Spiced beef Naan bread

I think I've mentioned my local Indian takeaway here before and how truly delicious and authentic the food is there.  One of the regular menu items that I order is their Kheema naan bread cooked in the tandoor.  The inside of this bread is filled with the most aromatic and deliciously spiced lamb.  The smell when you cut into it is second to none.

In fact, I've been known to swing past the Indian place on my way home to grab a couple of these breads along with some raita.  I'll put together a quick tomato and cucumber salad at home and there's dinner! 

So it was this bread that inspired me to have a go at my own version.  I had minced beef on hand so I used it instead of the lamb.  As for the spices, I just guessed and used a combination that I considered would work well together instead of trying to exactly replicate the mix from the takeaway as I knew it would be very tricky to get right.

I'll warn you right now that the smell that comes out of the oven when you bake this bread is intoxicating.  You will want to throw the oven open as soon as you can and bite straight in.  Which is exactly what I did.  With Mr Shady Pine and Coco the crazy cat pacing the kitchen I was glad that there were two of these breads. One of these was cut up and devoured within minutes after its exit from the hot oven.  While it wasn't a replica of the kheema naan that I order, it was utterly delicious in its own right and pretty straightforward to make.

Spiced beef Naan bread

Makes 2 filled naans

Ingredients:

Beef filling:

300g minced beef, I used lean mince

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ red onion, diced

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

S&P to taste

1 tomato, diced

2 Tbs tomato paste

Naan bread dough:

2 x 7g dry yeast sachets

3 Tbs warm water

2 cups of strong bread flour or plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 egg

3 Tbs plain yoghurt

1 Tbs olive oil plus extra for beef

For the bread dough:

1.       In a bowl mix the yeast, sugar and salt together.  Add the warm water and allow to sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes.

2.       Meanwhile, mix together the egg, oil and yoghurt in a small bowl.

3.       To the yeast mixture add the flour and the egg and yoghurt mixture. 

4.       If you have a dough hook attachment, use this to knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Otherwise you will need to manually knead the dough on a floured surface for a good 15 minutes at least to get the same consistency.

5.       Preheat the oven to about 40C.  Place the kneaded dough in an oiled heat proof bowl.  Leave the dough in the oven to rise for about 35 minutes.

6.       Turn out the dough onto a floured surface.  Cut the dough into 4 portions and roll out each portion into a rough oval to about 5mm thickness. 

For the beef filling:

1.       Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick pan.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes on low heat. 

2.       Turn up the heat to high and add the mince.  Fry until browned.

3.       Add the spices and S&P and fry for a couple of minutes until spices are cooked.

4.       Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute.  Add the tomato and cook for a minute.

5.       Set aside mixture to cool down slightly.

For the beef naan:

1.       Preheat the oven to 220C.

2.       Place 2 of the naan dough ovals side by side on a large baking tray.

3.       Spread half the beef mixture on each oval.

4.       Top each oval with the remaining two dough ovals and press along the edges to seal the breads.

5.       Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes depending on your oven but make sure the bread comes up golden brown.