A couple of you asked about to know more about school. Well, I think it’s as fine as it can be, except I right now have a C in one of my classes and basically, I’m kind of freaking out. I also have a mid-term essay due, for which I’m not exactly freaking out, but I’m freaking out that I’m not freaking out. Does that make sense?

As you can see, my words and thoughts aren’t exactly coherent right now…thankfully, Ameena from Fancy That…Fancy This asked if she could do a guest post at the perfect moment. Thank freaking goodness. Ameena saves the day!
I first met Ameena in person during our LA Blogger Meet-up at the Veggie Grill with Lynn, Christy, Erin, Kate, and Suzanne. I unfortunately did not get the chance to chat with her as much as I wanted, but we did talk enough for me to see and feel what a sweet, friendly, warm and intelligent woman Ameena is. She is also a USC alumnus, which just vamps up her coolness factor, if that’s even possible. Go Trojans, woo-hoo!

Where was I? Yes, Ameena. Gorgeous and generous lady that she is, she has kindly offered to do a guest post at B&S! You’re in for a treat, so sit tight and keep something yummy close by so you don’t end up gnawing at your arm!

*    *    *    *    *    * 

Hello Burp and Slurp readers!  
  My name is Ameena and I blog about food, books, and my rather pathetic attempt at parenthood over at Fancy That…Fancy This.  I am very honored to be Sophia’s first guest poster.  Thank you Sophia for allowing me to share a little bit of my Indian culture with your readers.

Growing up Indian is hard to do.  Especially when you are not an adventurous eater and your father will not let you waste a single morsel of food.  Dinnertime was always a battle.  My parents would fill my plate with something rather unappetizing, say Mutton Curry (goat), and I’d literally have to sit in front of my plate until I ate every bite.  Needless to say I often sat at the dinner table for long stretches of time.  But I wouldn’t give in because even back then I didn’t care very much for meat.  I think it had a lot to do with the fact that when meat was covered in a curry or masala I never quite knew what I was eating and after I was tricked into trying brain I never quite trusted my parents again.

As most Indian parents are, mine were really strict.  Among their other crazy rules, we were only allowed to watch TV on weekends and in the summer, and only 1/2 hour a day.  The rest of our days were supposed to be spent studying.  My sister and I also had to wash all 3 cars every Sunday, no matter what.  And we were never allowed to eat at Jack in the Box or McDonalds or any other place that maintained a drive thru lane.  Once I asked my dad how he could justify eating a strange looking piece of red tandoori chicken from a fly-ridden roadside stall in India but not a Jr. Whopper from an air conditioned Burger King?  That Indian temper?  Well you don’t want to mess with it.  I couldn’t sit down for days.

As I grew older I was definitely a bit more adventurous and I ironically developed a great love for Tandoori Chicken.  So I was thrilled, along with the rest of the Indian population, when California Pizza Kitchen started carrying the Mango Tandoori Chicken Pizza.  Talk about the most delicious pizza ever!  Even my picky father agreed it was the most amazing concoction since Sizzler’s Cheese Toast.  But then CPK discontinued the best pizza ever and we were all sent into a tailspin.  Luckily my cousin came to the rescue and discovered it wasn’t all that difficult to replicate the pizza at home, with the help of a local Trader Joe’s.  

The recipe has evolved a bit over the years, and I am quite pleased to share the final version with all of you.

Mango Tandoori Chicken Pizza

• 1 Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough (regular or whole wheat)
• 2/3 cup Trader Joe’s Masala Simmer Sauce
• 1 chicken breast, diced
• 2/3 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of mango, diced
• 1 tablespoon of yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of Rajah’s Tandoori Masala or you can make your own Masala using the recipe here
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of chopped red onion (optional)

1. Mix the yogurt, tandoori masala, olive oil, and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Add the diced chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.  The longer you marinate the chicken the better it will be!

6. Top with cilantro and serve.

 Since we Indian’s don’t waste a thing, I recommend freezing the rest of the simmer sauce for use another time.  You can also freeze the uneaten slices of pizza and pop them in the toaster oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees when you need an Indian fix.
I’ve heard that CPK carries the Tandoori Chicken Pizza again, but since I’ve been able to perfect this recipe I’ve also been able to save myself a trip CPK and about $11.95 + tax.  And for that reason alone I am once again my very frugal Indian father’s favorite child.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Thank you, Ameena! Don’t you just want a slice of that? No wait, I don’t. I want the whole pie, damn it! Too bad, Ameena does not do delivery…:-(

Okay, back to writing I go! Have a great weekend, everyone, and remember…the Spiralizer-Slicer giveaway ends tomorrow! So if you haven’t done so already, enter for a chance to make your own curly sweet potato fries (or something like that).

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Pizza McAdam
2. “Sophia Cuisine” Reigns Supreme!!
3. Oiling up my rusty culinary skills
4. Hey there, Ugly!
5. Crazy-Ass Pizza

Tagged as: cheese, chicken, indian, mango, onions, pizza, Trader Joes, yogurt