I adore Indian food to the core and love it when recipes from other parts of the world get an Indian twist. And what a transformation it is .... green chutney in burgers, tandoori chicken in sandwiches, wraps and pizzas. Paneer is the quintessential substitue for all things vegetarian. An added touch of spice to pastas just bring them to life! And yes the authenticity of those foods goes for a toss but it is a taste that is loved by Indian folks - one and all.

One of my favorite pizzas is a Spinach Pizza from Dr. Oetkers . It is a thin crust pizza, available in frozen form to be cooked in the oven before serving. It has heaping mounds of chopped fresh spinach and cheese on a tomato base and a thin crust. It feels quite healthy and the thin crust just holds the delicate toppings beautifully. The pizza is a good one but lacks flavor. I like to enjoy it sprinkled with sea salt and lots of dried chili flakes. So when it came to trying out a new pizza the other day, I decided to make this very pizza with an Indian twist.

Some changes were definitely in the order - chopped fresh spinach was cooked lightly with salt and dried chili flakes to spike it a bit. For the cheese, I used a small quantity of grated mozzarella and parmesan mixed together. The highlight of the day of course was the paneer - generous amount of paneer cubes tossed in a salty spicy mixture. And believe it or not, my current favorite spice mix for all things pizza and garlic bread is the Oregano spice mix that is delivered along with dominos pizzas. It is absolutely delightful - loaded with salt, garlic, oregano, pepper and chili, it is the perfect readymade solution to add zest to the dullest of ingredients. And everytime the pizzas are eaten, I will save all unused little sachets in a container so that I have my favorite mix ready whenever I need it.

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch spinach leaves, washed and finely chopped

1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce

1/2 tsp dried basil leaves

3/4 cup paneer cut into cubes

1/4 cup grated parmesan + mozzarella cheese

2 packs dominos spice mix

red chilli flakes to taste

salt to taste

Pizza dough - enough to make 1-10 inch pizza

Olive oil - as needed

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 230-250 Deg C. To a pan over medium heat, add a tsp oil and add the chopped spinach and cook for 3-4 minutes till the spinach is partially cooked and water is evaporated. Add salt to taste and red chilli flakes and set aside.

2. To the pasta sauce, add salt to taste and dried basil leaves and set aside. Add the Dominos spice mix to paneer cubes and set aside.

3. Roll the pizza dough very thin and transfer to a pizza wire rack. Make holes in the dough with the help of a fork and leave for 5 - 10 minutes.

4. Spread the pasta sauce on top of the pizza. Put the cooked spinach on top and place this in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes till the base is slightly browned. It should not be raw or completely cooked as we have not added the cheese yet.

5. Bring out the pizza and sprinkle with the grated cheese and spread paneer cubes on top. Put it back into the oven to cook till the cheese has melted and the crust is nicely browned. The paneer cubes will be cooked through and very soft. The pizza needs to be removed to a cutting board and cut into slices. After that, it should be moved back to the wire rack and placed such that the base does not get soggy. This is the best way to enjoy the crispiness of a thin crust pizza.