Vegan Tofu Tikka Pizza

Whole wheat pizza base topped with chunks of tofu and capsicum marinated in a spicy soy yogurt sauce!! Tofu acts as a healthier and far more delicious replacement to the traditional cottage cheese in the Tikka (a North Indian appetizer) recipe.



For the base:

2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 t omum (oregano seeds)
2 t salt
2 T sugar
3/4 T active dry yeast
3 T oil
Water

Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a deep well in the center. Put 1/4 t sugar and the yeast in the hole. Pour about 1/2 C of lukewarm water into the hole and let it sit for about 10 minutes. The yeast, sugar and water mixture will turn frothy and rise. Add the oil, salt and rest of the sugar and mix. Add as much water as required, a little at a time, and mix well into a rough ball of dough. Place the dough on a floured surface (I directly use my pre-cleaned countertop) and knead well for a few minutes till the dough is smooth and elastic. Lightly coat the ball of dough with oil, place it back in the mixing bowl, cover completely with a moist cloth and let it sit in a warm place for an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping...

For the topping:

2 capsicums (green bell peppers) - chopped into large pieces.
1 package extra firm tofu - gently squeezed to remove extra water and cubed into large chunks.
1 tomato chopped and kept aside
Vegan Parmesan

Marinade sauce:

1 medium sized tomato
5 or more cloves of garlic
1-2 t red chilli powder (adjust quantity to how much spice you can handle)
1/2 C plain soy yogurt
Sea salt

Put all the ingredients for the marinade sauce in a blender and make a smooth liquid. Add the tofu and capsicum to the marinade, mix well and let the mixture sit for about 15-20 minutes. The tofu will soak up the flavors of the sauce really well. Remove the tofu chunks and capsicum from the sauce (keep the extra sauce aside for later) and layer them in a microwave safe glass dish. Cook on high for 5 minutes (use the micro-grill combo option if available). Let it sit in the microwave for a few minutes. Then mix in the chopped tomatoes and vegan parmesan.

How to proceed:

After the dough has risen for an hour, punch it down and divide it into two portions. Knead gently for just a few seconds and roll out into pizza bases. Cover one with the moist cloth which you used for the dough and place the other on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Pre heat the oven to 230 C (450 F) and bake the first base for 10 minutes. Take it out (leave the oven on) and brush on a little of the marinade liquid then load half the topping mixture over the base leaving a small gap around the edges. Pop back into oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Follow the same procedure for the second pizza base.

Serve hot with ketchup and/or peprico sauce! Enjoy! :)