Tandoori chicken on pizza? Our food critic explores Indian pizza options around Greater Seattle to pick his top 3

I remember the first time I saw a chef dip tandoori chicken in curry and then put those yellow poultry pieces over a pizza dough. I thought this was boiling down to pizza vandalism.

At the time, I was ignorant because I couldn’t imagine a pizza business that didn’t rely on hot peppers to get its bottom line. But there’s a whole pizza world out there with diverse, diverse communities of immigrants and refugees who view the humble pizza dough as a blank canvas on which to put a range of sauces and ingredients that remind them of their cultures.

Say “gyro pizza” in many different bags around the country and people will know you are talking about a mozzarella and tomato sauce cake, which is usually topped with shaved lamb, crumbled feta and a dash of tzatziki sauce.

In South Florida, Cuban Americans have made Cuban pizzas a trend, flavored with fried green plantains and picadillo beef.

In the Puget Sound area, say “fusion pizza” and many will assume you are talking about the subcontinental Indian-inspired pies with curry, paneer cheese and tandoori chicken.

Fusion pizza can be found on the menus of several Indian restaurants in the greater Seattle area that serve curried and tandoori rice dishes. These pizzas consist of Chicken Tikka Masala and other staple takeaway and comfort dishes that have been reinterpreted as a slice. Toppings include goat and lamb, sauces that smell of turmeric and curry leaves, and flavors from Punjabi to northern India.

The national chain Chicago’s Pizza With A Twist, with branches in Lynnwood, Kent and soon on Capitol Hill, presents deep-dish pizza with curry and tandoori chicken.

Amarjit Cheema introduced Indian pizza to our region back in April 1999 by opening his Can Am Pizza restaurant in Kent. Few locals at the time knew what Indian pizza was. Now, your weekend wait for your buttered chicken pizza at one of its four Can Am pizza restaurants can be half an hour or more. He has offices in Redmond, Federal Way, Bothell and Kent and plans to expand his chain to other states.

The godfather of Indian pizza in West Washington has spawned dozens of imitators in the East Side and South End as many restaurateurs take advantage of the sizable South Asian technology population – thanks in part to the growth of Microsoft and Amazon.

Indian pizza is structured a little differently than your Italian classic. Some differences you might see:

Pizzaiolos preach that a minimum number of toppings (three or less) is optimal, but you will always find five or more toppings on an Indian pizza. The main topping is usually tandoori fried chicken or paneer cheese with a supporting topping of onions, green peppers, and cilantro. Indian pizza makers often add two or three other ingredients, such as ginger or jalapeno rings. Most curry pizzas contain herbs and vegetables to add depth and slice into the fiery chilli and creamy sauce.

The batter, at least for the Indian pizzas that I tried around the sound, has no pronounced fermentation or leopard char. It is a mere workhorse to carry the load of rubbers. You won’t find thin, crispy crusts as Indian pizzas tend to get top heavy and wet with curry, which requires a sturdy base. Most doughs are similar to those made in pizza chains like Domino’s.

I recently tried 30 Indian pizzas at eight different restaurants in the area, on the East Side, north to Everett, and south to Auburn. Below were the three cakes that caught our taste test.

The lamb tikka masala pizza in the Tasty Curry Restaurant & Pizza

Prices range from $ 12 for a medium (14 “) to $ 19 for an extra-large (18”)

520 128. St. SW, Everett; 425-374-7227; yummy curryrestaurantandpizza.com

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The best pizza of all 30 we’ve tried, with bright notes of cumin, turmeric, and garam masala, topped off with mashed ginger and garlic. Many other curry pizzas were too mushy and turned to mush in the pizza box on my way home. This aromatic cake is more nuanced and bristling with allium and herbal flavors. The goat tikka masala pizza was superb too.

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Butter Chicken Pizza at Can Am Pizza

$ 17.99 for a medium (12 “) to $ 23.99 for an extra-large (16”)

Locations in Redmond, Kent, Federal Way, and Bothell; canampizza.com

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The creamy curry with tandoori fried chicken is one of the top sellers in most Indian pizzerias. But many butter chicken pizzas were too bland in this taste test, and the white meat too dry. Can Am’s version stood out. From the crust to the topping, all components are in an ideal ratio to one another.

The butter chicken is the top-heavy in the pizza menu of many Indian restaurants that serve these fusion cakes. In several Indian pizzerias, you will barely notice a crust as the thick sauce overwhelms everything on its way.

Can Am gets around this by using a thick pan pizza as a base. When the cashier asks how spicy you’d like your butter chicken (mild, medium, or spicy), the only correct answer is spicy to achieve all that creamy fullness. Otherwise this delicious piece won’t perish easily. Can Am pizzas are served with a creamy dipping sauce. This is useful for putting out the four-alarm fire in the mouth.

The Archaari Spicy Chicken Pizza at Shiraz Pizza & Pasta

Costs range from $ 11.95 for a small (10 “) to $ 19.95 for a large (18”)

15600 NE Eighth St., Suite B6, Bellevue, at Crossroads Mall; 425-746-4911; shirazpizzapasta.com

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Many Indian pizzas keep the traditional tomato pizza sauce as a base and then drizzle the curry directly over it or dip the meat toppings in curry. This Bellevue pizzeria uses a Punjabi sauce that has a tomato paste-like filling with a spicy kick to cut into the butter. The version of shiraz with chicken, mushrooms, green peppers, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, ginger, garlic, and coriander isn’t as milky as many pies. If you don’t like curry but want to try an Indian take this is for you. It’s closer to the pizza place in your neighborhood.