Pizza, the world-famous Italian delicacy, is often criticised as junk food though is loved by everyone. While palak paneer is healthy as well as a delicious Indian cuisine. So, why not put it together and call it a delightful meal? It will be a gorgeous union of the holy trinity of Indian spices with an Italian ocean of cheese. It will just take the Indo-Italian fusion food game to cloud nine. The highlight of this palak paneer pizza recipe is the flavour-packed North Indian cuisine in an Italian style.
Palak Paneer, an evergreen and authentic delicacy from the lands of North India, is perhaps the most delicious idea to include spinach in your meal. It is a vegetarian dish consisting of rich-thick creamy and vibrantly green palak puree. Spinach is loaded with iron and fibre, whereas paneer is rich in protein and calcium. Tomatoes are extremely rich in lycopene and are a powerful antioxidant. Onions boost immunity.
The humble pizza came into being in the late 17th century. In1889, when Naples created the first pizza pie topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil for Queen Margherita, and is known as Pizza Margherita today. With the abundance of melted cheese, pizza is a deep, chewy-gooey and full of everything dish. Here’s the recipe of Palak Paneer Mini Pizza.
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• 1 pound spinach
• 2 small chopped tomatoes
• 3 cups cubed paneer (or firm tofu)
• 4 tbsps oil
• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 cup water
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Naan or pita
• Grated mozzarella cheese
Method:
1. Add spinach to a large pot of rapidly boiling water. Cook for 30 seconds, then drain. When slightly cooled, squeeze as much water out of the spinach as you can.
2. In a blender/food processor, purée the tomatoes. Add spinach, and pulse so that the spinach remains slightly coarse.
3. In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat, and fry paneer until golden brown on all sides. Remove from the pan, and set aside.
4. In the same pan, heat remaining oil and butter. Add onions, garlic and ginger. Cook until soft and brown.
5. Add chilli powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala to the pan. Stir, while cooking, for about 15-20 seconds until fragrant.
6. Add tomato/spinach mixture, water, and salt to taste. Cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. The mixture will thicken, and the spinach will transform from a bright green to a greenish-brown colour.
7. Stir in heavy cream, then add paneer. Cook for about 1 minute to warm the paneer through.
8. Top mini naan/pitas with palak paneer and lots of grated mozzarella cheese.
9. Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, until naan is toasty and cheese has melted.
