Keema Naan

Keema naan is a savory Indian flatbread stuffed with spiced minced meat, herbs, and onions. It’s crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and perfect as a snack, appetizer or a side with curries.

In this Post:

• Why you’ll love this recipe
• Ingredients you need
• How to make [Recipe]?
  • Keema Naan Dough
  • Keema Filling
• Tips for Recipe
• What to serve with Keema Naan?
• More Naan and Paratha Recipes

There is probably nothing more comforting than fluffy naan. And when you add a flavorful filling you get a flavorful stuffed naan that no one can turn down!

Why you’ll love this recipe

This keema naan recipe is the perfect way to level up your naan. It’s a handheld snack or appetizer that everyone will love – kids and adults!

The best part is that the filling cooks at the same time as the naan dough so you don’t need to cook to the filling separately.

You will however need a little patience to wait for the naan dough to rise (just like regular naan). If you are short on time, keema paratha recipe might be easier.

Recipes you’ll love

If you’re looking for more stuffed Indian breads, here are some of our favorites:

• Sweet Potato Paratha: Flatbread Stuffed with Sweet Potatoes
• Aloo Paratha: Potato Stuffed Flatbread
• Daal Puri: Crispy Flatbread with Lentil Stuffing
• Butter Chicken Paratha Roll

Ingredients & Notes

Naan Dough

• All-purpose flour or maida – naans are traditionally made with maida or all purpose flour. They add the chewy texture to your naan.
• Yeast and Sugar – we use yeast to leaven the dough to make this naan dough fluffy.
• Egg, milk and yogurt – bind and add moisture to the naan, so you get a fluffy and moist naan.
• Baking powder
• spices – cumin seeds, kalonji or black sesame seeds – we like to season the dough a little to add some flavor to complement the keema (ground beef) filling.

Keema Filling

• Keema or ground beef – we recommend using 80/20 or a fattier ground beef so that the filling is not dry. If using a leaner cut, consider adding some fat or an egg to help make a moist filling.
• Spices – Crushed chili flakes, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala – complement the ground beef and add a great flavor to the keema naan.
• Dried Pomegranate seeds – Anardana – you can find it as seeds or as powder. It is definitely optional but adds a sweet yet tangy flavor to the filling.
• Ginger-Garlic Paste – or equal parts crushed ginger and crushed garlic. This paste is a popular pantry item for Pakistani and Indian food. We love making a big batch of ginger garlic paste at home and having it ready in the fridge.
• Onion and Cilantro – make sure to cut these up finely so they mix well into the ground beef mixture.

How to make Keema Naan?

This recipe has two components, the naan dough and then the keema (ground beef) filling.

Keema Naan Dough

Add ½ cup lukewarm milk in a bowl, dissolve sugar, add the yeast, and mix well. Set it aside for 5 minutes; it will get bubbly. This is to activate the yeast.

In a big bowl or dish, add flour, salt, baking powder, cumin seeds, yogurt, egg and oil and mix well till crumbly; add the yeast mixture and knead the dough if needed; add lukewarm water to make the dough. Mix just until it comes together, don’t overmix it at this point.

Cover and set aside till the dough doubles. It might take 1 to 3 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

Keema Filling

Add the keema (ground beef) and the rest of the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Keep it covered until the dough is ready.

Make portions of the qeema and make 4-6 balls, depending on the size of the naan.

Keema Naan

Once your dough has doubled, portion the dough into 4-6 balls.

Put one ball of the dough on slightly covered flour so it does not stick on the surface.

Flatten it into 2-3 inch disc, add a portion of keema and cover the keema with the dough. Make sure the keema is completely covered all around to prevent the keema will start oozing out.

Use your hand or lightly roll it out with a rolling pin till the desired size is achieved.

Using a brush, cover with milk and sprinkle kalonji /black sesame seeds (milk is used to get the color golden, and it will help to stick the kalonji/sesame seeds.

Cooking Instructions for Keema Naan

You can make this keema naan in the oven or stovetop (tawa). Keep in mind you’ll get a more even golden color in the oven

Stovetop (Tawa) Instructions

Heat the tawa to medium heat.

Add the naan to a heated pan. Let it cook till the bottom is lightly golden, add a teaspoon of oil all around, flip, and cook till both sides are golden.

Oven Instructions

For the oven, heat the oven to 350 degrees and keep it on the middle rack. It will take approx 5-7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the naan and the oven.

Recipe Tips

• For a fluffy naan you do need to wait for the dough to rise. The time it takes depends on the temperature of your kitchen. Wait until it doubles in size before using it for best results.
• The filling for the keema naan is versatile, you can add or omit any spices you don’t like.
• For the filling, we do recommend using a fattier ground beed (like 80/20) for a more moist filling.
• This keema naan can be made in the oven or the stovetop. Both result in tasty keema naan, but you’ll get a more even golden color in the oven.

What to serve with Keema Naan?

This keema naan is great on its own but even better with a delicious sauce. Here are some we recommend:

• Mint Raita: Easy Yogurt Sauce
• Green Chutney
• Khajur Imli Chutney: Sweet and Tangy Tamarind and Date Sauce

Don’t forget to enjoy this with a cup of karak chai or adrak chai for a comforting meal!

Recipes you’ll love

If you’re looking for more recipe to enjoy with your chai, here are some of our favorites:

• Khasta Puri: Crispy Puri
• Khaman Dhokla: Savory Gram Flour Cake
• Aloo Pakora – Sliced Potato Fritters
• Potato chops: Indian Style Meat and Potato Croquettes

If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess