Paneer and Fig Pizza

By Monica Bhide, Author, Modern Spice,Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen

One of the best-selling items on the menu at Domino’s in Delhi is the pizza topped with chicken tikka. Yes, Indians do love pizza, and it is very much a part of the modern Indian food scene. But it is nothing new. I call this a gentle pizza; the flavors are mild, yet so satisfying. This dish is sweet thanks to the figs—which are, I think, the world’s sweetest fruit. While paneer gives this dish a unique taste, it is not a melting cheese. I have added some ricotta to make the topping a bit creamier.

Serves 4
Prep/Cook time: 20 minutes

One 12-inch packaged pizza crust or use a crust from homemade pizza dough
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup crumbled or grated paneer
1 cup ricotta cheese
8 to 10 very ripe figs, trimmed and thinly sliced
Table salt
1⁄8 teaspoon ground white pepper
8 to 10 basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the crust with a mist of nonstick cooking spay.

2. In a bowl, combine the paneer and ricotta and mix well. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the crust. Top with the  figs, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Bake according to the directions given with the crust, usually about 10 to 12 minutes. The cheese will brown a little but it is not a melting cheese so don’t expect it to bubble.

4. Serve topped with fresh basil leaves. If your figs are really ripe, this will taste like a dessert!

For a savory version, combine the paneer with some minced cilantro,
diced red onions, and diced bell peppers.

This dish depends on only one thing—the ripeness of the fresh figs. If the figs are not sweet, the dish will not taste good no matter what you do. Alternatively, I have made it with dried figs from Nutra Figs (which I love) and it is pretty good—if you cannot find fresh figs, that is. Incidentally, there are many varieties of dried figs that really make the fig taste like cardboard. Nutra figs are actually still moist and really, really sweet.