Naan, a wood fire oven-baked leavened flatbread popular in North Indian cuisine, may come across as basic but once you delve deeper, you realise there’s so much you can do with the humble naan.
Top it with your choice of ingredients, stuff it or simply make standalone dinner dishes by using this simple (read oh-so-versatile) fluffy, slightly charred flatbread. Broaden your horizons aka food choices with these nine popular types of naan.
1. Nawabi Naan
A royal twist to the humble leavened flatbread, the Nawabi Naan's dough consists of toasted cashew powder, cardamom, and rose water, apart from the usual ingredients. When the Nawabi Naan is ready to serve, the flatbread is decorated with edible silver foil.
2. Roghni Naan
This naan is similar to the basic naan but the only difference is that roghni naan comes topped with poppy seeds, onion seeds and a dollop of butter. The Roghni Naan is best enjoyed with butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and dal makhani.
3. Butter Garlic Naan
For those who like all things buttery and garlicky, the Butter Garlic Naan is totally what your plate and palate are looking for! Butter Garlic Naan comes slathered with melting butter and small chunks of garlic. Fans of Butter Garlic Naan have it as it is but if you'd like some gravy with your naan, try it with kofta curry, dal makhani or butter chicken.
4. Chilli Cheese Naan
The Chilli Cheese Naan is one of the stuffed versions of this flatbread. Chilli Cheese Naan generally comes stuffed with a mix of chopped green chillies, grated processed cheese, salt and some chopped coriander. We recommend you eat Chilli Cheese Naan fresh out of the oven since the best part about it is the gooey cheese. It can be the star of your meal alone as well but for a full meal, accompany the Chilli Cheese Naan with a curry.
5. Masala Paneer Naan
The process of making a Masala Paneer Naan is similar to that of a Chilli Cheese Naan. However, in the Masala Paneer Naan, spices such as turmeric powder, red chilli powder, amchur powder (dry mango powder) and a few others are added to the paneer mixture.
6. Peshawari or Kashmiri Naan
A savoury-sweet sibling of the popular naan, the Peshawari Naan or Kashmiri Naan (names vary with the region) is generally eaten for breakfast but can also be served as part of other meals. The dough of this flatbread is stuffed with nuts and raisins and the final product is fluffier than the regular naan. The Kashmiri Naan is best served with a hot cup of tea. Kashmiri tea, to be specific.
7. Chur Chur Naan
Another stuffed naan, this one is crispier than the others. The Chur Chur Naan is available with different kinds of fillings – mint, potatoes and paneer to name a few. And of course, the Chur Chur Naan too comes drenched in butter. Chur Chur Naan is usually eaten with chole gravy and a sweet-tangy chutney.
8. Keema Naan
The Keema Naan is an innovative twist to the usual naan. This mouth-watering version comes with a filling of well-spiced minced lamb or goat meat, keema, and is topped off with a generous dollop of butter. With such an interesting stuffing, Keema Naan doesn’t require an accompaniment. If at all you want something to go with your Keema Naan, a bowl of raita is the best companion.
9. Egg Naan
The hero of this naan, without a doubt, is the half-fried egg placed over it. The basic ingredients of an Egg Naan remain the same – refined flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, curd and lukewarm water. Those who are not fans of the half-fried egg can use beaten eggs for their Egg Naan.