|
Indo Chinese Pizza Diaozha Shaobing |
|
|
 Olympiad Fever There are 303 events in 28 sports with over ten thousand athletes competing at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. So, to get you in the spirit, here are some spicy snacks and dishes from the Chinese capital with an added twist.
| Indo-Chinese Pizza – Diaozha Shaobing I’ve been told that this type of dish comes from the Tujia people of the Hubei province and is big in Beijing. Its China’s version of a quick snack which is sold wrapped in brown paper bags. This one includes chilli powder and I would call it my ‘Desi’ version of a Chinese Pizza. Serves 2 Ingredients:
1 tbsp chilli or sunflower oil
2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tsp peeled and grated root ginger 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4-5tbsp passata sauce or 2 tomatoes, chopped and blended
1 tablespoon chili puree with garlic
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ tsp chilli powder
1 readymade pizza base or a garlic pizza flatbread, 10-12 inches in diameter
half red onion, sliced
30g cheddar cheese, grated
a small handful fresh coriander leaves or cilantro, washed and chopped Preparation: Preheat the oven to 200C. Heat the oil on a medium heat in a frying pan or wok. Add the chicken and fry for 8 to 10 minutes. Tip in the ginger and garlic and mix for a couple of minutes. Stir in the passata sauce or tomatoes and soy sauce. Mix in the chilli powder. | | Diaozha Shaobing
 picture by Werner Van Peppen | | | |
|
|
Spoon the mixture onto the pizza base. Sprinkle with the onion and cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Garnish with the coriander. Serve hot with a chilled ginger beer. |
|
Recipes 
Use ample ice packs to keep cool bags cool. 
Indians love to spice things up and that includes anything sweet. I discovered this drink on the coast of Mumbai, where there were plenty of eateries serving spicy milkshakes and chilli-flavoured ice cream, which believe me are an acquired taste! The combination of cold and chilli-hot sensations makes sense because if you need to kill the heat of a spicy dish you drink milk or eat yogurt.