Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza with Kale
My first taste of homemade pizza is something made by my mother using Amul Cheese, peppers and shrimp. All things considered it very well might have been the mother of today’s fusion pizza. Made with Chicken Tikka Masala for the base and lots of fresh kale. Our Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza with Kale is quite a hit with the family.
Memories and the Story of My Chicken Tikka Pizza with Kale
First made on a Friday with snow and a blizzard named Nemo. I have since made this a couple of times. In the memory of mom’s original pizza, this is rustic and easy to pull together. A perfect easy to pull together item that is great when the weather is cold.
Flavors and Fun
Flavors of the chicken tikka, work nicely in this recipe. Creamy and comforting. I do not use a lot of cheese, just enough to call it a pizza.
A good sort of crust
Now, my husband often says that a pizza crust is noticed only when it is not good, well, particularly in the whole wheat arena we have ended up with plenty bad. A discussion on facebook, specifically on Suvir Saran’s timeline, where his fans emphatically convinced me that his pizza crust was the one! Since, Masala Farm, the book that owned the recipe was owned by me, I figured that I really had nothing to lose. With myl whole wheat subbing, this crust was indeed the one!
It works well, with a thin and slightly nutty finish, flecked with beautiful bits of black pepper and rosemary, yes, it is the same crust that is the base for the winter squash and Brussels sprout pizza.
A fusion riff on the pizza, resulting in a Chicken Tikka Pizza with a made from the scratch crust.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or atta
- 11/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 11/2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water
- Cornmeal for rolling the dough
- 11/2 cups of chicken tikka masala or butter chicken (see my recipe linked earlier in the post)
- 1 cups of very finely chopped kale (I used the food processor for this)
- 3/4 pound ball of fresh mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar
- Chopped cilantro
- crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, salt and pepper and place in the bowl of a food processor.
- Add in the yeast and pulse lightly.
- Add in the olive oil and the water in a single stream and process for about 30 seconds to a minute until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Remove the dough and work on a flat surface, until smooth and well mixed.
- Place in a warm place for about 2 hours and let the dough rise.
- Divide the dough into 4 portions.
- Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees, and place a pizza stone in the oven and heat for 20 minutes (note, I recently made these at my friends house on a baking sheet with acceptable results.
- Roll out the first ball of dough into a thin circle about 8 inches, using cornmeal as needed to create a peel and prevent sticking, and do the same with the second. (My stone allowed for 2 personal sized pizzas at at time).
- Place on the pizza stone and cook for about 3 minutes, you should see the dough beginning to blister and puff at points.
- Remove from the oven, and smear the top with with the chicken tikka curry and scatter uniformly with the kale.
- Dot with the mozzarella and the cheddar cheese and bake for 8 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and the crust is crisp.
- Remove and place on a rack to cool slightly, repeat process for the remaining two pies.
- Scatter with chopped cilantro and crushed red pepper flakes and serve hot.
- Place these thin rounds on