Punjabi Tadka with an Italian twist- Paneer tikka chutney pizza

Pizza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...............The word alone brings out the craving to gobble up a huge juicy slice of the gooey, cheesy, yummy pizza.....

Pizza though originally has been in existence in Italy from the 1800s but since then has spread to nearly every country on earth, with many adding their own culinary twists to it to make it a hot favorite in their markets. India is not far behind in this too....We have a range of pizzas which include the bests of Paneer and Punjabi twists to it.....all the retail giants bring out so many good and spicy yet tangy pizzas for the likes of the Indian crowd.....from the hot chatpata chaat pizza to the Paneer jalfrezi pizza...and lets not forget the hot favorite tikka masala pizza.......boy don't we love our spices.....

But what has been your favorite, the one that you ordered over and over again......Mine has always been the paneer tikka chutney pizza......do you want a slice.....then why not make it at home.....Just follow me and you would end up with the best and yummiest pizza in the whole wide world......

This one recipe I recently tried at home and it is less complicated, but probably tastier. Paneer (my left over paneer tikka from the barbecue party), creamy sauce, spices like dried fenugreek, which provide a soft, sweet aroma – all topped off with some mozzarella cheese and oregano....sounds like a nice dinner to me....What do you guys think.....

Things you would need are: 1 handmade pizza crust (recipe below), Mango chutney, cream cheese, Tomato sauce, Paneer Tikka Masala (recipe in previous post), 1/4 cup oregano, Shredded mozarella cheese and gouda cheese

How to assemble the gooey pizza

To assemble the pizza: Lay out the dough. Spread a very thin layer of mango chutney on the dough followed by the cream cheese. If you want, place some onion slices on top, or top with some capsicums, it is totally upto you....go crazy.....

Then, spread a couple large spoonfuls of tomato puree on top of it. Now, take your paneer tikka masala and gently spoon it on the pizza, spreading it with a large spoon or spatula. Sprinkle with mozarella cheese and gouda, and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C till the cheese melts coating the paneer tikka and goes golden brown in the edges. When it comes out, sprinkle with oregano and enjoy!

Note: It’s definitely time-consuming to make paneer tikka if you don't have left overs from the party or the other night– but you can always shorten it up by buying a paneer tikka masala as take-out from an Indian restaurant and just make the pizza for yourself yourself.

The pizza base: Home made

Buying a premade pizza base from the market is not my idea of cooking. Remember, there are loads of varieties of pizzas and pizza crust out there. So, get free and create a work of art and personalize your pizza, just the way you want it. The hand made version of a pizza base is tastier and ends up bringing the best flavors in a pizza. If you are one who likes to spend some quality time in your kitchen, this is  certainly for you! 

I am going to share with you the basic pizza base method. It is easy and can be made using a food processor or bread maker. But I prefer to make it with my very own hands leaving my prints on the base and bonding with the food by doing  a ton of mixing and kneading, Add anything you like to the dough which you feel might go good with the topping as well as the base......I've often added chopped garlic, oregano, cheese, cilantro and chilli flakes.

Things you need are: 3 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup warm water, 1 package dry yeast, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 3/4 cup water

Lets get cracking:

Sift in salt and flour. Dissolve the yeast in warm water; let it sit for 10 minutes. Add oil, honey yeast mixture and warm water to the flour.The dough should make a ball after kneading, but just in case it doesn't turn up into a ball it might be because it is too dry. Don't fret just add water one tablespoon at a time until it does turn into a ball. If your mixture is more like a semi-solid then add flour one tablespoon at a time. Keep adding water or flour as required to get the right consistency up until you always get a perfect dough. Just remember, do it in small amounts to avoid having to repeat the whole procedure.

Place the dough ball onto a floured board to knead for another minute which assists the gluten to build up making the dough to rise into a fluffy base when cooked. Place the dough in a covered bowl and store in a warm, dry area to rise. I always prefer to leave them in my Oven or OTG for about 45 minutes resulting in the dough to double in size. Press it down and leave it to rest for another 1-1.5 hours after which the dough ready to be rolled out. But the choice is yours, if you want to press it down again and leave it for another hour or two before rolling it out into a base.

A major trouble with most of us is we don't put in enough work on the dough. This is an excellent opportunity to get some workout for your arms and hands, the dough will not be damaged or hurt. So loosen up folks! 

I always use both hands, one on top of the other to press the dough from centre to out to start the stretching process, which results in pushing the dough a little on each push. I also pick up the dough to squeeze its edges and imagine I am turning a steering wheel, but this allows to stretch the dough with its own weight.  Keep repeating this until the dough is about 1/2 inch thick all the way around, then I always use a rolling pin to flatten it out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick making it even. Puncture holes all over the dough using a fork which  keeps it from bubbling up and holds the sauce on while baking. Almost there, now the only thing you need to do is to spread the sauce pf your choice, cheese and your choice of toppings and bake at 400 F /180 C till the crust is golden and the cheese melts.