Famous as Indian street food, the Mumbai sandwich provides what’s often found lacking in a meatless sandwich: a balance of crunch and heat and juiciness. And it holds together.
A classic features boiled potatoes, a zippy green chutney and spices; this riff proves that grilled cheese sandwiches are not just for cozying up to warm tomato soup. Here, we’ve used Taleggio cheese instead of the spuds. The spice is a mixture of garam masala and cinnamon, but if your palate prefers something bolder, add a sprinkle of ground cumin or ground red chili pepper.
Mumbai Sandwiches
2 servings
This recipe calls for a panini press; you can cook the sandwiches in a skillet or grill pan like a grilled cheese sandwich, as well. Serve with a green salad or chips. You’ll have some leftover chutney, which is great stirred into scrambled eggs. Adapted from a recipe by London food writer Helen Graves at GreatBritishChefs.com.
For the chutney:
1-inch piece fresh ginger root
1 medium jalapeño pepper or small serrano pepper
Leaves from 1 small bunch fresh mint (2 ounces)
½ bunch cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
½ lemon
Pinch kosher salt
For the sandwiches:
4 slices firm (but not crusty) white bread
2-inch piece English (seedless) cucumber
½ red onion
1 medium tomato
2 ounces good melting cheese, such as Taleggio (may use a mild cheese, such as Monterey Jack)
1 teaspoon garam masala
Pinch ground cinnamon
1 large clove garlic
2 tablespoons salted butter, at a spreadable consistency
Peel and coarsely chop ginger. Seed chili pepper, if desired, then coarsely chop. Transfer both to a food processor with the mint and cilantro. Squeeze in juice of the ½ lemon and add the salt. Pulse to form a chutney that is a bit coarser than a thick pesto. Transfer to a bowl; the yield is about ¾ cup.
Preheat a panini press. Place plastic wrap on a cutting board, then put 4 slices of bread on it.
Cut the cucumber and red onion into very thin slices. Cut the tomato into slightly thicker slices. Cut the cheese into thin slices.
Whisk together the garam masala and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Halve garlic clove lengthwise and rub on one side of each piece of bread. Butter both sides of each bread slice. Spread the chutney on the top sides of two pieces of bread.
Layer with cucumber, then sprinkle some masala mixture. Repeat with a layer of tomato, then cheese, then onion. Top with the remaining slices of bread.
Place the sandwiches in the panini press; close and cook for a few minutes, just until golden brown and sizzling, and the cheese has melted a bit.
Cut each in half; serve warm.
