Pillowy no yeast instant naan with the flavor of fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) and garlic in every bite. This Instant naan recipe does not use any yeast or eggs and it gets ready in about 30-40 minutes. The naan are cooked on stove top and they are soft and absolutely delicious.
Naan is one of the most popular bread from the indian subcontinent and it is basically leavened dough which is rolled and cooked in high heat of the tandoor (clay ovens). However, there is a way to get the same taste at home without using tandoor. The best part about the naan is its charred on top puffy pockets and this recipe will get you both those things without using any tandoor.
My mom always made stove top naan or tandoori rotis to go along with dal makhani. She would use yogurt to knead the dough and served straight off the stove, those charred soft naan were one of the best things in the world. I have shared my tandoori roti method here in this post and this naan recipe is quite similar in terms of cooking process but of course the dough is different from tandoori roti.
What is Methi (Fresh Fenugreek Leaves)?
Methi or fresh fenugreek leaves are a very popular winter greens in india and they are used in a ton of curries – both vegetarian and non vegetarian throughout the year. The taste of methi is pleasantly bitter sweet and when it is in season, super aromatic varieties of methi leaves are dried and preserved and they are used to flavor a lot of north indian curries.
I love the flavor of methi as the winter is approaching, its one of my favorite greens and here I added fresh chopped methi to the naan dough. To augment the taste of fresh methi, I also added some kasuri methi which makes these naan super flavorful. Last year on Diwali, I shared these garlic methi pooris and the combination of methi and garlic is just mind blowing in everything! Pair these naan with the rich festive savory dishes the you will make this season. Or if you ask me, just with a dab or ghee, these are so good on their own!
How to make Methi Naan?
- The dough of the naan uses basic ingredients like flour, yogurt, baking soda, oil etc. All you need to do is add chopped methi and knead a firm dough. If you do not want to use methi, simply skip it and use the same recipe to make regular instant naan on stove top.
- Once the dough is ready, resting the dough is one of the most important part of the process to let the yogurt and baking soda do their magic towards attaining that soft chewy texture of the naan.
- Once the dough has rested, simply roll out the dough into oval or tear shaped bread and cook it on stove top, no oven is needed.
Here’s a visual guide to making these naan :-
Few Important tips to keep in mind when you make these naan :-
- Dough :- The dough uses very basic ingredients from your pantry. If you want you can make this dough a few hours(3-4) ahead and store it refrigerated. Whenever you want to serve, roll the naan and serve! However do not make it a day ahead or more than 6 hours ahead, trust me the taste changes and they will taste of soda!
- Methi – Fresh fenugreek leaves are easily available during fall & winter months in indian stores as well as in farmer markets. Get the freshest methi you can find. Clean the methi – which basically involves separating the leaves from the stems. Wash, dry and finely chop the leaves and add to the dough. An important thing to keep in mind is to chop the methi leaves using a knife only. Do not use choppers or food processor to chop methi since it sometimes becomes watery or is unevenly chopped. Another important thing to keep in mind is that when you are making the dough, remember that the methi leaves will release a little bit of water while resting due to salt in the dough. So keep in mind to make a firm dough to begin with.If the dough is too soft and pliable in the beginning, then it will be a sticky mess after resting.
- Rolling the Naan :- Use the naan as you would roll your rotis. Traditionally naan are tear drop or curvy triangle shaped but trust me don’t worry too much about it – a simple oval or round shape will work as well. It should taste good, that all matters if you ask me 🙂
- Naan Toppings :- You can keep them plain but really the combination of methi and chopped garlic is mind-blowing! A lot of toppings are possible and you can choose what you like. Use sesame seeds, black poppy seeds, nigella seeds, chopped cilantro, chili flakes or chopped onions and green chilies for fun flavors.
Do check out other methi flatbread recipes from the blog like garlic methi pooris and methi ke parathe(flatbreads).
Pair these naan with these curries :-
Methi Naan (Instant No Yeast Method)
Ingredients
- 2 cup All purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup packed chopped methi leaves (from 1 bunch methi (about 60 g leaves)) , see notes
- 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fernugreek leaves, crushed fine between palms)
- 1/2 cup plain thick, whole yogurt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2-6 tbsp room temperature water, as needed
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic
Instructions
- Sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda in a large bowl.
- Add yogurt, oil, kasuri methi & methi leaves and first knead without water to mix together the yogurt and oil with the flour. The flour will absorb the moisture of yogurt and slowly methi will start realeasing its moisture as well. Mix for about 2 minutes like this to incorporate the flavors.
- Slowly start adding water a little at a time and beginkneading the dough. Keep kneading the dough and make a soft yet firm dough. I used exactly 1/4 cup of water. You may need less or more depending on absorption quality of your flour and also on the water content of yogurt that you use. Keep in mind that the dough should not be squishy else after resting it will become very sticky since the methi leaves will release bit of their water due to salt in the dough.
- Once kneaded, cover with a damp cloth or paper towel and let the dough rest for atleast 25 minutes. If the temperature is cold, rest the dough for attest 1.5 hours. During warm weather 25-30 minutes will be more than enough.
- Heat up a heavy, 12 inch cast iron griddle on medium high heat.
- Once the dough has rested, divide the dough into 6 portions. Roll the portions into smooth balls. You can make the naan a bit smaller or less thick as well and go for 8 portions instead. Keep the portions covered while you start rolling them one by one.
- Lightly dust your rolling surface. Using a rolling pin,gently roll out each portion into 1/4 inch thickness. Don't press too hard while rolling else the naan won't puff up. If you feel that the dough is getting a bit sticky, use dry flour to roll easily.
- Brush a little water on top of the naan and press down chopped garlic so that they stick. Flip the naan and brush a little water all over the bottom side of the naan, this helps the naan in sticking to the pan.
- To cook on Flame Stove top :- Place the naan, non garlic side side on the hot tawa. Wait for about 5-7 seconds and then cover the naan with a lid. In about 30-40 seconds the naan will start puffing up due to formation of air pockets. Uncover, lift the tawa and flip it so that the garlic side of the naan is directly exposed to the flame. You can move the tawa a bit so as to make sure that the full naan is exposed to the flame. In about 6-8 seconds the naan will start getting charred all over. Once nicely browned all over, its ready. Use a spatula to lift the naan from the tawa and brush it with melted ghee or butter. Serve warm. Enjoy!
- To cook on Electric Stove top :- Place the naan, non garlic side side on the hot tawa. Wait for about 5-7 seconds and then cover the naan with a lid. In about 30-40 seconds the naan will start puffing up due to formation of air pockets. Uncover, and using a spatula, flip the naan to cook on the others side. Cook for 8 seconds or so for a nice char. Once nicely browned all over, its ready. Use a spatula to lift the naan from the tawa and brush it with melted ghee or butter. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- Clean, wash and air dry methi before chopping.Â
Excellent post – beautiful images as well!
These look beautifully full of flavor!