 5 inches. Then use a rolling pin to gently roll out until it’s 9-10” in diameter, about ¼” thick. (See tips for rolling out.) Keep in mind that they’ll shrink and puff up, so you want them thinner and wider than you’d like the final product.
Bake/Broil the Naan:
- Transfer the naan to the aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet. (I usually bake 2 at a time and roll out the second batch while my first one is baking.)
- Place the palm of one hand against the edge of the naan while using your fingers of the other hand to gently press the dough outward, creating a raised edge or lip around the perimeter. (See photos/video for how to do this.)
- Use your fingertips or knuckles to make indents/dimples in the naan (don’t do this lightly – make sure they’re visible). Use a pastry brush to brush the tops and sides of naans generously with milk. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds and lightly with nigella seeds (if using).
- Transfer the naans to the oven. Broil for 7 ½ minutes (timing may vary), rotating the sheet pan mid-way for even heat distribution. The naans should be cooked from the top, with golden brown and some charred spots. Remove from the oven and use a large spatula to flip the naans over so the bottom of the naans face the heat source. Broil for another 5 minutes, until the bottom has also browned and blackened slightly.
- Immediately brush both sides of the naans generously with melted butter. Sprinkle cilantro on top. Cover with the aluminum foil and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving with mint raita. (At first, the naans will be stiff, but they’ll soon soften up.)
Video
Notes
Note 1: Sub other ground meat of choice, such as ground chicken or lamb. I find full-fat/80% lean gives tender, juicier results.
Nutrition
Calories: 745kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 2284mg | Potassium: 450mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 427IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 7mg
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