How To Make That Delicious-Looking Pizza From "It's Okay To Not Be Okay"

If you’ve been watching It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, you will have noticed the pizza restaurant that Jae Su owns. It’s called Pizza Alvolo, and it’s a restaurant that exists in real life South Korea. We did some digging and found out quite a lot about it.

And did you notice the pizza that everyone seems to be ordering? It’s called Palja Pizza, and is eight slices with each slice holding a specific topping. Palja (팔자) in Korean means “destiny,” but it also means “eight characters” which accounts for the eight different slices topped with eight different flavors. From what we observe, these toppings are: jalapeño, pineapple, squash, bacon, pepperoni, shrimp, spicy chicken, and corn.

It’s been frustrating to know that there is no branch of Pizza Alvolo in Manila. And with travel being restricted lately, there is no way for us to get a taste of this pizza that we’re so curious about. So we’re thrilled when Chef Sharwin Tee decided to make his own version of the Palja Pizza. And what’s more, he’s generously sharing how he does it in the video below. 

“I got the idea to make [this pizza] because I enjoyed It’s Okay To Not Be Okay and it was so heavily featured. I don’t make pizza often, but they got my curiosity piqued,” says Tee.

He had to press pause several times while watching, to make sure he got the slices correct. “Most are straightforward, but the ones I really spent time figuring out were the squash slice and the spicy chicken one,” he says. His squash mousse topping is sweet-ish with a creaminess and richness from the added olive oil. It plays well with cheese. The chef says that while he loves pepperoni, the squash mousse topping proved to be his favorite, especially with a few drops of hot sauce added.

If you want to make your own Palja Pizza, you can now follow the process in the recipe in the video. Use a basic dough recipe, or just use storebought crust if you don’t have a dough recipe to fall back on. “I didn’t put in the ingredient amounts because it’s really all to taste,” says Sharwin. So make sure to taste as you go along! 

Chef Sharwin has never been to Korea and has never visited Pizza Alvolo, but it’s a safe bet that he would love to go. “I’ve heard they specialize in unusual combinations,” he says. And if he were to add his own pizza topping, he would go for a beef bulgogi slice, or maybe a spicy squid bulgogi slice. Yum. 

Don't forget to watch out for Season 2 of Chef Sharwin's Straight Guy K-Drama Reviews. The next show on the list: Mr. Sunshine.