A thin jowar base crisped in a hot cast-iron skillet, topped with garlic tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil, then finished under a fierce grill.

Ingredients

From the TrooFoodz pantry

• Sprouted Jowar Flour 2 cups (about 240 g)

Fresh

• Warm water 3/4 cup, plus more as needed
• Psyllium husk 1 tbsp
• Olive oil 3 tbsp
• Salt 1 tsp
• Tinned tomatoes, crushed 1 cup
• Garlic, sliced 3 cloves
• Dried oregano 1 tsp
• Mozzarella, torn 150 g
• Basil leaves a handful
• Chilli flakes to taste

Method

1. Hydrate the husk

   Stir the psyllium husk into the warm water and leave it five minutes until it turns to a loose gel. This is the binder standing in for gluten.

2. Bring the dough together

   Mix the jowar flour, salt and olive oil into the gel. There is no gluten here, so do not knead for elasticity — work it just until smooth, then rest it fifteen minutes.

3. Cook the sauce

   Soften the garlic in a little olive oil, add the crushed tomatoes, oregano and salt, and reduce until thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon.

4. Press, do not roll

   Press the dough directly into an oiled cold cast-iron skillet with your fingertips. Handle it gently — a jowar base will crack rather than stretch if you force it.

5. Set the base first

   Cook on the hob over medium heat for six to eight minutes until the underside is firm, speckled brown and lifts cleanly.

6. Top and grill

   Spread the sauce thinly, add the mozzarella, and slide the skillet under a very hot grill for five minutes until the cheese blisters.

7. Rest and slice

   Let it sit three minutes before cutting. A hot millet base is brittle and will shatter under the knife.

Why this works

Millet flour has no gluten network, so psyllium husk does the structural work that a wheat dough gets from kneading. Setting the base on the hob before topping it heads off the classic failure of a wheatless base of a soggy, unsupported middle. The short rest after baking lets the starch firm up, which is what allows clean slices.

Make it your own

• Sprouted Jowar Flour → Sprouted Foxtail Millet Flour Holds structure even better and browns a shade darker; add a splash more water.
• Psyllium husk → Ground flaxseed Similar binding, slightly nuttier flavour and a softer, less crisp edge.
• Mozzarella → Crumbled paneer with a little olive oil Will not melt into strands but browns nicely and keeps the base drier.