It's my pizza and salad all rolled into one. It's not a sweet peanut-sauced version of Thai pizza. It's a savory coconut milk, fish sauce and green curry pizza. Folks have been asking for the recipe so I'm going to pretend that I measure when I cook.
The Dough
This recipe makes an easy to work with dough that produces a thin, crisp, crust. It is a yeast dough but it only needs to rise for a less than an hour total. That makes it about 1 1/2 hours from "Hey, let's make pizza!" until we are eating. I like to use a mixture of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour. This recipe will make enough dough for 2 15-inch pizzas. This recipe started out in Pizza, Pasta & More by Wolfgang Puck. I pulled it off of foodnetwork.com back in 2003 and have only made a few changes.
2 1/4 teaspoon (1 package) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Dissolve honey and yeast in the warm water. (If using a Kitchen Aid with a dough hook, do this in the bowl of the mixer. Then add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. If mixing by hand or in a food processor, dissolve the honey and yeast in a small bowl and then add it to the flour mixture.)
In a separate bowl, combine the flours.
When yeast is dissolved (and foamy) add the olive oil. On low, mix in 2 1/2 cups of flour. Add salt to the final 1/2 cup of flour and mix in on low until a ball forms around the dough hook. About 5 minutes. Remove dough and hand kneed a few minutes to make sure it is smooth. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover with warm damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes. (My favorite place is in the microwave.) After 30 minutes the dough should hold a dent if you poke at it with your finger. Divide it in half and, on a very lightly floured surface, gently roll and smooth each portion into a nice ball. Again, cover with a damp towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
When it comes time to form the crust, I use a french rolling pin to form a 16 inch circle. If you want to throw your pizza dough in the air, this dough is great for that - have fun.
I use a pizza stone dusted with cornmeal to cook my pizzas. This is such a thin crust that a baking sheet works just fine.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
The Topping
3 Tablespoons coconut cream from an unshaken can of coconut milk
1 Tablespoon (more or less according to preference) green curry
2 green onions, whites only, chopped
3 chicken thighs, grilled (If I use breast, I marinate them in coconut milk to keep them from drying our. You can omit the chicken for an equally delicious but less carnivore friendly pizza.)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella (or add an extra Tablespoon of coconut cream and omit the cheese)
Spread the coconut cream on the crust with the back of a spoon. Add the green curry and spread. Sprinkle on green onions, chicken, and cheese. Place on the middle rack of preheated oven and cook for about 12 minutes.
The Garnish
I will list what went onto the latest version but there are other ingredients that work really well too: bean sprouts, Thai basil, thinly sliced hot peppers. Remember, precise measurements are extremely important on this step. Ha! I kid! Don't be afraid of the fish sauce. Just do it!
1/2 cup red cabbage
1/2 cup white cabbage
2 green onions, greens only, thinly sliced
1 carrot julienned (I cheat and use a traditional lemon zester - works great)
1/4 of a red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons fish sauce (how does something that smells so bad taste so good?)
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Mix all that goodness together and toss it on the pizza when it comes out of the oven. Slice and enjoy.
(Bad quality iphone photo. Foreground is the Thai Pizza. Pizza in the background is veggie: roasted tomatoes, roasted eggplant, grilled asparagus, and mushroom on a spelt crust.)
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