Pizza Recipe: Montanara Neopolitan

Twice-Cooked Neapolitan Fried Pizza

This Montanara pizza recipe from Antonio Manetto (Acqua e Farina @Keong Saik) features pizza dough proved for 36 hours, deep-fried in corn oil and then baked to perfection.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• One portion pizza dough (this version is fermented for 36 hours)
• 80g tomato pizza sauce (Acqua e Farina’s version is slow-cooked and infused with wagyu beef ribs for extra flavour)
• 60g mozzarella
• 40g pork salami
• 15g spicy salami paste (’nduja)
• 60-80g burrata cheese
• Handful of fresh arugula, to garnish
• Corn oil, for frying

Method

Equipment: Pizza peel (paddle); deep fryer or deep pan; pizza oven (or a conventional oven preheated to its highest setting, ideally 400-450°C equivalent).

1. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to rest at room temperature, if needed. Handstretch into a 10-12 inch pizza base.
2. Heat the corn oil to 180°C. Carefully place the stretched dough into the oil and fry for 2–3 minutes. Remove when light golden and puffy, and the structure has set. Drain off any excess oil.
3. Add the base toppings. Spread the wagyu infused tomato sauce evenly over the base, then top with mozzarella, pork salami and ’nduja paste.
4. Bake in a pizza oven for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the crust is crisp and lightly charred.
5. Remove from the oven and top with burrata and fresh arugula. Serve immediately.

Antonio says:

“Montanara is a traditional Neapolitan specialty available at our new Keong Saik restaurant. The dough is first deep-fried, then baked, resulting in a light, crisp exterior and soft interior.”

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This pizza recipe was in the April 2026 issue of Expat Living magazine. You can buy the latest mag or an annual subscription, or read the digital version for free now.

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