Vegan Tandoori Tofu Pizza
A delicious and crispy and utterly flavorful vegan Tandoori Tofu Pizza inspired by Indian flavors but with an Italian pesto sauce. The crust is part whole wheat.
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 403kcal
Ingredients
- 2 roasted bell peppers
- 12 oz extra-firm tofu (water pressed out)
For tandoori marinade
- 1 cup vegan yogurt
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
For pesto sauce
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 2 tablespoon capers , drained
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the pizza crust (recipe makes two crusts. You can freeze one for later)
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 ⅓ cups warm water
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the tandoori marinade
- Mix all the ingredients together and add salt to taste (don't skimp too much on the salt because the salty flavor tones down when baked)
- Bake the tofu
- Marinate the tofu slices in the tandoori marinade for 30 minutes at least. Arrange the tofu slices on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Oil the parchment paper well because the tofu can and does stick.
- Place in a preheated 350-degree oven about 25-30 minutes until a crust forms on the outside. Flip once halfway through the baking. The tofu should be firm but still soft inside: that's how I like it best on the pizza.
- Remove the tofu slices from the baking sheet and set aside.
Make the pesto
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and process into a coarse paste.
Make the pizza crust
- Mix the yeast, sugar and warm water. Let stand for five minutes to make sure the yeast is alive and starts frothing.
- Add all of the whole wheat flour, about 1 ½ cups of the all-purpose, dried basil, olive oil, and salt and knead by hand or in a stand mixer. If the dough is too sticky, keep adding the remaining all-purpose flour until you get a smooth dough.
- Place in an oiled bowl and turn the dough over once to coat it on all sides with oil. Cover with a kitchen napkin and place in a warm spot for about 1 ½ hours or until it doubles in volume.
- After it has doubled, punch down the dough, and divide it into two. If you're making just one pizza, this would be a great time to wrap one half in plastic wrap and freeze it for future use. When you need it, just bring it out several hours before and let it sit at room temperature to thaw.
- Shape the other half into a ball and let it sit around 10 minutes. Then, on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a round of about 14 inches (this isn't a thin crust but I still roll it fairly thin. Make sure your baking sheet is large enough to accommodate the rolled crust).
- Push down around the center with your fingers so you get a slightly raised edge around the pizza.
- Dust the baking sheet with cornmeal and place the crust on it. Brush the crust with olive oil and place in a 475-degree oven for about 8-10 minutes until lightly golden. The crust might bubble up in places, but don't worry. It adds to the great, rustic look.
- Now take the pizza out of the oven and spread the pesto sauce over it.
- Layer the roasted bell pepper strips on the pizza.
- Put the pizza back into the oven and bake another 5 minutes.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and place the baked tofu strips on top. Serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 289mg | Potassium: 347mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 513IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 4mg