Topic: Anyone make Keema Naan

[JerryM]

had real good tasting session yesterday afternoon.

for context this was a stage 1 for me - get the "ball park" keema taste.

i used CA's recipe but made "2 portion" batches instead of the 16 portion full batch ie i used 50g lamb as opposed to 400g for ea batch.

i also fried the mixture being the quickest method of getting it cooked for tasting (5 mins on low followed by 2 mins on med/high).

1st off i made CA's as spec (except egg, methi). the taste is incredibly close and exceedingly good.

i'd set up to do a few batches so felt nothing lost by trying out a few ideas. i made 4 off batches in total.

Results (no particular order):
1) red colour - i felt i needed to add to put me in BIR land. i'd leave out once the recipe is fixed
2) it was better with turmeric & paprika (i used 2 ml which equates 1 tbsp in full recipe which seems a lot, i'd probably reduce to say 1 tsp)
3) the fresh coriander was very good and tolerant (did not need to be picky on the amount)
4) the same applied for the mint. i'd expected that it would need to be precise but there was good tolerance to it (i very much liked it's presence)
5) i tried onion paste but would say it was no better and would leave out
6) i tried tom puree and would say it improved the texture but this might be what the egg will do when making the keema for use in naan. there was no taste benefit. so on hold
7) i added in the methi on the last 2 goes and was surprised that it seems to sit well with the lamb. i normally find the taste stands out and pushes a dish out of balance. i'd have to say keep it in (amazing).
8 ) the lamb is a must. it may be of interest (not to all) but i used cheep frozen mince from asda. whilst a better cut would be better - for everyday naan it does fine. i particularly liked how i did not need to blend it as it cooked automatically into a very fine paste.
9) i use curry gravy oil to fry and think i would retain going fwd


CA's recipe is well good (BIR match) and i'm ready for stage 2 ie make the keema naan. i feel i would part cook the keema (something like 5 mins on low) before naan filling so that all the flavour's are cooked through. i'd add some turmeric and paprika as it seems to round off the spice and provide a tad more depth.

well pleased.

[Secret Santa]

It is quite different than saying "most BIRs use lamb or mutton in their keema naans and I don't like any other meat in them"

I'm a bit out of touch with BIRs to be honest. I find the curries so far from what I want that my visits get rarer and rarer. But, are you trying to tell me that BIRs are now making keema naan with beef, duck, pork? There's no disputing you COULD make a keema naan with anything you want but a restaurant keema naan was, in my experience, always, always, lamb!

It's a bit like saying "no rice other than basmati will do", which would also clearly be incorrect!

It would?! So basmati rice is not the only rice that SHOULD be used in BIRs? I'm clearly losing the plot if that's the case.

[Cory Ander]

I don't know about you "losing the plot", SS, but you do seem to be misunderstanding what I said. 

To clarify, I said that meat, other than lamb (e.g. beef), CAN be used to make a keema naan, whereas Jerry clearly stated that "no other meat will do". Other meat WILL do, in my opinion, and many people might find it preferable to lamb.

What I do not dispute is that most BIRs appear to use lamb in their keema naans.

Similarly, basmati rice is not the ONLY rice that "will do".

Whether ALL BIRs use lamb in their keema naans, and ALL BIRs use basmati rice (there are several reports here to the contrary), I really couldn't say.

Maybe Jerry meant to say that only lamb (in a keema naan) will do for him (which is presumably what you are also saying).

[JerryM]

Maybe Jerry meant to say that only lamb (in a keema naan) will do for him (which is presumably what you are also saying).

apologies, this was what i was trying to say.

for me only lamb in keema naan (as per every BIR i've been to).

recipe did taste v.good and very much looking fwd to putting it together in the naan bread. this i forsee pitfalls and certainly no plain sailing but at the same time well within our collective grasp.

[Cory Ander]

i used CA's recipe but made "2 portion" batches instead of the 16 portion full batch ie i used 50g lamb as opposed to 400g for ea batch.

Yes, since I don't cook it beforehand, I make a big batch and freeze the remainder for subsequent use (including for meatballs, kebabs and even spaghetti bolognese...well a spicy version anyway!) 

[Malc.]

I had a try at these tonight, first time making naan or even keema naan. I use CA's dough recipe but halved it and added 1/2tsp of black cumin. Primarily because IG mentioned they do the same to their naan.

For the keema I used what I had left from my Shami recipe I tried. http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4468.0

I rolled out the dough but think I went too thin. the keema was placed in the centre and I bought the outside of the dough to the centre. I then rolled it out to what I thought would be correct.

The result was slightly disappointing as I think I had rolled the dough to thin and it might have been too wet. It did bubble a little but the overall finish was flat. The taste however, wow, I was very pleased with. Next time I will use a larger dough ball and roll it thicker, as I will do also with the layer of Keema.

I had considered before reading this topic that the keema filling was more akin to the Shami kebab as opposed to the Sheek. There is a difference in the two, whether it is cooking process of actual recipe I couldn't say, but the cooked and then ground traditional style of the Shami, certainly works well.

[JerryM]

Axe,

i'd not picked up on the relevance of the shami recipe. i've not progressed keema naan as much as i'd like down to main dish priority but also i still felt slightly short on the taste i was after.

i'll have to try the shami recipe. ps on the naan i add bought dried garlic granules - works a treat.

[Malc.]

Jerry,

The method I used for the shami first time differed to the one I posted in that I could the mince with the onion and spices. It was added after the whole spices, the gram flour added as the meat browned.

The recipe I followed was keen to mention that it must be cooked until quite dry, so don't use too much oil. After that, let the mixture cool and blend it in a mixer. That gives you a paste.

I must have got it wrong at some stage as the formed shami simply didn't cook well, in a frying pan or under a grill. Conclusion, it contained far too much moisture. But every cloud has a silver lining, using in the naan.

I was spurred on by this video http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4300.0

[JerryM]

Axe,

many thanks i'll try out and report back.

[Malc.]

Jerry,

I made another batch yesterday, without blending, mainly out of curiosity. I used two heaped tablespoons of gram flour as opposed to four. As it was not my intention to blend it to a paste, I continually squashed the mince in the pan whilst cooking.

The gram flour does impart a taste to the dish but must be cooked through otherwise it can leave the taste a little pasty. I wonder whether gram flour is the right way forward.

I have used Gram Flour, based on a Pakistani YouTube video that said it could be used in place of mashed chick peas (is that what they call Chana Dal?)

Anyway, the finish mince is delicious, I made three naan's with it. Whilst I have to improve my dough making technique, both the wife and two children devoured the lot.

Making Keems Naan is not easy either and I have yet to work this out. Next time I will roll two circles of dough, flatten the mince out leaving an inch at the edges, wet the edges with water and place the second rolled out circle on top, pressing the side together. Does this seem like a good idea?