As I wrote in my french toast post for the perfect Mother’s Day breakfast, bread is the star ingredient in the recipes this week. So I am posting quick and easy recipes using homemade bread here. This Mother’s Day as I reminisce the awesome sandwiches my Mum made, I have to write about the Bombay Toast. I think one can celebrate even in self isolation with this recipe for Mum: “Mother’s Day Tea – Bombay Toast and Masala Chai“. How’s that for some fun on Mother’s Day?
For those unaware, the Bombay toast is nothing but a street food of a grilled sandwich with various veggie fillings. Think of it as a vegetarian toastie. Two slices of bread are laden with soft butter and chilli spiked green mint chutney. These 2 slices are generously filled with salty mashed potatoes, tomatoes, beetroot, onions and a huge sprinkle of chaat masala. Growing up we ate it all the time. It is wholesome, hearty and makes for a filling snack. However what makes it unique is the square shaped iron clamp like sandwich maker. You place the bread slices between the press and toast it on a gas flame, flipping the press on both sides. The heat creates a lovely brown and toasty texture with the best crunch.
See the pic below. Obviously not everyone may have access to this press. So you can use an electric sandwich maker or cast iron griddle pan. If using a griddle pan, use a press on the sandwich to create the brown grill style lines.
Nailing the Bombay Toast
The key to nailing the Bombay toast is in the fillings and the chutneys. Get these right and you are all set. The authentic Bombay Toast contains mashed boiled potatoes cooked in mustard seeds, curry leaves, chillies and turmeric. I have however used fresh paneer here in place of the mashed boiled potatoes. The green mint coriander chutney balances out spiciness and sourness with the green chilies, fresh green herbs and lemon juice. The freshly prepared tomato chutney is hot and sweet at the same time. It creates a great sauce to dip into with the warm sandwich and gobble it all up in one bite. Some folks like to grate cheddar style cheese on the sandwich while its hot but that’s completely optional.
Making a Strong Masala Chai
I prefer a strong and bold black tea. I prefer less milk in my tea. And for a masala chai, I like to use whole spices smashed and used immediately at the time of the brew. I will not however buy pre-packaged teas with spice powders mixed in. Hence in my recipe card below, I have specified the steps I take to make my strong brew of masala chai. If you prefer a lighter and more milky tea, you can switch the water to milk ratio as 1:1. However please try to find fresh whole spices as they make a huge difference in the chai. These spices should be easily available in Asian / Middle-eastern grocery stores and natural health food stores.
Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions or your thoughts. If you like this recipe, please do leave a rating below. Don’t forget to tag #urbanfoodlover and follow along on Instagram for lots of Foodie Inspiration 🙂
Bombay Toast and Masala Chai Recipe
Equipment
- Sandwich Press or Grilling Pan
Ingredients
For the Bombay Toast
- 2 slices sandwich bread
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1-2 tbsp Green Mint Coriander Chutney See recipe for chutney below
- 1-2 tbsp Red Tomato Chutney See recipe for chutney below
- Few slices beetroot boiled
- Few slices tomato
- 50 grams paneer crumbled
- 1/2 cup green peas fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1 piece ginger thumb size
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 pinch sea salt
For the Green Mint Coriander Chutney
- 1 bunch coriander leaves and stalks
- 1/2 bunch mint leaves
- 1 thumbsize ginger
- 1-2 green chillies
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1 pinch Sea Salt as per taste
For the Red Tomato Chutney
- 4 medium tomatoes chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp red chilli flakes
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
For the Strong Masala Chai
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup milk See notes on milk and water ratio
- 1 tbsp black tea
- 1 knob ginger, thumb size finely grated
- 1-2 pods cardamom seeds removed and smashed
- 1 black clove smashed
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp sweetener of choice Optional (brown sugar, honey)
Instructions
Make the Green Chutney
- In a blender, blend all the green chutney ingredients. Season for salt as per taste
Make the Red Chutney
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the chopped onions with oil and cumin seeds until the onions turn translucent.
- Next add in the red chilli flakes and garlic cloves and sauté few more minutes
- Then add in the chopped tomatoes, sweet paprika, brown sugar and salt. Keep stirring until the tomatoes are cooked through and become squishy. This should be about 10 min until it is fully cooked.
- Let the chutney cool until you prep the sandwich next. Adjust the seasoning and ensure the chutney is adequately balanced in terms of salt, sugar and acid (from the tomatoes) .
Make the Bombay Toast
- In a small fry pan heat in the oil . Then add in the black mustard seeds so they start to splutter.
- Then add in the green chillies and curry leaves followed by the crumbled paneer, turmeric powder, grated ginger and salt in that order. Cook for a few minutes until the paneer is well coated in all the spices.
- Next couple of steps is all about assembling the sandwich. To start with, butter both sides of the bread slices. Then smear the green chutney on the sides of the bread that will contain the fillings.
- Add in a generous portion of the cooked paneer with slices of beetroot and tomato.
- Place the sandwich in a traditional Bombay Toast press (if you have it) and cook on a low gas flame switching on to the other side every few minutes. Else use an electric sandwich maker. You can also use a cast iron griddle pan to toast both sides of the sandwich and apply pressure to it.
- The sandwich is ready once it is brown and turns toasted as seen in the pics. Serve with the red tomato chutney and masala chai (recipe below)
Make the Masala Chai
- In a deep sauce pan, bring the water to a boil.
- Then add in the black tea leaves, grated ginger and all the spices. Boil for another 3-5 minutes
- In the final step add in the milk and sweetener (if using) and bring the tea to a final boil. Strain in a cup using a tea strainer. Enjoy with the sandwich.