I now present to you NAAN POPPER PIZZAS!! I want to give you a little background on this recipe so you can understand where I’m coming from with this. For starters, if I see jalapeño poppers at a restaurant, you best believe that I’ll be ordering them. I was talking to my friends one day and we thought, “How amazing would it be to make jalapeño popper pizza?!” That’s when I knew I had to create something great enough to share with you guys. Get the weekend popping with these naan popper pizzas!
I was initially thinking about making pizza dough, but it was Sunday afternoon—I was tired from my Saturday night—and I knew my laziness was going to get the best of me. I saw Stonefire Garlic Naan at Shop Rite (which I’ve used several times before) and I thought omg…NAAN POPPER PIZZA, duh?
So, of course, if you guys don’t have access to the deliciousness of Stonefire brand naan, feel free to use any sort of flatbread or pizza crust you like! The results will be just as tasty. If ranch dressing isn’t your thing, dip it in whatever you like! I generally don’t like ranch dressing, but this ranch “sauce” that I made is from a Hidden Valley Ranch packet and mixed with light sour cream and some milk, so it’s not as heavy.
This recipe is extremely easy, and I know I usually say that about all of my recipes but honestly, all you have to do is mix a few ingredients and pop it in the oven. I think this would make for a GREAT appetizer or something that you can serve at a sports party! Kids will definitely love it and it’s also a healthier alternative to real jalapeño poppers since we are baking and not frying anything.
Naan Popper Pizza
Ingredients
2pack of Stonefire garlicnaan
4jalapeno(s)diced
8ozcream cheeseroom temperature
1/2cup cheddarcheeseshredded
2tspcrushed red pepper flakes
1/2cupItalian breadcrumbs
2tbsp oliveoil
Ranch Sauce
4ozsour cream
1.5tsp Hidden Valleyranch powder
1.5tbspmilk
Garnish
1/4cup flat leaf Italianparsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a bowl, mix together the diced jalapeños, cream cheese, 1/4 of the shredded cheddar, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1/4 of the bread crumbs.
Spread the mixture evenly on both pieces of naan. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs on top.
Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil on each naan and pop into the oven for 10 minutes, or until bottom is crispy and cheese is melted. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes.
While naan is cooking, mix together all of the ranch sauce ingredients. Add more milk if you want it to be thinner.
Drizzle each naan with ranch sauce, garnish with parsley or your choice of herbs and enjoy!
January 3, 2023January 10, 2023 3min readBy Subrina Singh
Curried Chicken with Roti Parata or Roti, popular Middle Eastern/Indian cuisine
It is officially that time of year—the holiday season. There’s nothing like Christmas and New Year’s in the West Indies. Between the pepperpot in Guyana and the palm trees decorated in lights in Trinidad, the home food, warm weather and laid-back ambiance makes us wish we could escape the cold and head back to the Caribbean. Most of us, however, cannot “take holiday” and find ourselves hungry for fresh dhal puri and doubles. But, thanks to these Indo-Caribbean food bloggers, we can bring the motherland to our kitchens.
From Diwali mithai specialties to curry chicken, Matthew is creating a name for himself as a young Guyanese food blogger. He makes a great effort to incorporate Hindu holidays and traditions on his Instagram account, in conjunction with the customary foods and sweets associated with these religious events. However, his expertise does not end there, with new and alternative recipes for classic dishes such as curry chicken and bhara, Matthew takes center stage sharing both traditional Guyanese dishes as well as specific religious dishes made for festivals. His most popular YouTube video, with 1.4 million views, features his grandmother and focuses on the best tips to make the softest Guyanese paratha roti. In addition, his YouTube account is home to many videos offering guidance to Indo Caribbean cooking. Find recipes at @mattews.guyanese.cooking
Natasha Laggan of Trini Cooking with Natasha is wildly popular throughout the Caribbean and the U.S. With humble beginnings, Natasha credits her love of food to her family’s business. She speaks of the nostalgia home food provides her as she reminisces memories of her grandmother’s cooking and helping her mother make sandwiches early in the morning. Featured by Forbes, Natasha grew her Facebook following quickly throughout the pandemic by posting old YouTube videos. Today, she has more than 1 million followers on Facebook and over 200K followers on YouTube. She uses her passion for cooking and Trinidadian culture to bring easy-to-follow recipes to viewers. Her following has now reached the West Indian diaspora globally as she has also become a brand ambassador to two well-known food companies. Follow the food expert @trinicookingwithnatasha.
With over 100K followers on YouTube, Ria is quite the expert when it comes to making roti. Her dhal puri, sada roti and paratha roti tutorials have over 1M views! However, her expertise does not stop there. Of the 180 YouTube tutorials, her recipes vary from curry to other Trinidadian favorites like macaroni pie and pigtail soup. Just scrolling through her YouTube page makes your mouth water. From doubles to classic Trinidad bakes like pound cake and sweet bread, she provides precision and anecdotal commentary while guiding you through the familiarity of home food. Check out Ria’s page at @cookingwithria.
Known as Chef Devan, Devan Rajkumar embraces his Guyanese Canadian heritage by creating recipes combining flavors of both the East and West Indies. His love of food has allowed him to expand his role to judge in a popular Canadian cooking show: Food Network Canada’s Fire Masters. His cooking often blends the flavors of multiple cultures but also creates the classic recipes of his motherland. With a multitude of interests, Chef Dev uses his social media platform to connect with followers by sharing various aspects of his life that go beyond cooking. His most recent YouTube video provides a trailer for an upcoming video “Tastes Guyana” which shows him exploring Guyana from the inside, specifically deep parts of the inner country. To learn more about Chef Devan follow @chefdevan.
Reshmi is the chef behind the growing blog, Taste of Trinbago. A Trinidadian native who now resides in Texas, she uses her love of food and Trinidadian culture to share hacks, tips and easy recipes with West Indians throughout the globe. She finds a way to simplify traditional West Indian meals, that we once watched our elders make with curiosity. From holiday specialties like black cake to Diwali delicacies, Reshmi has brought vegetarian and non-veg recipes to followers in an extremely accessible way. She even posts recipe cards on her IG highlights for followers who may need written instructions. Her IG profile is a mix of various West Indian foods while also sharing bits of her life and even her secrets to baby food. Follow her @tasteoftrinbago.
These are just five Indo Caribbean food bloggers sharing their secrets to easy cooking. The once very daunting recipes and food instructions our parents gave have been simplified by most of these bloggers through video, voice over and modernized recipes. We no longer have to estimate a “dash, pinch or tuk” of any masala. We are just days away from Christmas and this is the perfect time to find the best-suited recipe to make that paratha for Santa.
