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As a family, we were never big on birthdays. But sometime in the late 1980s, my parents decided to indulge in a small party for my brother’s birthday. A few friends and family were invited and the biggest draw on the menu was pizza. My mother sourced a round electric oven from a friend — it didn’t have any temperature settings, but it ensured baking at a steady pace — and bought some thick, stodgy pizza base from the local kirana. She also picked up tomato sauce from the same store. The pizza was loaded with finely chopped onions and green capsicum. Since we were going all fancy, my mother exceeded her monthly budget and even brought some mushrooms — which were a rare treat back then. Then came the coup de grace — the pizza was covered with lots of terrible, and I mean really terrible cheese and the whole shebang was baked until the cheese melted. We kids would crowd around the oven, peer into the round glass cover and watch the cheese melt — only to be shooed away by an eagle-eyed aunty, who would remove the pizza from the oven and carve out crisp slices for everyone.
The pizza my mom made tasted mostly of tomato ketchup, while the cheese tasted like plastic and the quantity of tomatoes and capsicum on each slice was overwhelming. But, combined, they tasted so good that my mouth waters at the memory.
We Indians have a way of infusing everything with Indianness — and this especially holds true for food. I mean, our Indian-Chinese is more Indian than Chinese — we all love to have Chinese Bhel and Chinese Dosas — and we all know the story behind Chicken Manchurian.
Over the years, I have encountered the Jain Pizza — which is made without onions — have heard rumours about a particular variety that is liberally dabbed with coriander chutney, and apparently, there is a ‘No-Cheese’ pizza as well. In Ahmedabad, I once ate at the famous Jasuben’s Pizza — which uses a sweet tomato sauce.
Today — after having eaten authentic Italian pizza — I know that the dough is what makes a pizza great and that everything else is just making a guest appearance. I have a recipe for making a deliciously-fresh tomato sauce to coat the base with and I know that a handful of basil leaves can make a great pizza even better. But, there are some days when I want to have nothing else but a desi pizza — and that’s when I head to the kitchen and try and recreate the taste of my childhood.
Desi Pizza
Serving: 4 people
Ingredients
4 – Medium sized pizza bases
250g – Store-bought tomato paste or tomato ketchup
1 – Onion (large, finely chopped)
1 – Green capsicum (large, deseeded and finely chopped)
1 – Tomato (medium-sized, deseeded and chopped)
A few slices of mushroom
Salt – To sprinkle lightly on top
Dried herbs – To sprinkle on seasoning
Grated cheese for sprinkling on top
Method
* Pre-heat your oven as per the instructions on the base pizza packet — which will have the cooking time on it.
* Line a baking tray with baking paper and place your pizza base on it.
* Slather a generous amount of the tomato paste or ketchup on it.
* Add the onion, capsicum, tomatoes and a few slices of mushrooms on each base. Don’t be stingy with the toppings — Indian pizzas should go overboard with toppings.
* Sprinkle some salt and dried herbs for seasoning.
* Bake for 10-15 minutes till the cheese has melted.
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