LounjeLounjePlan my week

Nigerian Pizza

Also known as Nigerian Pizza (Chicken, Sausage and Sweetcorn)

This is the pizza Nigerians actually make at home and order from the corner: a soft dough, a cooked tomato-pepper sauce, then chicken, sausage, sweetcorn, peppers and a generous layer of cheese. It is not a Neapolitan pie. It is Naija — slightly sweet dough, well-seasoned topping, and it works in an oven or a covered frying pan.

Nigerian Pizza, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • 1 cup of warm water, plus a little extra if the dough is dry
  • 1 cup of cooked tomato stew or blended tomato, tatashe and Atarodo, fried until thick
  • 1 teaspoon of curry and thyme
  • 1½ cups of grated cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, or the processed cheese sold in Nigerian supermarkets)
  • 1 cup of cooked chicken, shredded
  • 2 boiled sausages, sliced
  • ½ cup of sweetcorn, drained
  • 1 small green pepper, sliced
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • Ketchup, a spoon or two, optional for a sweeter sauce

Method

  1. 01

    Mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add oil and warm water and knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rise in a warm place 45 to 60 minutes, until doubled.

  2. 02

    Punch down, divide in two, and roll each piece into a round about 1 cm thick. Lay on an oiled tray (or in a wide frying pan if you have no oven).

  3. 03

    Taste the stew: it should be thick, well cooked and seasoned with curry, thyme and salt. Spread a thin layer on the dough. A spoon of ketchup in the sauce is common and makes it taste like the pizzas people grew up with.

  4. 04

    Scatter chicken, sausage, sweetcorn, pepper, onion and cheese. Leave a small rim.

  5. 05

    Oven: bake at 200°C for 15 to 20 minutes until the base is cooked and the cheese has melted. Frying pan: cover and cook on low-medium heat 12 to 18 minutes, until the bottom is brown and the cheese has melted. Slice and serve hot.

More cakes, pies & pastries