Whole Wheat Naan Without Yeast

This is a failproof whole wheat naan recipe made without yeast on the stovetop (cast iron griddle). Be sure to watch the video!

• Origin Of Naan
• Naan Without Yeast
• Ingredients Required
• Naan Toppings
• Ways To Cook Naan
• Serving Suggestion
• FAQs Related To Naan Recipe
• Watch Naan Video
• More Indian Bread Recipes
• Whole Wheat Naan Without Yeast Recipe

Origin Of Naan

Naan made its way into Indian cuisine during the Mughal era. The trade of yeast was an important landmark in the origins of naan as it was an important ingredient in making it.

The bread’s soft and mild buttery taste provided the perfect complement to the indulgent Mughlai dishes.

Whether rich and creamy butter chicken or light and hearty dal makhani, naan is one bread that humbly compliments all. Today, it is one of the most widely popular flatbreads across the World.

Naan Without Yeast

Naan is usually made with all-purpose flour (maida) using yeast as a fermenting agent.

USP Of This Naan Recipe – is that the dough is fermented without using any yeast. Secondly, instead of tandoor or oven, I have cooked naan on a tawa (cast iron pan) directly over the gas stove flame. Third, it is a whole wheat naan.

Traditionally, the Indian bread is baked in a clay oven aka tandoor .

My naan recipe shows you how to make restaurant-style naan on a stovetop tawa (cast iron griddle) at home.

The stovetop version gives more control over the texture and cooking time of the naan.

Naan Ingredients

Ingredients Required

• Wheat Flour – I am using whole wheat flour, but you can use all-purpose flour or bread flour to make this naan without yeast.
• Curd – for binding the dough, I am using slightly sour curd. You can use yogurt as well.
• Ghee – you can use butter or any other fat
• Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, White Sugar

Naan Toppings

There are a variety of toppings one can use to make naan all the more delicious:

• Finely chopped garlic, also known as garlic naan
• Finely chopped fresh mint and coriander
• A mix of nigella seeds, chopped garlic, and mint
• A mix of grated cheese and chopped garlic, also known as cheese naan

Ways To Cook Naan

There are a variety of ways to cook naan bread. Once the bread is shaped, you can:

• bake it in the oven at 200-degree Celcius for 5 – 6 minutes like pita bread.
• cook it on a cast-iron skillet /cast iron pan or Indian roti tawa like I did in this naan recipe video.
• cook it on a stovetop (gas stove) tandoor available in many parts of Northern India.
• bake it in a traditional outdoor tandoor .

Serving Suggestion

Naan perfectly complements spicy curry or creamy dal.

Here are a few of my favourite Indian main-course dishes to serve with naan without yeast:

• Dal Makhani
• Keema Matar
• Butter Chicken
• Paneer Kofta
• Paneer Butter Masala

The key to making a soft naan is the dough. From mixing the ingredients and kneading to fermenting, every step in the process contributes to the soft texture of the naan. Especially, a good sticky dough will always give you fluffy naans. A perfect soft naan dough should never be dry or non-sticky.

Naan and roti are both flatbreads widely popular in the Indian subcontinent. The roti or chapati has a perfectly round shape and is prepared with whole wheat flour without any yeast on a stovetop. Whereas naan is a baked bread prepared with all-purpose flour. No toppings are added to the roti. But the naan is often topped with chopped garlic, mint, nigella seeds, or fresh coriander for the flavor. In India, roti is mainly consumed with everyday meal whereas naan is more of an indulgent affair.

Can you make naan in advance and freeze them? Yes, you can. Prepare the naan dough, shape each naan, and then place a piece of parchment paper of the same size between each naan and make a stack. Seal the stack in a freezer-friendly zip lock bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible from the zip lock bag and freeze for 2 – 3 months .

The best way to use leftover naan is to make Naan Pizza . We, as a family, love Cheesy Naan Pizza to the core. Add toppings of your choice, sprinkle grated cheese, bake for 3 – 5 minutes, and a delicious dinner is sorted.

Watch Naan Video

More Indian Bread Recipes

• Green Peas Stuffed Paratha
• Cheese Egg Paratha
• Paneer Paratha
• Methi Paratha
• Dal Paratha
• Spinach Puri
• Gobi Paratha
• Onion Kulcha

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 Cup whole wheat flour (atta)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ⅓ Cup sour curd or yogurt, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
• ▢ 2-4 tablespoon lukewarm water

Ingredients for topping

• ▢ 2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• ▢ 2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves
• ▢ 1 teaspoon nigella seeds ( kalonji)

Instructions

Prepare Dough:

• Combine flour along with baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix nicely. Make a dent in the centre. Pour curd, and ghee in that dent. Mix well and let it rest for 1 – 2 minutes
• Using one tablespoon lukewarm water at a time form a soft and sticky dough. Knead well for 10 minutes. Naan dough is never dry. It has to be a bit sticky and moist.

Proofing:

• Grease a bowl with a teaspoon of ghee or oil. Transfer the dough into the ball. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or cling foil. Keep in a warm, draught-free place (I prefer inside the oven/ microwave/instant pot) for 1 – 2 hours.

Prepare Naan:

• Combine topping ingredients in a bowl and keep near the gas stove. Keep one bowl of clean water next to it.
• Heat flat cast iron pan/griddle over medium heat. Divide the dough into equal golf ball-sized rounds.
• Gently flatten the dough ball with the pressure of your palm. Next, dip your fingers in water and gently try to shape the naan. Alternatively, you can dust the rolling surface with flour and roll out naan into an oval-shaped bread of ¼ inch thickness.
• Again, using wet fingers stick a teaspoon of chopped toppings over the naan
• Place the naan on a hot griddle. Cook over medium heat. After a few seconds, naan will puff up and has charred, uneven marks on top
• Now turn the griddle upside down and cook the other side of bread on direct flame till it becomes light golden in color.
• If you are not comfortable flipping the pan, simply put the naan on direct flame-like Chapatis and cook until it gets charred marks on top or cook it covered in the cast iron pan itself.
• Apply some ghee/butter just before serving. Serve Naan warm with any curry of your choice.

Recipe Notes:

Nutrition

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Whole Wheat Naan Without Yeast Recipe

Equipment

• Mixing Bowl
• Cast Iron Pan

Ingredients

• 2 Cup whole wheat flour (atta)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅓ Cup sour curd or yogurt, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
• 2-4 tablespoon lukewarm water

Ingredients for topping

• 2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1 teaspoon nigella seeds ( kalonji)

Instructions

Prepare Dough:

• Combine flour along with baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix nicely. Make a dent in the centre. Pour curd, and ghee in that dent. Mix well and let it rest for 1 – 2 minutes
• Using one tablespoon lukewarm water at a time form a soft and sticky dough. Knead well for 10 minutes. Naan dough is never dry. It has to be a bit sticky and moist.

Proofing:

• Grease a bowl with a teaspoon of ghee or oil. Transfer the dough into the ball. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or cling foil. Keep in a warm, draught-free place (I prefer inside the oven/ microwave/instant pot) for 1 – 2 hours.

Prepare Naan:

• Combine topping ingredients in a bowl and keep near the gas stove. Keep one bowl of clean water next to it.
• Heat flat cast iron pan/griddle over medium heat. Divide the dough into equal golf ball-sized rounds.
• Gently flatten the dough ball with the pressure of your palm. Next, dip your fingers in water and gently try to shape the naan. Alternatively, you can dust the rolling surface with flour and roll out naan into an oval-shaped bread of ¼ inch thickness.
• Again, using wet fingers stick a teaspoon of chopped toppings over the naan
• Place the naan on a hot griddle. Cook over medium heat. After a few seconds, naan will puff up and has charred, uneven marks on top
• Now turn the griddle upside down and cook the other side of bread on direct flame till it becomes light golden in color.
• If you are not comfortable flipping the pan, simply put the naan on direct flame-like Chapatis and cook until it gets charred marks on top or cook it covered in the cast iron pan itself.
• Apply some ghee/butter just before serving. Serve Naan warm with any curry of your choice.

Video

Notes

Nutrition

Bursting with aromatic spices, tender minced meat, and vibrant green peas, this keema curry recipe is a celebration of bold Indian flavours and comforting textures.

• About Indian Keema Curry
• Meat Marination
• Prep Work For Curry
• How To Make Qeema Curry
• Serving Suggestion
• My Tried and True Tips
• More Indian Curry Recipes
• Keema Matar Recipe

About Indian Keema Curry

Keema Curry is a mouthwatering dish that hails from the rich culinary heritage of the Indian subcontinent. It is a classic meat dish that never fails to impress with its rich flavours and textures. There is a kind of unsolicited comfort in each bite of Keema Matar. Every region of India has its keema recipe with mutton, lamb, chicken, or beef minced meat.

It is undoubtedly one of my favourite Indian meat curries from the days when I could not even spell the word keema.

But finally after a lot of patience and practice, here is my authentic Punjabi-style mutton keema curry recipe with all the family secret tips which yields beyond gratifying results each time.

You have to wait for the right time to add salt, the bright colour of roasted onion gives you the signal of doneness, succulent juices of the meat to release, these were the secret mantras which were missing from our earlier attempts to make the perfect keema curry.

Meat Marination

Marination tenderises the meat and allow the flavours to penetrate deep within the layer of fat. I prefer doing it a day before or overnight.

For marinating the minced meat, you need:

• Salt
• Turmeric Powder
• Ginger Garlic Paste
• Plain Curd or Yogurt
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

Combine minced meat, curd, salt, turmeric and chilli powder in a bowl. Mix nicely to coat meat with the marinade. Cover and keep in the refrigerator. Best overnight or atleast 30 minutes before making the curry.

Prep Work For Curry

Gather Ingredients: If using fresh peas, shell them and set aside. If using frozen peas , thaw them before use. Arrange all the spices, salt, and oil next to the cooking station.

Finely chop the red onions . You can use food processor for the task. It gives perfectly minced onion for making the curry.

Make Paste: Blend tomatoes, dried red chillies, ginger, and garlic to a smooth paste using 1 – 2 tablespoons of water.

Equipment: I use my stovetop pressure cooker to make this keema curry. But you can make it in instant pot pressure cook mode without any hassle. I have shared a detailed delicious recipe in my cookbook – The 100 Best Curries for your Instant Pot .

How To Make Qeema Curry

Fry Onion and Meat:

• Heat the mustard oil in a pressure cooker until it starts smoking.
• Add the whole spices. Sauté for 20 – 30 seconds until the spices become fragrant.
• Add the finely chopped onions and fry until they turn golden brown and caramelized, stirring at regular intervals. This may take about 8-10 minutes over low heat.

• Add the marinated minced meat. Increase the heat to medium-high and sauté the meat, breaking up any lumps with a spatula or spoon, until it’s evenly browned and cooked through. This takes 8 – 10 minutes.
• Soon you will notice that meat has started releasing its oil and juices.

Introduce the Tomato and Spices:

• Reduce the heat to low. Add tomato paste prepared earlier along with green peas, salt, and spices.
• Stir well to combine. Saute over low heat for 5 – 6 minutes.

Pressure Cook :

• Pour in about a cup of water, stirring to combine all the ingredients.
• Pressure Cook the keema curry over low heat for 2 whistles. Turn off the heat.
• Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker.

Simmer and Season :

• Add garam masala, green chillies and finely chopped coriander. Mix nicely.
• Allow the curry to simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld together. At this stage, add more salt or water as per the requirement.

Garnish the Keema Curry with fresh coriander leaves for a burst of freshness and aroma.

Serving Suggestion

Whether enjoyed as a weeknight dinner or served at festive gatherings, this keema recipe is sure to become a favourite.

Whether enjoyed with fluffy basmati rice, warm naan, or crispy parathas , Keema Matar Curry promises to delight your taste buds and transport you to the bustling streets of India. The morsel of soft and pillowy naan or tandoori roti dipped in a delicious keema curry bursts with flavours in the mouth.

You can serve Qeema with jeera rice , matar pulao , or any other Indian flatbread like roomali roti, or lachha paratha.

My Tried and True Tips

• Meat Selection: You can use your choice of minced meat for this recipe, such as beef, lamb, chicken, or even turkey. It is always best to use fresh mutton mince instead of frozen or ground meat to make keema curry. The taste and texture of the curry highly depend on the fibrous texture of the meat.
• Perfect Roasting: Allow the mutton mince to change the colour while roasting. When well roasted the meat will release a sweet aroma, juices, and oil/fat. It is not the whole spices or garam masala that gives flavour to the keema curry. The true flavour comes from the perfect roasting of the onion and the mutton mince.
• Do not add too much oil while frying the onions for keema curry. If well roasted the mutton mince will release fat of its own in the curry making it all the way more delicious.
• Do not cook meat for too long. After marination and roasting, it cooks easily.
• Vegetarian Option: To make a vegetarian version of this dish, you can substitute the minced meat with crumbled tofu or paneer (Indian cottage cheese).
• Make Ahead: Keema Matar Curry tastes even better the next day as the flavours have had time to develop. You can make a larger batch and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze it for longer storage.

More Indian Curry Recipes

• Paneer Curry
• Prawn Masala
• Butter Chicken
• Creamy Egg Curry
• Indian Chicken Curry
• Mughlai Chicken Korma
• Chicken Chettinad Masala

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 kilogram mutton mince (keema)

Ingredients For Marinade:

• ▢ ¼ Cup plain curd or yoghurt
• ▢ 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste ( see recipe )
• ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cooking salt or to taste

Ingredients For Tomato Paste:

• ▢ 2 medium size tomato, diced fine chopped
• ▢ 6 garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 inch ginger, chopped
• ▢ 4 dried red chillies

Ingredients For Curry

• ▢ 4 tablespoon mustard oil
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 1 cinnamon stick
• ▢ 4 cloves (laung)
• ▢ 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
• ▢ 4 medium size red onion, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 Cup green peas, fresh or frozen
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cooking salt or to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garam masala ( see recipe here )
• ▢ 1 Cup water
• ▢ 2 green chillies, sliced
• ▢ handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions

Marinade Meat

• Combine minced meat, curd, salt, turmeric and chilli powder in a bowl. Mix nicely to coat the meat with the marinade. Cover and keep in the refrigerator. Best overnight or at least 30 minutes before making the curry.

Prepare Tomato Paste

• Blend tomatoes, dried red chillies, ginger, and garlic to a smooth paste using 1 – 2 tablespoons of water.

Prepare Keema Curry

• Heat the mustard oil in a pressure cooker until it starts smoking. Add the whole spices. Sauté for 20 – 30 seconds until the spices become fragrant.
• Add the finely chopped onions and fry until they turn golden brown and caramelized, stirring at regular intervals. This may take about 8-10 minutes over low heat.
• Add the marinated minced meat. Increase the heat to medium-high and sauté the meat, breaking up any lumps with a spatula or spoon, until it’s evenly browned and cooked through. This takes 8 – 10 minutes.
• Soon you will notice that meat has started releasing its oil and juices.
• Reduce the heat to low. Add tomato paste prepared earlier along with green peas, salt, and spices. Stir well to combine. Saute over low heat for 5 – 6 minutes.
• Pour in about a cup of water, stirring to combine all the ingredients.
• Pressure Cook the keema curry over low heat for 2 whistles. Turn off the heat. Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker.
• Add garam masala, green chillies and finely chopped coriander. Mix nicely.
• Allow the curry to simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld together. At this stage, add more salt or lukewarm water as per the requirement.
• Garnish the Keema Curry with fresh coriander leaves for a burst of freshness and aroma.
• Serve Keema curry warm with Naan .

Recipe Notes:

• Instead of a pressure cooker/instant pot, you can make this keema curry in a slow cooker as well.
• Spice Level: Adjust the number of green chillies according to your preference for spiciness.

Nutrition

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