Keema and Naan

Good news:  we're having the best visit with my brother and...Anatole is well again!  That means I can sneak back onto my blog for a bit before I shut down and get outside to enjoy this beautiful Danish summer day.  

I don't remember from where I lifted these recipes for Indian Keema and Naan, but they're excellent. I was flipping through and old issue of Rachael Ray Magazine and found some sheets of notebook paper stuffed inside, and on one of them I found these recipes I'd hand written. I'll include the recipes although I give full disclosure that I don't know who to credit them to. 

This particular Keema is comprised of ground beef and veal, tomatoes, spices, peas, and lemon juice.  It's simmered on the stove awhile so all the flavors mix together, the chopped fresh tomatoes sort of melt into tiny pieces, and the peas get cooked.  It makes its own sauce, too. Because I prepare only one dinner (not something different for Anatole), I left out the hot chilies.  And anyway, as I've mentioned before, we're not big on spicy.  But my brother is and he brought out our neglected bottle of Thai chili sauce and added it to his plate.  Alan and I copied and it was a really wonderful addition.  Unfortunately, we had to omit the cilantro because it's nearly impossible to find in our town (but occasionally we do).

Store-bought bread-aisle Naan doesn't hold a candle to homemade.  It just doesn't.  I love this recipe because it's got plain yogurt in it and it's extremely fun to make.  After the prepared dough has sat for 2 hours, you cut it into 8 pieces, roll each into a ball and then, with a wine bottle, glass, or rolling pin, roll into a long oval and bake.  The bread gets puffy and golden brown and is a fantastic match for the Keema.  You could substitute lamb for the beef/veal and it would work splendidly.  

Keema

2T veg oil

1 onion, minced

8oz ground veal

8oz ground beef

salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 firm ripe tomatoes, diced (I used 4)

1T minced ginger root or 1t ground ginger

1t garam masala (I upped it to 2t to compensate for no chilies)

1t minced fresh hot green chilies

3c frozen peas

1 lemon, juiced, or to taste 

2-3T minced fresh cilantro

1.  Warm oil until hot.  Add onion and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.  Add veal and beef.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until no longer pink.

2.  Add garlic through chilies.  Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.  Add peas and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 10-15 more minutes.  (I cooked mine on the long side to meld the flavors and generate more sauce).

3.  Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and cilantro, and correct seasoning adding more salt if necessary (I did).

Naan

4c flour

1t baking powder

1/4t baking soda

1t salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

6T plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt) - room temp

3T butter or ghee, melted

3/4c lukewarm milk

1.  Sift flour through salt in bowl.  Stir in egg, yogurt, and butter.  Gradually stir in enough milk to make a soft dough.  

2.  Knead well.  Cover with a damp cloth and place in warm place for 2 hours.

3.  Preheat oven to 400F.  Knead dough on a floured surface for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Divide into 8 pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and then into ovals about 6-8" in length.  

4.  Grease a baking sheet with oil.  Brush both sides of rolled out Naan with oil.  Bake 6-10 minutes until puffy and light golden brown.