Interesting Facts You Never Knew About Your Favourite Pizzas
Pizzas
What is flat, round, topped usually with cheese and tomato sauce and can be custom-made to suit each and every palate, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian? No points for guessing; it’s a pizza! In the present society, where pizza rightfully claims (and actually does) get to your house before even the police can, there is an ever-increasing war of sorts between all the so-called ‘big’ pizza delivery chains in any city.
For instance, in Mumbai itself, there are more than a dozen Pizza Hut Mumbai outlets to choose from! After all, a pizza is like the entire food pyramid rolled into one! And with more and more people warming up to this Italian delicacy, the types and varieties of pizzas available today is truly mind-boggling. That first delectable whiff of your pizza baking in the oven, the scalding of your tongue as you bite into your pizza slice sooner than you should have, the way your mozzarella leaves a trail leading from your mouth to the slice even as you try to pull away and let go, the burst of flavours on your tongue which leaves your taste buds tingling – truly speaking, eating a pizza is an all-encompassing culinary experience in its own right. And the best part of all, a pizza can be prepared in an infinite number of ways, with a different topping or combination of toppings each time.
Interesting Facts About Pizzas:
More than 5 billion pizzas are sold worldwide each year.
The first restaurant which exclusively sold pizzas came up in Naples in the year 1830.
The world record for the fastest pizza making currently stands at 14 pizzas in 2 minutes and 35 seconds.
There’s actually an entire month dedicated to pizzas in the United States since the year 1987 – October is the ‘National Pizza Month’.
The record for the world’s largest circular pizza was set at Norwood Hypermarket in South Africa in 1990 – 122 feet and 8 inches across, weighing 26883 pounds, containing 9920 pounds of flour, 3968 pounds of cheese and 1984 pounds of sauce.
Cheese and tomatoes (considered to be essential components of all pizzas) weren’t added to the early versions of pizzas right upto the late 1800s.
Is Pizza Actually Healthy?
Contrary to popular belief, yes – pizzas are a healthy eating option. Though very often classified under the ‘junk food’ banner, a pizza can be a very wholesome meal, provided you choose the right toppings to go with it. Lycopene, an anti-oxidant found in the skin of tomatoes, is known to fight the destruction of healthy body cells. Studies indicate that it even has the ability to obstruct the growth of cancerous tissues. Also an excellent source of Vitamin C, the tomato sauce on your pizza is extremely good for your health.
Nothing tastes better than a cheese-burst pizza, with dollops of cheese loaded onto and into the crust, right? Wrong. Though it may taste good, but too much of cheese may be more harmful than you think. Okay, we’re not telling you to eat your pizza without cheese (no way), but then, the cheese on top of your pizza crust is more than enough for your body’s calcium requirements at any given time. Also, a thin crust pizza is the healthiest option, as thick crust means nothing except some extra flour and bread, which ultimately adds up to needless calories and hardly any vitamins and minerals.
Heard about paper blotting? Catch hold of a paper napkin and pat the very obvious oil from the top of your slice before biting into it. It’s hard to believe but this method alone is estimated to cut upto 30 calories. And if you love to sprinkle oregano all over your Pizza Corner pizza to give it that extra zing, go ahead by all means – your oregano is a good source of Vitamin K, fibre and manganese. So, as you can pretty much make out by now, there is no reason whatsoever to compromise with your taste when it comes to your favourite pizzas, as long as you don’t go overboard in the choices you make.
On a lighter note:
So then, what would be the best time or occasion to order in a pizza? Well, let’s see if we can make out. Woken up on a lazy Sunday morning and it’s almost noon? Don’t get down to cook, just order in a pizza. When your friends suddenly decide to jam at your place without prior notice, you have no option but to get pizza home delivered. And yes, a different flavour for everyone. If you’re almost out of cash and can’t afford a seven-course meal, the best and most-filling option that you have is a pizza. Down in the dumps at any random time of the day, weekday or weekend? It’s pizza time. Simply put, you’ll feel good by the time you finish your meal.
Palak Paneer Palak Paneer is a north Indian dish , especially made in Dhabas .Dhabas are mini restaurant on the highway especially found in the north of India the best ones being in Punjab. According to nutritionists Palak and Paneer is an excellent combination of proteins and vitamins. It is also an extremely tasty combination. Ingredients 1 bunch Palak. 2 tomatoes large. 2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste. 1 tsp. dhania powder. 1 tsp. jeera powder. 1 onion 3 green chillies 200 g Paneer. Salt to taste. 2 tbsp. oil or butter. To garnish 1 tbsp. of cream. Methodology Blanch the spinach in hot water Keep it covered for 10 mins When done, blend it with green chillies and water to make the Palak pulp. Boil the tomatoes. Remove the skin and make tomato pulp by grinding in a mixer Heat oil/butter , put onions and when they turn brown add the ginger garlic paste Add the masalas and tomato pulp Now add the Palak pulp and salt. Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes Add the Paneer pieces and turn off the flame Garnish with cream and serve with roti.
Kheer Recipe Kheer is a famous dessert in the Indian cuisine. Kheer essentially means milk in Sanskrit. This mouth watering dessert is made from broken wheat, vermicelli or rice. You can choose as per your taste. You can add nuts and raisins to make it crunchier and add some saffron to it to get that beautiful color. Initially Kheer was originated in South India but later on it became famous all across India. Items required for preparing Kheer: 1 cup of milk Rice half cup or broken wheat or vermicelli (soaked and washed for 20 minutes) Soaked 20 strands of saffron in 2-3 tablespoon of hot milk. Green cardamoms – 8 – peeled and powdered. Sugar – 6-7 tablespoon. 14 almonds and 12 pistachios. How to prepare: Simmer the milk once it is boiled thoroughly. Grind rice or broken wheat coarsely so that it easily dissolves in the milk. Add milk to coarsely ground rice or wheat. Stir the milk thoroughly nonstop so that it does not stick to the pan. Boil till the milk thickens and the rice or wheat is boiled. Now remove the pan and add almonds and pistachios Serve it hot or cold.
Spinach (Paalak) Gravy When we are looking for some nutritious ingredient then spinach can be used in every type of dish including soup, parantha and rice too. Some people love to have it in a spicy flavor. This green vegetable is a store of vitamins and proteins which is very healthy. Contents of the dish: Spinach, 1.5 cups. Toor dal, ½ cup. Cumin seeds, 1.5 tsp. Dry red chillies. Grated coconut, 3 tsps. Garlic flakes. Tamarind. Tomato puree, 4 tsps. Salt as per taste. Methodology: To settle the toor dal and tamarind, soak them in water for few minutes. Clean the spinach and boil it in water. Make a fine paste of the toor dal, cumin seeds, coconut and red chillies. Now add this paste into the spinach with salt, tamarind water and garlic tomato puree. Season the dish with some gram dal, curry leaves and spinach and serve hot.
Paneer Curry Recipe Paneer is nothing but Cottage Cheese. A Paneer curry is just another curry where curry means sauce in Tamil, a language in South India. Combination of masalas with other ingredients is a curry. Paneer curry is very popular in North India. Ingredients: Paneer – 200 gms. Tomato puree – 2 nos. Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp. Garlic- Ginger paste -1 tsp. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp. Chilli powder- ½ tsp. Cumin Powder- ½ tsp. Garam masala powder – ½ tsp. Coriander powder – ½ tsp. Cashew nuts: 10-12 nos (ground to a paste). Salt as required. Methodology: Cut paneer into small cubes and keep aside. Add oil in a heavy bottomed pot, when hot enough add cumin seeds. Once they splutter add the ginger garlic paste. Do not let it stick to the bottom of the vessel. Keep adding little water. Now take little water add all the masalas in it and mix well. Add this to the pot and fry the masalas well till oil separates. Add tomato puree and sauté till oil separate. Add the cashew nut paste and then the cubed pieces of Paneer. In case the gravy is too dry add little water accordingly. Let the gravy boil a little and then serve hot.
The cuisine of Jharkhand is not very different from its neighboring Bihar. The food of Jharkhand is very light on the stomach and easy to digest. Dhuska is a popular deep fried snack eaten in Jharkhand. The main ingredients of the dhuska are powdered rice, chana dal powder and boiled potatoes.The bread is then deep fried. It is often served with any sauce or chutney. Dhuska is mostly made at the streets where people enjoy it as a snack . Handia is a rice beer popular in the Jharkhand.The making involves the use of ranu tablets, which is a combination of about 20-25 herbs and acts as a fermentor.The ranu tablets are then mixed with boiled rice and left to ferment. It is served cool and has lower alcoholic strength than other Indian liquors. Meetha Khaja is an item which is prepared in almost every household and then exchanged with their friends and relatives during the festive season. It is synonymous to Diwali in the state. This luscious dessert is made maida and sugar syrup and is a must try for all the sweet tooth out there. Pitha are typically made of rice flour, although there are some types of pitha made of wheat flour.The less common types of pitha are made of palm root. Pithas are primarily made from a batter of rice flour or wheat flour, which are shaped and optionally filled with sweet or savory ingredients. itha are typically made of rice flour, although there are some types of pitha made of wheat flour.The less common types of pitha are made of palm root. Pithas are primarily made from a batter of rice flour or wheat flour, which are shaped and optionally filled with sweet or savory ingredients. Rugra is indigenous variety of mushroom and is very delicious to eat. It rich in protein and minerals and high on calorific value. This dish is preferred by the local people and is high in demand during the peak season of Monsoon.
Indian Food Recipe: Mushroom & Bell Pepper Tikka Mushroom tikka with bell pepper recipe Ingredients Mushroom – 15 pieces Bell pepper cubes – 15 pieces Onion cubes – 15 pieces Mustard oil – 1 tbsp. Ginger garlic paste – 1tbsp. Hung yoghurt – ½ cup Turmeric powder – 1 tsp. Coriander powder – 1 tsp. Black pepper powder – ½ tsp. Garam masala – ½ tsp. Chat masala – 1tsp. Dried fenugreek leaves – ½ tsp. Carom Seeds – ½ tsp. Caraway seeds – ½ tsp. Salt to taste Oil – for greasing Serves 5 Procedure In a mixing bowl combine mustard oil, ginger garlic paste, and salt. Now add mushrooms, onions, bell peppers and keep aside for 15 mins. In a mixing bowl add hung yoghurt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, Black pepper powder, Garam Masala, chat masala, fenugreek leaves, carom seeds, caraway and salt. Mix well. Now add the vegetable mixture to the yoghurt mixture and mix well. Keep aside for 15 more minutes. On a wooden skewer arrange the mushrooms, bell pepper and onions. Heat a non-stick Tawa add some oil, cook the skewers from all the sides until it turns light brown colour. Serve hot with mint chutney. Alternate method: You can cook the tikka in n preheated oven at 160°C for 5-6 minutes. Image Credit: https://hebbarskitchen.com/mushroom-tikka-recipe-tawa/
How to cook Meat Kebab India is known for its variety of cuisines. Among them Kebabs are very famous across the world. The Kebabs are made both using vegetables and non vegetarian items. Most of the Kebabs are made using minced or medium sized meat. The meat used is generally of lamb or chicken . The fish kebabs are less to be found. The kebabs originated from Greece and in Arabic it literally means to fry. Here we shall learn how to make Shami Kebab. Ingredients: Half kg. Of minced meat cleaned and washed. Eggs – 2 of them thoroughly beaten. Gram dal 6 tablespoon soaked for at least 30 minutes. Oil – 6 tablespoon. Cumin seeds – 2 teaspoon. 5 – Cloves and 6 – green cardamoms. 2 large onions finely chopped. Coarsely pound 15 cloves of garlic. Coarsely pounded 2.5” inch ginger. Finely chopped 8 – green chillies. ½ tsp – turmeric powder and 3 teaspoon red chilli powder. 4 tsp. – coriander powder. Handful – coriander leaves, finely chopped. Oil for shallow frying. Salt as per taste. How to cook: Take a heavy bottomed vessel and heat 6 tablespoon of oil. Now add the cumin seeds, cardamoms and cloves and sauté them. Once they are sautéed add finely chopped garlic, onions, ginger and green chilles. Once the onions turn translucent then add the gram dal after draining the water; then add the kheema, salt and turmeric powder. Keep on stirring often until kheema and dal become tender and water dries off. Again Sauté after adding red chilli powder, coriander powder & coriander leaves. Now beat the eggs and mix them to the kheema mixture. Heat the oil thoroughly in a heavy bottomed pan. Now take the mixture and make flattened kebabs; shallow fry them till their golden brown. Serve hot with chutney.
Uttapam Recipe Uttapam is made from the blend of Urad dal and rice. This combination is excellent and vital for health and has greater nutritious values like vitamin B, folic acid and other protein. In India this south Indian dish can be served during brunch, lunch or dinner. The cuisine was initially discovered in 1st Century A.D. The same is eaten all across India especially in hotels which serve South Indian Cuisine. Ingredients:- Dosa Batter- 1 Cup. Tomato- 1. Small onion- 1. Broken Cashew nuts- 5-7 pieces. Green chillies 1-2. Coriander leaves- 1 bunch. Cooking Method : Wash and chop all the ingredients then mix it batter. Add salt as per taste. Now take a non stick pan and heat it. Cover the pan by adding teaspoon of oil. Now slowly flip it and let other side get cooked. It should smell nice and crisp. Serve it hot with the combination of coconut chutney.
