The Bombay sandwich, or cheese toastie, is a testament to the ingenious spirit of Indian street food culture, where street vendors take something foreign and transform it into a uniquely Indian creation, packed with spices and local flair, in such a way that you’d never imagine it existed in any other form previously.
Every street corner boasts a hawker grilling these sandwiches in camping toastie-makers over coal-fired stoves, each with their signature chutney or filling. One bite of these and you’ll never settle for a plain cheese toastie again.
How to make the Bombay toastie
- 2 slices of white bread
- 1 tbsp salted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp Simple Green Chutney (see below)
- 2–3 thin slices of ripe tomato
- 2–3 thin slices of potato, boiled and peeled
- 2–3 thin slices of green pepper
- 2–3 thin slices of red onion
- 1 slice of cheese (Cheddar or similar)
- A large pinch of chaat masala
- Sev, to garnish (optional)
- Trim the crusts off the bread and butter each slice on both sides. You can use fancy bread, if you like, but the traditional version and the one I enjoy the most often uses simple, cheap, white sliced bread.
- Build a sandwich in the following order, with a sprinkling of chaat masala every now and then to season the vegetables: bread – chutney – tomato – potato – green pepper – red onion – cheese – chutney – bread.
- Toast in an electric or camping-style toastie-maker. If you’re using a camping toastie-maker over an open flame, make sure you use a medium to low flame, and keep flipping the sandwich to ensure that the vegetables are fully cooked through and piping hot while the buttery toast turns a beautiful crisp golden brown.
- Once toasted, spread some more chutney over both sides of the sandwich, scatter over some sev and serve.
Karan Gokani
Ola O. Smit
How to make the simple green chutney
This simple green chutney is incredibly versatile and pairs well with a variety of snacks. For chaats, I usually skip the garlic, but if you’re serving it with kebabs, feel free to add a clove or two. I prefer my chutney spicy with a hint of sweetness, but you can easily adjust the chillies and sugar to suit your taste.
- 100g fresh coriander, leaves and stems
- 30g fresh mint leaves
- 2 green chillies
- 2.5cm ginger
- Peeled juice of 1 lime, or more to taste
- 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds,
- Coarsely ground 1⁄2 tsp chaat masala
- 1 tsp sugar, or more to taste
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- Blend all the ingredients together to form a bright green paste, adding up to 50ml of water if necessary. Adjust the seasoning to your taste, adding a little more sugar or salt as required.
- Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze immediately, to retain the chutney’s brightness
Press handout
Indian 101 – Real Indian Recipes Made Simple By Karan Gokani. Published by Bluebird £28 hardback. Photos by Ola O. Smit
