lamb saag stuffed naan

put the curry inside the naan

i had my first ever saag and kashmiri naan last week in new zealand and it has sparked a mini obsession with indian cooking

cooked over a hot bbq for extra char

this stuffed naan is completely inauthentic, but delicious - it’s quite similar to my previous spinach triangles, or a turkish borek

look at that texture!

use any curry you like for the filling

i made a bootleg lamb saag for this version but can’t stop thinking about a vindaloo or daal (for that carb on carb goodness)

make sure your filling is super thick so it doesn’t leak during cooking and make the naan soggy

makes four naan, a good lunch for two

ingredients

quick lamb saag filling

1 tsp oil

half a white onion, finely diced

two cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1 tbsp curry paste (like patak’s)

0.5 tsp ground coriander

0.25 tsp ground turmeric

0.5 tsp ground cumin

130g frozen spinach

75g leftover roast lamb, finely cubed

naan dough

120g plain flour

0.5 tsp salt

1 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp sugar

84g (1/3 cup) warm water

8g (2 tsp) ghee or olive oil

method

quick lamb saag filling

add the oil (1 tsp), onion (half), garlic (2 cloves), ginger (1 tsp) to a saucepan over medium heat

cook until the onion is softened and lightly browned

add the curry paste (1 tbsp), ground coriander (0.5 tsp), ground turmeric (0.25 tsp), and ground cumin (0.5 tsp) and stir to combine

add the frozen spinach (130g) to a blender and blend until smooth, adding a little boiling water as required to get a thick paste

add the spinach puree, lamb (75g), and salt to taste to the pan and stir through

cook over medium heat until the curry is super thick, almost a paste

transfer to the fridge to cool completely until required

naan dough

add the flour (120g), salt (0.5 tsp), yeast (1 tsp), and warm water (1/3 cup) to a mixing bowl

stir together until a shaggy dough is formed

add the ghee (8g) and mix in

knead until it forms a plump, smooth ball

add a good glug of olive oil to the bowl and return the dough to the bowl, flipping the dough so it is evenly coated in oil to prevent it drying out

cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to proof for one hour

optional: after the hour, transfer to the fridge overnight to develop further flavour

divide and shape the proofed dough into four even balls

let rest for 10-15 minutes

working with one dough ball at a time, roll out the dough to a circle about 3mm thickness

if the dough is springing back and resisting, cover and let rest for a further 10-15 minutes

place a generous spoonful (about 50g) of lamb saag (or your favourite curry) filling to the centre of the dough

wrap the dough around the filling, pinching to seal

lightly flatten the stuffed naan to a circle about 2cm thick

repeat with the remaining naan dough balls

cover the stuffed naan and let rise for a further 30 minutes

preheat a bbq to max heat

cook the naan for 2.5 minutes each side, 5 minutes total

eat hot off the bbq with chutney or raita