Pan Pizza

• 400g bread flour (14 ounces; about 2 1/2 cups), plus more for dusting

• 10 g kosher salt (0.35 ounces; about 2 teaspoons), plus more for sprinkling

• 4 g instant yeast (0.15 ounces; about 1 teaspoon), such as SAF Instant Yeast

• 275 g water (9.5 ounces; about 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons)

• 8 g extra-virgin olive oil (0.25 ounces; about 2 teaspoons), plus more to coat pans and for drizzling

• 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce, such as our New York–style pizza sauce

• 12 ounces grated full-fat, low moisture (dry) mozzarella cheese (see note)

• Toppings as desired

• Small handful torn fresh basil leaves (optional)

• 2 ounces grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Combine flour, salt, yeast, water, and oil in a large bowl. Mix with hands or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. (The bowl should be at least 4 to 6 times the volume of the dough to account for rising.)

2. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, making sure that the edges are well sealed, then let rest at cool room temperature (no warmer than 75°F or 24°C) for at least 8 hours and up to 24. Dough should rise dramatically and fill bowl. In a hot kitchen, the dough may overproof near the end of that range.

3. Sprinkle top of dough lightly with flour, then transfer it to a well-floured work surface. Divide dough into 2 pieces and form each into a ball by holding it with well-floured hands and tucking the dough underneath itself, rotating it until it forms a tight ball.

4. Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in the bottom of two 10-inch cast iron skillets or round cake pans (see note). Place 1 ball of dough in each pan and turn to coat evenly with oil. Using a flat palm, press dough around the pan, flattening it slightly and spreading oil around the entire bottom and edges of the pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough sit at room temperature for 2 hours (at room temperatures above 75°F or 24°C, the dough may require less time to rise; at temperatures below 65°F or 18°C, it may require more time). After the first hour, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 550°F (290°C).

5. After 2 hours, dough should be mostly filling the pan up to the edges. Use your fingertips to press it around until it fills in every corner, popping any large bubbles that appear. Lift up one edge of the dough to let any air bubbles underneath escape, then repeat, moving around the dough until there are no air bubbles left underneath and the dough is evenly spread around the pan.

6. Top each round of dough with 3/4 cup sauce, spreading sauce to the very edge with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese, all the way to the edges. Season with salt. Add other toppings as desired. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter a few basil leaves over the top of each pizza, if desired.

7. Transfer pan to oven and bake until top is golden brown and bubbly and bottom is golden brown and crisp when you lift it with a thin spatula, 12 to 15 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, if using. Using a thin spatula, loosen pizza and peek underneath. If bottom is not as crisp as desired, place pan over a burner and cook on medium heat, moving the pan around to cook evenly until it is crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove the pizzas and transfer to a cutting board. Cut each pizza into 6 slices and serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Digital scale with gram measurements, two 10-inch cast iron skillets or 10-inch round cake pans

Notes

Although mozzarella is standard, any good melting cheese, such as cheddar, Jack, or young provolone, will work for this recipe. This recipe is intended to be made with dry (aged) mozzarella cheese, the yellowish variety that comes in firm blocks. Do not use fresh mozzarella, as it is too moist.

If you want to bake only one pizza at a time, you can transfer one ball of dough to a sealed zipper-lock bag or container in step 3 and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. Continue with step 4 when ready to bake.

Bhindi Kurkuri

• 500 grams okra (bhindi or lady finger)

• ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)

• ▢ 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder or paprika

• ▢ 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)

• ▢ 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder (ground cumin)

• ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala

• ▢ 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)

• ▢ 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala

• ▢ ½ cup gram flour (besan) or swap with chickpea flour

• ▢ salt – add as required

• ▢ 10 tablespoons oil or add as required, for frying the bhindi in batches

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation

• Rinse the okra or bhindi in water for 3 to 4 times. Wipe them completely dry with a kitchen napkin. Trim off the crown and the base tip.

• Slice each okra vertically into 4 pieces.

• If you have small sized okra, then slice into 2 pieces. Take all your sliced okra in a big plate or a big bowl.

• Now sprinkle all the spice powders one by one on the sliced okra. Season with salt according to taste.

• With a spoon or spatula, gently mix the spice powders with the okra.

• Sprinkle the besan on the okra.

• Again, gently mix the besan with the okra. The besan and the seasonings must evenly coat the okra slices.

• Marinate the okra in this mixture for 20 to 30 minutes. You could also keep it for an hour.

Making Kurkuri Bhindi

• In your kadai (wok) or a frying pan, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil. 

• Add a batch of marinated okra and fry. You can fry in three to four batches depending on the size of kadai. Add more oil if required while frying okra. 

• Fry the okra till golden brown and crisp on a medium heat. 

• Take care and keep on turning the okra so that they get fried evenly. If the oil becomes too hot, you could lower the heat and fry.

• Keep the fried okra on a crumpled kitchen tissue so that the extra oil gets drained.

• For the next batch again add 2 to 3 tablespoons oil or as required in the pan. Let the oil become medium hot and then add the marinated bhindi. For each batch add 2 to 3 tablespoons oil or as required while frying.

• Serve bhindi kurkuri directly as they are or if you want you could garnish okra with coriander leaves, julienned ginger or sliced green chilis.

• If you like you could also sprinkle some lime or lemon juice on top of the crispy okra. you could also sprinkle some black salt (kala namak) or chaat masala on the crispy fried okra.

• Enjoy the Kurkuri Bhindi as is or pair with roti and a bowl of curd or yogurt.

NOTES

• Feel free to adjust the quantities of the ground spice powders according to your taste preferences.

• For the best experience, consume this recipe while it’s hot or warm to savor the crispy texture.

• While I have only used gram flour, but you can add a few tablespoons of rice flour for a more crispy texture.

• It’s advisable to avoid leftovers, so scale the recipe based on your requirements. As it stands, this recipe serves 4.

• Opt for bright green, fresh, and tender okra pods for optimal results. Avoid using matured okra that may have become fibrous and stringy.

• If needed, the recipe can be easily halved or doubled to accommodate your specific serving size or preferences.

• For baking Kurkuri Bhindi – Spread the marinated okra in a greased tray. Brush some oil on the top of the okra. You can also add 1 tablespoon oil in the marination mixture and mix it very well with the okra. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C/356 degrees F, for 18 to 20 minutes or until the okra are crisp and golden. It’s essential to monitor the baking process closely, as oven temperatures vary, and the time required for baking may differ. 

Sweet Boondhi

Besan – 2 cup

Rice Flour – 2 tsp

Soda – 1/4 tsp

Oil

Sugar – 2 cup

Cardamom Powder – 1 tsp

In a large bowl add Besan, Rice Flour and Soda; mix well. Add Water little at a time and make a smooth batter.

Heat Oil in a large skillet. Pour the Batter on a Boondhi ladle held on top of the skillet. Tap gently until all the Batter has fallen into the Oil. Remove the Boondhi from Oil when it turns golden.

Put Sugar and 1 cup Water in a pot and bring to boil until it reaches half string consistency. Add Cardamom powder and mix well. Add all the Boondhi into the Syrup and mix well; then spread it on a large plate. When it is warm enough, gently separate the Boondhis.