Paneer Pizza on Naan Bread

Somehow or other, the idea of a Paneer Pizza with Naan bread recently came to mind. I went about drafting a recipe, knowing I had a day off coming up with nothing pressing to attend to. I'm pretty confident when it comes to my culinary skills, and frequently modify recipes, sometime significantly, but drafting your own recipe for something rather new can be intense. Cooking temperatures, flavour combination and the compatibility of the ingredients as a whole were not immediately apparent to me. As a consequence, I gave this recipe considerable thought and worked in harmony with the food. I admit I didn't make everything from scratch - I bought the naan bread, the block of paneer cheese I used to make the Paneer Tikki, and also the vindaloo paste - but this experiment with Indian fusion was decidedly a success.

Yields two 10 - 12 inch Naan Pizzas, with a bit of Paneer Tikki left over to snack on.

Paneer Pizza on Naan Bread

Begin by preparing Paneer Tikka Masala.

Next prepare the tomato sauce.


For the Tomato Sauce:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 shallots, or one small onion, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 green chillies or 1 medium jalapeno pepper, finely diced
2 small firm tomatoes
juice from one lemon
a generous tablespoon of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of vindaloo paste
dash of cayenne
sprinkling of red chili flakes
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/3 cup of parsley, chopped

Heat the oil over moderate heat in a medium pot. When hot, fry shallots, or onion, for a few minutes. Add the garlic and green chillies and stir and fry for another minute. Increase the heat slightly and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, vindaloo paste, lemon juice, salt, cayenne and red chili flakes. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 20 - 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and remove from heat.

Next, fry up the mushrooms.

Skillet Fried Mushrooms

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small onion, separated into rings
8 ounces of sliced fresh mushrooms

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion, stir and fry for a minute or so and add the mushrooms. Cook for another 8 - 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms just begin to release their juices.

Assembling and baking the pizza:

Slice some red, green and yellow pepper into thin strips. Finely grate 1 1/2 cups of gruyere cheese. Place two prepared naan breads on a large baking sheet. Coat bread with a bit of olive oil. Spread evenly with tomato sauce. Top with chopped peppers, cooked mushrooms, and coarsely chopped paneer tikka. Sprinkle with grated guyere cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 12 - 15 minutes, and then broil for another minute or so to slightly brown the guyere cheese.