{"id":117467,"title":"Cheese Naan Better Than at a Restaurant","modified":"2026-05-19T10:09:46+02:00","plain":"Soft naans stuffed with mozzarella and a touch of chili, cooked in a pan, then held over a flame until beautifully blistered and golden\n\n\n\nGolden and puffed, cheese naan can mean different things depending on the kitchen: either a savory, melty center or a warm filling of well-spiced paneer. The name \u201c cheese naan \u201d therefore does not refer to just one dish, but to two, each with its own story. \n\n\n\nOne is a paneer-stuffed bread from Punjab. The other, born in Paris, celebrates cheese at its meltiest. Both are worth a closer look. In short, there\u2019s a reason it\u2019s one of the most ordered dishes in Indian restaurants\n\n\n\nInvented in the West, just like butter chicken\n\n\n\nWhat Is Cheese Naan?\n\n\n\nThe word naan comes from the Persian n\u0101n, a general term for bread in the Persian-speaking world. In South Asia, it refers to a leavened flatbread cooked against the wall of a tandoor. The dough is usually made with refined wheat flour, maida, sometimes mixed with atta. It is hydrated with water and, often, plain yogurt, dahi, which makes it softer and gives it a gentle tang. \n\n\n\nServe these cheese naans with a delicious aloo gobi\n\n\n\nMilk is sometimes added too, along with ghee or oil. The dough may be leavened with yeast or, in many modern kulcha-style preparations, with baking powder and baking soda, which react with the yogurt. This keeps the dough stretchy and supple. As it cooks, it puffs up, browns in spots, and develops a light, layered crumb, like other flatbreads.\n\n\n\nToday, the term \u201c cheese naan \u201d most often points to two major traditions. In regional cuisines, paneer naan or Amritsari Paneer Kulcha is made with a dry, fragrant, non-melting paneer filling sealed inside the dough before cooking. It is often seasoned with cumin, coriander, ginger, green chili, and a noticeably tangy ingredient such as amchur or chaat masala. \n\n\n\nNot to be confused with chapatis\n\n\n\nThe Paris-born style, on the other hand, relies on a spreadable processed cheese, especially La Vache Qui Rit, and aims for a creamy, stretchy center. Later, some diaspora and restaurant versions adopted mozzarella and cheddar blends to heighten that gooey effect. In both cases, intense heat is essential. \n\n\n\nA tandoor can reach around 480 \u00b0C. At home, an iron tawa is often preheated before being turned over an open flame. Expect a lightly firm, blistered surface, a tender crumb, and an interior that is either crumbly and aromatic, with paneer, or creamy and stretchy, with melted cheese. Quick glossary: kalonji refers to nigella seeds; ajwain is carom seed.\n\n\n\nAlso try my palak paneer recipe\n\n\n\nThe Origins of Cheese Naan\n\n\n\nFlatbread traditions in South Asia are ancient. Tawa-type cooking utensils have been reported at Harappan sites. Literary sources later mention various breads, then stuffed preparations. \n\n\n\nThe leavened bread called naan is generally linked to the Persian n\u0101n and to cooking in a tandoor. Around 1300, Amir Khusrau, in Delhi, mentions n\u0101n-e-tanuk, a light, thin bread, and n\u0101n-e-tanuri, cooked in a tandoor. \n\n\n\nIn Mughal circles, naan was associated with courtly luxury: it appeared in elite meals, including breakfast with kebabs or keema. Its dough, made from flour, water, salt, and a starter, was often enriched with ghee, milk, and yogurt, and sometimes eggs. It was then entrusted to specialized bakers, the naanbais.\n\n\n\nCourt cuisine also included stuffed pastries, including samosas, as well as other filled preparations. In Punjab, a close cousin, kulcha, became a staple of street stalls and dhabas. \n\n\n\nThe classic naan recipe\n\n\n\nIn modern versions, the dough often relies on baking powder and baking soda to save time. There is also a direct regional ancestor of cheese-stuffed bread: paneer naan, or Amritsari Paneer Kulcha, in which well-spiced, non-melting paneer brings aroma and chew rather than a molten center.\n\n\n\nThe melted-cheese version appeared in Paris in the late 1960s, notably around the opening of Annapurna in 1967. It is most often associated with Andr\u00e9 Risser and the idea of sealing La Vache Qui Rit inside the dough, although some sources attribute its creation to the Gupta family. \n\n\n\nIt has become an iconic specialty. The popularity of melted-cheese naan abroad probably encouraged similar offerings to appear in Indian restaurants catering to tourists, alongside other classics such as chicken tikka masala.\n\n\n\n From one region to another, these leavened, stuffed breads hold a special place in convivial meals, whether served with rich sauces or simply brushed with cultured butter.\n\n\n\nMain Ingredients in Cheese Naan\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProcessed cheese spread (historically, especially La Vache Qui Rit ; today, in India, industrial cheeses such as Amul also appear in some modern versions) : melts evenly and creates a creamy center. Personally, I like mozzarella best.\n\n\n\nMozzarella and cheddar blends : used in more recent diaspora and restaurant adaptations for extra stretch and a gooier center.\n\n\n\nRicher dough (often with more milk or butter, and sometimes other enriching ingredients) : gives the naan an especially soft texture.\n\n\n\ngarlic butter, and more rarely truffle oil in some upscale Parisian variations : add a distinctive, more Western-inspired finish.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tBetter-Than-Restaurant Cheese Naan\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tFor the dough250 g all-purpose flour (maida)120 g plain yogurt1 teaspoon sugar0.5 teaspoon baking powder0.25 teaspoon baking sodasalt (to taste)1 teaspoon oil60 ml warm waterFor the filling115 g mozzarella cheese (cut into small cubes)1 teaspoon green chilies (chopped)1\/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)1\/4 teaspoon chaat masalasalt (to taste)black pepper (to taste)Other ingredients1 teaspoon black sesame seeds2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)6 tablespoons butterall-purpose flour (for rolling)2 pinches saltwater\t\n\t\n\t\tPrepare the fillingPlace the mozzarella, green chilies, dried red chili flakes, cilantro, chaat masala, salt, and pepper in a bowl.Mix until evenly combined, then divide the filling into 6 equal portions and set aside.Prepare the doughStir the salt into a little water in a small bowl, then set aside.Place the flour, yogurt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oil in a mixing bowl.Add the warm water and knead until a soft dough forms. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour.Divide the dough into 6 equal portions.Shape and cookRoll one portion of dough with a little flour into a disk about 7.5 cm in diameter. Place one portion of filling in the center, bring the edges toward the center, and seal. Flatten gently.Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and cilantro, then roll out again with a little flour into a rectangle about 17.5 cm long.Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. When hot, sprinkle it with the salted water without wiping it off. Brush one side of the naan with a little water, then place it wet side down in the skillet.Cook until small bubbles appear on the surface, then invert the skillet over an open flame and cook, rotating it, until brown spots appear.Remove from the heat and brush with about 1 teaspoon of butter. Repeat with the remaining naans and serve immediately.\t\n\t\n\t\tFor the filling, you can replace the green chilies by increasing the amount of dried red chili flakes.\nKneading with warm water helps make the naan lighter and puffier.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tAccompagnement, Entr\u00e9eIndienne","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}