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Traditional tandoors (clay ovens) allow for multiple forms of heat to cook food — direct heat from charcoal for grill marks, smoke for added flavor, hot clay walls for a griddling effect, and radiant heat from the pit of the oven that allows everything to bake together!
While not everyone can have a tandoor in their backyard, you can achieve that flame-kissed flavor with our house Tandoori Masala — a blend of 15 single-origin, freshly-harvested spices sourced from across South Asia — paired with the high heat of an Ooni Pizza Oven. Here, the tandoori masala is used in two ways. First, it’s added to crushed tomatoes with a splash of cream, creating a spicy, luscious pizza sauce. And, it’s also whisked together with a little neutral oil as a seasoning for sumptuous planks of paneer (you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cook it in your Ooni Pizza Oven before chopping it up and adding to the pizza). The pizza is layered with the sauce, marinated paneer, low-moisture mozzarella, thinly sliced red onion, green bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes before being baked to blistered, bubbling perfection.
This recipe was created in collaboration with Ooni Pizza Ovens.
Asha's Paneer Tikka Pizza
Traditional tandoors (clay ovens) allow for multiple forms of heat to cook food — direct heat from charcoal for grill marks, smoke for added flavor, hot clay walls for a griddling effect, and radiant heat from the pit of the oven that allows everything to bake together!
While not everyone can have a tandoor in their backyard, you can achieve that flame-kissed flavor with our house Tandoori Masala — a blend of 15 single-origin, freshly-harvested spices sourced from across South Asia — paired with the high heat of an Ooni Pizza Oven. Here, the tandoori masala is used in two ways. First, it’s added to crushed tomatoes with a splash of cream, creating a spicy, luscious pizza sauce. And, it’s also whisked together with a little neutral oil as a seasoning for sumptuous planks of paneer (you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cook it in your Ooni Pizza Oven before chopping it up and adding to the pizza). The pizza is layered with the sauce, marinated paneer, low-moisture mozzarella, thinly sliced red onion, green bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes before being baked to blistered, bubbling perfection.
This recipe was created in collaboration with Ooni Pizza Ovens.
Ingredients
For the paneer
1½ tablespoons Tandoori Masala
1½ tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or rapeseed
1 6-ounce block paneer (we love Sach Foods), cut into 1½ x 1 x ¼“ planks
For the sauce
1½ tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or rapeseed
½ small red onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon Tandoori Masala
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (optional)
For assembly
2 x 250g balls homemade or store-bought pizza dough
1½ cups grated low-moisture mozzarella
½ cup green bell pepper, diced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
Cilantro, for garnish
Methods
- Prepare your pizza dough ahead of time. Ooni has a handy dandy guide to making the perfect Classic Pizza Dough that covers everything you need to know.
- While the dough is rising, marinate the paneer. Combine the tandoori masala and canola oil in a shallow bowl and whisk into a smooth paste. Add the paneer and gently toss it in the marinade, making sure each piece has a thin coating of spice on it. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, up to overnight.
- For the sauce for this pizza, heat the canola oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and start to turn golden around the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tandoori masala and continue to cook, stirring frequently until the spices smell fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cream, if using, reduce the heat to medium low and cook until heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside. (If you’re not using this within 30 minutes, transfer sauce to a airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.)
- Fire up your Ooni Pizza Oven. Aim for 752˚F (400˚C) on the stone baking board inside. You can check the temperature inside your Ooni quickly and easily using the Ooni Infrared Thermometer.
- Using a small amount of flour, dust your Ooni Pizza Peel. Stretch the pizza dough ball out to 12" and lay it out on your pizza peel. Using a large spoon or ladle, spread ¼ cup of sauce evenly across the pizza base. Top with ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, half of the marinated paneer, ¼ cup green bell peppers, some red onion, and half of the cherry tomatoes.
- Slide the pizza off the peel and into your Ooni Pizza Oven, making sure to rotate the pizza regularly. Once cooked, remove the pizza from the oven. Sprinkle the pizza with some chopped cilantro, slice, and enjoy immediately!
- Allow the oven to take a 5 minute break while you prepare the second pizza, then repeat the assembly and cooking process.
