Mince Filled Naan/Qeema Naan

Ingredients

Mince Filling

Mince                                         2 lbs Lean
Onions                                        2 chopped
Garlic                                          6 cloves
Ginger                                         1.5 inch pc
Green chili                                   3 +3
Oil                                              3-4 tbsp
Salt                                             1.5 tsp or to taste
Cinnamon stick                           2 inch pc
Black pepper corn                      1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds                          1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds                               1 tsp
Coriander powder                      1 tsp
Red chili flakes                           1 tsp
Turmeric powder                       1/2 tsp
Almond powder/ Almond butter 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves for garnish

• In a mortar and pestle, crush ginger, garlic, black pepper corns and three green chilies.
• Heat oil in a pan and add onions, fry for a few mins till soft but don't brown them.
• Add ginger/garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin seeds, coriander powder+seeds and salt. Fry till spices are fragrant about a min or two.
• Add mince and break it into pieces with spoon quickly before it changes color.
• Fry mince in onion and spice mix till no moisture is left and no pink bits are left.
• Stir in the almond butter and chopped coriander right before taking it off the heat.
• Let it come to room temperature before filling in naan dough.

Dough Ingredients

Flour                                    4+1 cup

Yeast                                   3/4 tbsp
Yogurt                                 3 tbsp
Milk                                     1 cup
Water                                  1 cup
Sugar                                   4 tsp
Salt                                      2 tsp
Baking Soda                        2 tsp
Oil/ghee                               2 tbsp
Yogurt                                 1 tbsp mixed with 1 tbsp of water for the glaze

Method

• In half a cup of warm water, add sugar and yeast. Let stand till frothy approximately five mins. Add remaining water and milk to it.
• In a large enough bowl, add 4 cups of flour, salt, baking powder, oil and yogurt.
• Pour in the yeast mixture and knead the dough. Add more flour from remaining 1 cup if required. I almost used 3/4 cups. Knead for almost 5-8 minutes till the dough is smooth and comes into one mass.
• Pour a tbsp of oil in another bowl and swirl it around to coat the sides.
• Put the dough ball in the greased bowl, flip it once to cover all sides. Cover the bowl with a wet towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 30-40 minutes.

Assembling The Naan

• Divide the dough in 10 equal pieces and form into balls.
• Flatten the dough balls into discs the size of your palm.
• Add generous amount of mince filling around 3/4 cups and pinch the edges well to seal it from all sides.
• Heat the oven at 500 for 30-45 minutes. I use a pizza stone to make my naans. You can use a cookie sheet if you don't have one.
• Let the filled balls rest for 15 minutes.
• Using a light dusting of flour, flatten the discs using your hands not the rolling pin till naan is half and inch thick.
• Brush with yogurt/water mixture and sprinkle sesame seeds.
• Bake till nice golden brown around 5-7 minutes.
• Take out and brush with some butter. Serve with plain yogurt or green mint chutney.

Note:

You can choose your choice of meat like chicken, mutton or beef.
Preheating of the oven is crucial so make sure it is on for at least 35-45 minutes at the highest setting possible.