Indian-style pizzas at Can Am’s raise eyebrows — in a good way

You know, I love Indian food and have for years.

But even I raised an eyebrow when my editor told me about a pizza restaurant that had, among other choices, Indian-style pizza.

I couldn’t imagine mixing Indian flavors with pizza, but I wanted to give it a try.

I invited Kari Bray, a former co-worker, to join me at Can Am’s Mill Creek location.

It’s basically a take out or call-for-delivery kind of place, with only two small tables. And it is busy, even on the Thursday night we were there.

I asked Kari to consider one of the Indian-style pizzas, although Can Am offers an unusually wide selection of choices. Here’s just a sample of some of the pizzas offered, with a couple of the toppings that distinguish them:

The American favorites section includes pepperoni, bacon and Hawaiian (with extra ham and pineapple) pizzas.

Can Am specialties, such as Italian classic (pepperoni, black olives, mozzarella), New York deli (with pepperoni, Italian salami, bacon, Canadian bacon and Italian sausage), Mediterranean-style (feta and mozzarella cheeses) and Mexican-style (with jalapenos, beef, pepperoni).

And veggie pizzas. Hooray for a pizza restaurant that doesn’t just throw one obligatory vegetable pizza on the menu (if the vegetarian partakes in dairy products), including one with artichokes and feta cheese.

But, as I mentioned, the reason I came was to try the pizza with Indian-cuisine influences. Kari was game, too.

She ordered the butter chicken pizza with a special curry sauce, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, mozzarella and pizza sauce ($15.99).

I ordered the palak paneer pizza with pizza sauce, red onions, green peppers, tomatoes, spinach, paneer marinated in a special sauce and mozzarella ($15.99).

Honestly, I didn’t know quite what to expect when I opened the box, but both of us were greeted with tempting aromas.

And we dug in. And, we really enjoyed our selections, in part because it was a different gastronomic riff on such an American staple.

Kari asked for the mildly spiced version and said it was the perfect level of spice.

“Surprised at the flavor,” was her initial reaction, but the butter chicken blended so well, she said.

“It’s a really fragrant pizza, and the herbs were a pleasant scent,” aromas that were apparent from the moment she opened the box, she said.

She took half her pizza home for her husband, Dan Lott. His take: The crust was crispy and buttery, the sauce-to-crust ratio perfect, “but it could have used a bit more cheese.”

I ordered my palak paneer pizza with a “regular” level of spiciness. I do love spicy food but owner Inderpaul Kandola suggested “hot” was way too hot for most customers.

He was right. Mine had a nice, but gentle, kick of spiciness to complement the spinach, paneer and other goodies on my pizza.

Kandola was on vacation, so answered some questions via email. The Mill Creek Can Am opened in 2003. He grew up working for Can Am, which he said is a family business.

“My family created the brand in 1999, and have been running it and expanding it ever since,” he said. “We thought it would be a good spin on mixing American culture with Indian.”

Overall, there are more than a dozen varieties of pizza, including the “BBQ chicken bonanza,” (chicken marinated in Cattleman’s barbecue sauce, onions and mozzarella) to name a few of its ingredients.

So just about all pizza lovers should be able to find something to quench their yen for pizza — whether that be the more tradition-bound varieties, like the pepperoni classic pizza, or the more East Indian, Mexican or let-it-all-hang-out New York deli style.

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.

If you go

Can Am Pizza, 17917 Bothell-Everett Highway, Bothell, is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. Call 425-487-8777 or check their menu online at www.canampizza.com/speciality-pizzas-menu#Menu.