Dig-In Meals – A column highlighting Indian spices in recipes that take traditional Indian food and add a western twist! Check this space every so often as I speak to other professional chefs and share their “secret” recipes to spice up your homemade meals.
As coronavirus restrictions eased a bit, we decided to gently slip into hosting small gatherings with a few close friends. But after almost a year of not entertaining, I wanted to keep it simple and with the dog days of summer upon us, I decided on a pizza party.
With a mix of ages and ethnicities to please, who all love Indian food, we decided to order a variety of curry pizzas and wings from Curry Pizza House. Their curry sauce base reminds you of your favorite Indian restaurant, the pies topped with both popular Indian dishes and melty cheese, which were an instant hit and continue to be popular among the Bay Area crowd.
But with this being a food column, I wanted to delve deeper and unveil the secret behind all that yumminess, so I met with the owners of Curry Pizza House (CPH), Gursewak Gill and Gurmail “Romy” Gill to see how this idea came about. Gursewak Gill was visiting his in-laws in Canada, where they ate pizza on most nights. To break the monotony, Gill would modify the pizzas with ginger, garlic, and green chilis’, eventually going bolder by dipping the pizza into traditional Indian curries to give it some oomph. The rest he says is history. He came back to the Bay Area and decided to open a pizza place that played with people’s expectations of standard Indian dishes by reimagining them as pizzas.
Gursewak and his business partner Romy Gill have opened their 11th location in San Ramon with more locations on the way in Texas. Their sauce recipe is proprietary, but CPH shared recipes to re-create their pizza by mixing tomato sauce with any sauces to your liking and spice preference level. The recipes are approximations of the menu items.
Some suggested spices to add to the tomato sauce:
- Dried red chilis
- Cinnamon sticks
- Cayenne pepper
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Cardamom
- Mustard seeds
- Turmeric
For the white sauce, here is a suggested variation:
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cup milk (whole milk)
- 3 pressed garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded
Directions:
- Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour once the butter is fully melted. Slowly add milk and stir until combined and the mixture starts to thicken.
- Whisk in garlic and salt
- Finish by adding in the parmesan and stirring until melted, around 30 seconds
- Allow sauce to cool slightly and then spread on top of your pizza.
To make your own pizza dough you will need:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 package active dry yeast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- Cornmeal for sprinkling
Directions:
- Mix sugar into warm water and sprinkle yeast on top
- Wait 10 minutes for the yeast to activate and become foamy
- Pour the yeast mixture into a bowl and add flour and salt
- Combine
- Knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is moderately stiff. Add additional flour as necessary.
- Cover and let rest for 20-30 minutes
- Break the dough into 2 pieces and use a rolling pin to make two 12-inch pizzas.
- Place dough on a lightly greased baking sheet or pizza board and top with desired toppings (see below for suggestions).
- Bake the pizza at 425 F for 10-15 minutes until the desired doneness.
Curry Chicken Masala Pizza
Chicken and vegetables intermingle on this fragrant, lightly spicy pizza. A special masala curry sauce lends a depth of flavor.
Ingredients:
- Secret House Curry Sauce
- Cheese
- Green Bell Peppers
- Red Onions
- Tomatoes
- House Marinated Curry Chicken Strips
- Fresh Cilantro
Chilli Paneer Pizza
In true Curry Pizza House fashion, this pizza is fresh and spicy thanks to the chili flavors infused throughout. Paneer helps give this delicious vegetarian pizza extra substance and cheesiness.
Ingredients:
- Secret House Curry Sauce
- Cheese
- Green Bell Peppers
- Red Onions
- Tomatoes
- House Marinated Chilli Paneer Cubes
- Green Onions
- Fresh Cilantro
Tandoori Chicken Pizza
An updated take on popular Indian food, the tandoori chicken pizza draws its inspiration from a dish prepared by roasting chicken marinated in yogurt and spices in a tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven.
Ingredients:
- House White Garlic Sauce
- Cheese
- Green Bell Peppers
- Red Onions
- Tomatoes
- Marinated Tandoori Chicken Strips
- Fresh Cilantro
Mona Shah is a multi-platform storyteller with expertise in digital communications, social media strategy, and content curation for Twitter and LinkedIn for C-suite executives. A journalist and editor, her experience spans television, cable news, and magazines. An avid traveler and foodie, she loves artisan food and finding hidden gems: restaurants, recipes, destinations. She can be reached at: mona@indiacurrents.com