And just like that, our new year plans are looking rather lacklustre yet again. Omicron, the latest strain of the novel coronavirus, we witnessed a jump of 44 percent in a total number of cases on Wednesday. While the government is talking about booster shots, we know well that the next few months are going to be quite a challenge. This means that you can either spend your New Year’s Eve inside your quilts grumbling or get up, hit the kitchen and make something that can make the evening memorable in its own way.
At my place, we used to order in on New Year’s Eve every year until this one time when we placed the order at 8 p.m. and it reached us at 10:40 p.m. Ever since then, we try to at least make some part of the dinner at home so that none of us are starving in event of such mishap. So frozen snacks or tikkas made from scratch became a common fixture in our New Year parties. More so because, this will give us a chance to pull out our rusty BBQ grills.
Why Tikkas Rule NYE Spreads
Even though, India has several communities that celebrate their respective New Years throughout the year like Pohela Boishakh that is celebrated in April and Navroz that is celebrated in August; the 31st night also has its own charm. Whether you are planning a night out with friends at local pubs and breweries or watching a Bollywood award function on TV, what you are looking forward to the most is the food, and if you have grown up in North India, you just cannot evade the tantalising tikkas.
Succulent pieces of chicken, paneer, or mushroom tossed in a spicy and creamy marinade with a yogurt base is set aside for 3-4 hours. Once everything is nicely marinaded, it is skewered on iron rods with diced onion and capsicum and roasted in the tandoor until the tikkas are nice and smoky. These tikkas can be paired with chutney or any tangy dip, you can also dunk these tikkas in gravy, and have a wholesome main option, but have you ever thought of spreading these saucy tikkas on top of a naan, throw in some veggies and seasonings and bake it like a pizza?
Naan As A Pizza Base, Aye Or Nay?
The idea of Naan Pizza or ‘Naaniza’ may come across as a shocker to you, but the trend is actually doing the rounds since 2016. Several restaurants in Delhi, especially the ones who pride themselves in their ‘fusion’ dishes are replacing a regular pizza base with a naan. Like the pizza base, Naan is also a leavened base, but the flatbread is used in Central Asian and Indian cuisine only. It is stretchier and more bendy as compared to a regular pizza but it is also so much softer.
In this recipe, Naan is slathered over with fresh tomato sauce or paste, onion which has been cut into thin rings, roasted chicken tikka, parsley, cheddar cheese (which could be swapped with cottage cheese), chopped fresh coriander leaves, olive oil, and pesto. It is baked until the toppings are nicely cooked, but retain their crunchiness.
Here is a detailed recipe for Chicken Tikka Pizza Naan? Try making it at home during the New Year’s see, and let us know how you liked it.