What is a Mumbai Masala Toast?

Wondering how the western concept of sandwiches became ingrained in India, a country with its share of bread such as naan, paratha, and roti. The idea of sandwiches goes back to the times of British rule. The British introduced the industrially produced loaf of white bread in the 1960s, and that's how the Indian love story of sandwiches began. 

The Mumbai (then known as Bombay) sandwich evolved and, till now, with its variants, dominates as a favourite go-to snack in the city. You can witness people of Mumbai, the children, the college students, working persons, and elders gravitate towards street stalls to munch on their favourite sandwiches. One such sandwich is the Mumbai masala toast sandwich. The filling is made with potatoes with crunchy vegetables layered on top of the filling, spiced with green chutney and chaat masala, toasted, and then served. 

How to make a Mumbai masala toast with a frying pan?

This recipe is undoubtedly ready in under 30 minutes. Boiled and mashed potatoes are needed. You can use leftover boiled potatoes or quickly cook them via a pressure cooker. The mashed potatoes must then be cooked in spices and flavourings in a non-stick frying pan. Crunchy vegetables such as onion and tomatoes are layered on top of the masala potato filling. 

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The main condiment here is the green chutney, which is spread on the bread over the butter. After assembling the sandwich, you may toast it via the sandwich maker or griller. Don’t have a toaster? Have no worries; this recipe will teach you how you can toast it on a frying pan itself. Read further to get your hands on the ingredients and recipe for 4 servings: 

Ingredients 

For Green chutney

  • 1 cup coriander
  • ½ cup mint
  • 2 tablespoon roasted gram dal
  • 4 green chili (You may use less according to your preferred spice level)
  • 2-inch ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp chaat masala
  • ½ tsp amchur powder
  • Salt as required
  • 2 tbsp water

For Aloo Masala filling

  • 4 potatoes (boiled and mashed)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • A pinch of hing
  • 2 chili (finely chopped)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder 
  • 5-6 curry leaves (kept whole)
  • ¼ coriander (finely chopped)
  • Salt as required

Other ingredients 

  • 8 slices of bread (white; you may remove the edges as per your preference)
  • 1 medium onion (peeled, rinsed, and sliced thinly in circles if possible)
  • 1 medium tomato (rinsed and sliced thinly in circles)
  • Butter as required
  • Chaat masala

Method 

Green chutney

  • Blend the ingredients mentioned in the section “green chutney” in a grinder or blender. 
  • Keep it aside.

Aloo masala filling

  • If you do not have boiled potatoes, then quickly pressure cook the potatoes. Remove from the cooker, peel, and mash with vegetable masher while still warm. 
  • Heat oil in the frying pan on low heat and add the mustard seeds.
  • Once the mustard seeds start crackling, add cumin seeds and a pinch of hing. 
  • Sauté till the cumin seeds start to sputter and change color. 
  • Add the finely chopped green chilies and whole curry leaves. Stir well. 
  • Add turmeric and stir well.
  • Add the mashed potatoes and salt as per your preference. 
  • Mix the potatoes well with the rest of your cooked spices. 
  • Keep sautéing on low heat for 2 minutes.
  • Add in the finely chopped coriander and mix in for a minute. Switch off the heat.
  • Keep this filling aside and let it cool.

Assembly

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  • Slice the onions and tomatoes in a thin, rounded manner and keep them aside. 
  • Take two slices of bread and spread a generous amount of butter on both sides of the slices.
  • Now, spread the chutney evenly across one side of the buttered bread. Do this for both slices. 
  • To only one slice of bread, add and evenly spread the potato masala filling on the chutney side.
  • Place 2 thinly sliced tomatoes and onion over the potato filling. 
  • Sprinkle over a pinch of chaat masala. 
  • Cover this with the other slice of bread with the butter only side up (facing you).
  • Repeat for all bread slices.
  • Making the sandwich using the frying pan
  • Preheat the frying pan
  • As we have buttered both sides of the slices, transfer the stuffed sandwich onto a frying pan. Cook one side for a minute till golden brown, and then flip carefully and cook for another minute. 
  • Transfer to a dish and cut this toasted sandwich diagonally. 
  • Serve with green chutney (the same one we made for this toasted sandwich)  and tomato sauce.
  • Best enjoyed when warm.

Tips 

  • Make sure to apply butter before the chutney, or else the bread will become soggy. 
  • Though this recipe uses white bread (which gives the tastiest results), you may use multi-grain, whole wheat, or any other choice of bread. 
  • You can make use of a sandwich maker instead of a frying pan
  • The green chutney in this recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.
  • Planning to make this for breakfast? You can make the chutney and potato filling the night before and refrigerate it. Add the coriander leaves to the potato stuffing on the day of and not the night before.

Variations


  • Cheese Mumbai Masala Toast: Add in some grated processed cheese after adding the sliced vegetables
  • Other Vegetables: You can add thinly sliced beetroot or cucumber. Moreover, you can add finely chopped slices of red, yellow, or green capsicum (bell pepper).
  • No butter: You may use ghee instead of butter
  • Dressing up the sandwich: 
  • You may add more butter and chutney on top of the sandwich just before serving
  • Spread chutney on the cut side of the sandwich and dip it in bhujia (an Indian namkeen mixture) 

Go ahead and try this recipe at home and share your thoughts.