Yummy Recipes 4 All

The word Naan is originally from the Persian and means bread. The name spread later in the neighbouring languages ​​on the Indian subcontinent and among the Turkic peoples of Central Asia (in the Turkic languages also: Nan or Non).

Paneer naan bread is a type of bread made with flour and stuffed with paneer (cottage cheese). It is a flatbread that is baked in the oven. Naan bread often looks like a tear drop but can have different shapes also. It is often covered in herbs and spices to change the taste.

Paneer naan bread, sometimes also known as cheese naan, is made from basic bread ingredients like all purpose flour (maida), yeast, salt, and butter or ghee. It also is made with yogurt and milk. The yogurt is what makes naan bread taste so much different than other kinds of bread.

The dough patties or naan are baked in an open tandoor. From this natural baking method, which requires special care, comes the typical taste. But at home you can bake/make them in an oven also.

Paneer naan with gravy is my all time favourite dish and is one of the popular north Indian dishes. I firstly had it in a restaurant in Chandigarh, India. I loved it so much that my mother tried it at home and that was more delicious than the restaurant one. So I got this delicious recipe from my mother.

Paneer naan is delicious in taste, easy to make and goes very well with gravy and some onion salad, chutney or pickle. The gravy is a silky, buttery, creamy tomato based gravy, which is normally base for many Indian curries.

The gravy that is usually served with paneer naan, is made of onions, tomatoes or tomato puree, ginger, garlic, cream and with some Indian herbs and spices.

The naan can be made on tawa or in an oven (or tandoor), but the one I shared here is oven version of paneer naan. 

Ingredients

Preparation

Prepare the dough for the Paneer Naan

• Sieve the all purpose flour (maida) in a bowl.

• Place the sieved flour in a mixing bowl and make some space in the centre. Now add yogurt, sugar, baking soda, salt, oil into it and mix all the ingredients well.

• Now add lukewarm water in small portions to knead the flour for paneer naan. Knead it to a soft and smooth dough. 

• Then cover the dough and keep it aside for 2 hours to rest.

Prepare the filling for the Naan

• Grate the paneer/cottage cheese in a bowl.

• To the grated paneer, add some finely chopped green coriander, salt and red chilli powder. Mix everything well.

Making Paneer Naan

• 30 minutes before baking the paneer naans preheat the oven to 220ºC.

• Grease a baking tray with some ghee or butter.

• Once dough is done, uncover the dove and knead it again for a minute.

• Now divide the dough into equal parts. Take a part and make a ball of it.

• Dust the dough ball with some dry flour and place it on a rolling plate. Roll it into a 3 to 4 inch diameter disc.

• Then place 2 to 3 tsp of paneer stuffing over it (at the centre of the disc). You can put the stuffing as per your taste. I love to have more stuffing in my naans and parathas.

• Fold the edges from all around. Bring the edges to the centre and then join them. Press the joined edges back on the dough. 

• Dust this paneer stuffed dough ball with some dry flour again and flatten with your fingers gently. Then roll it out in an oval shape, with the help of rolling pin, keeping it little thick. You can make it round or oval as per your wish.

• Place the rolled naan on the greased baking tray.

• Place the tray on the upper rack of the pre heated oven and bake it for 5 minutes on 250ºC. Keep checking the naan at regular intervals.

• After 5 minutes or once done, flip the naan and bake it for another 2 minutes so that it gets cooked properly from both sides. Check the naan in between.

• Paneer Naan is now cooked from both the sides. Apply some butter or ghee over it. Paneer naan is ready.

For the Gravy

• Heat butter and oil in a large non stick pan or in a kadai on a medium flame. 

• Add cloves, dried red chillies and cumin seeds. Sauté for a minute. Stir in between.

• Now add chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies. Sauté them again.

• Add chopped onion and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes.

• Then add chopped tomatoes, cashew nuts, turmeric powder, coriander powder, sugar and salt. Mix everything well.

• Let it cook/boil for another 15 minutes on a medium low flame. Stir in between.

• Take the pan/kadai off the heat and allow it to cool.

• Blend the gravy to a fine puree and then strain into another deep non stick pan and cook for 5 minutes.

• Add kasoori methi powder and garam masala and cook for further 2-3 minutes and then add the cream  and mix lightly.

• Gravy is ready to serve.

• Serve hot paneer naan with delicious gravy and with some onion salad, pickle or chutney.

• Enjoy this dish with your loved ones.