Bombay Toast Sandwich

I love fixing a sandwich on quick cook days and find Bombay Toast Sandwich a perfect one. Having spent substantial amount of time in Bombay (I prefer to call it Bombay instead of Mumbai), the city has grown on me in leaps and bounds. I have fond memories of clutching my aunt's palm and clinging to her out of fear of getting smashed in the face in a jam-packed train; our umpteen visits to Chowpatty, Juhu Beach, Marine Drive and Nariman Point which were a great childhood memory and sheer bliss. Nariman Point near Victoria Terminus (VT) being a busy business centre, has tiny stalls where vendors sell their quick eats, all and this outside gigantic tall buildings employing numerous top notch executives who squirmed out during quick lunch breaks like honey bees to grab a quick bite from these tiny portable stall vendors. For a small sum of 7 rupees, we could pack a quick toast sandwich slathered with Amul butter, overstuffed with cucumber, tomato, onion and boiled potatoes drizzled with chaat masala, green chutney and tomato ketchup all grilled to perfection. After numerous trials my aunty successfully replicated the recipe and shared it with me. Now, the sandwich bhayyas are spread everywhere in busy areas around Bombay. Needless to say, the days when I miss Bombay, this sandwich takes me back to the nostalgic trips we took on sultry summer evenings.

We have an artisan bakery near my place and the baker bakes the freshest of breads of different kinds. We get French Baguette, Kaiser Rolls, Portuguese Rolls and Ciabatta as well. Of all, my favorite is Portuguese Rolls which reminds me of the Laadi Paav we get in India. Instead of using regular plain white bread, I used the humble Portuguese Roll to fix an overstuffed Toast Sandwich. I've made this sandwich several times and it instantly transports me to the Bombay I knew.

~ Bombay Toast Sandwich ~
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
Sandwich Bread - 1
Amul Butter
Chaat Masala - 1 teaspoon
Cheese (Mozzarella) - 2 tbsp

Vegetables -
Boiled Potato - 4 slices
Capsicum (sliced) - 4 slices
Cucumber discs - 4-8
Tomato discs (optional) - 2
Onion discs - 2

Green Sandwich Chutney -
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 2
Salt
*** Grind all of the above to a paste with little water ***

Method:
Add the ingredients of the chutney and grind to a smooth paste and set aside. Boil the Potatoes, slice them into discs and set aside. Get all the vegetables chopped into discs. Take a face open side of sandwich and slather liberally with butter on both the sides. Slather green chutney now on both the sides. On the base side of the bread, place cucumber discs, tomato discs, onion discs and capsicum discs. Place potato discs now and sprinkle chaat masala liberally. Add salt if desired. Cover with the other bread slice, add chunks of butter and cheese if desired. Grill on a hot griddle or Panini maker. Slice as desired and serve hot.

Note - You can use three slices of bread and make a club sandwich.

Gung-ho with Garlic Bread!!

I wanted a warm spread for a very light dinner. Found Bagel French Bread at the local store, so thought of dishing out a light snack with Garlic Bread. The final outcome was very tasty and I was surprised that the dish is actually very easy as opposed to the feedback which I had received.

For all those who have a Daredevil Baker’s spirit and wish to know more about Bread and Bread making, here is a site: http://www.bakeinfo.co.nz/school/school_info/types_of_bread.php).
I found the site useful in terms of providing the history and details related to Bread making. It talk about three types of Breads – High Rising Bread, Mid Volume Bread (e.g French Bread), Minimal volume Bread ( e.g Flat Bread aka Indian Naan, Chapatti, Pita).

Serves: 3-4 individuals

Ingredients:
French Bread – 1 loaf
Garlic oil or finely shredded garlic – 1/8th t for each slice
Unsalted butter – 8-12 t (melted)
Mushrooms – ½ C (thinly sliced)
Parmesan Cheese – 1 Cup (grated)
Paprika – as per taste
Oregano seasoning – as per taste


Method:
1. Slice the French Bread loaf to 1 inch size each.
2. Slather the melted butter and garlic oil on the bread surface.
3. Add mushrooms, parmesam cheese, paprika and oregano seasoning.
4. Place in the microwave grill mode on 100% heat for 1 minute.
5. Serve hot with Lasagna or Cream of mushroom soup.