Sandwiches are one of these food stuff that is present in many culture, and many avatars, name one country that doesn’t have a version of “grub between bread” if you can.
In India the most commons are the cucumber and butter sandwich, and the vegetable grilled sandwich…some versions far better than other I must add.
In Switzerland we mainly cut half a crunchy baguette in two spread butter, add mustard, then a few slices of ham or pork salami, the fanciest versions having a few pickles, lettuce leaves and tomatoes in them.
I still remember the first time I went to London on a school trip at age 15, and the subsequent visits later on. Sandwiches seemed to be everywhere there, and they can be really inventive when it comes to decking a club sandwich, which most French and Swiss would laugh at because it comes in soft sliced bread, though I wonder what there is to laugh about, sliced bread serves the only purpose of actually stuffing it with food, not everybody can pride themselves on being the land of the Baguette, or of the Pretzel bread, and beside just because you grew up on something doesn't mean all the other stuff is necessarily bad and inedible, just different.
But back to the desi take on the Sandwich shall we? First, there is a strong British influence there, they probably brought the soft crust loaf with them, so they could continue enjoying finger sandwiches with their afternoon tea, and somewhere down the line the Indians carried on making sandwiches, altering the taste of the filling to suit their palates and culture. The grilled veg sandwich often contains spices, or green chutney, and readily available veggies such as tomatoes, peas, onions and potatoes. The latest avatars have cheese inside, some are covered in cheese, and the staple lunch of the busy student was born…like everywhere else on the planet. The older generation interestingly still consider sandwiches a tea time snack and I had one neighbour shocked to hear I actually do sandwich lunch when DH is not around. To her it doesn’t seem very filling…
Well yes and no, sure just throwing a few slices of cucumber between two slice isn’t much, and true I would consider that a tea time snack myself. But there are some versions of the mighty grilled veg Sandwich out there that can give you a run for your money and make a perfectly acceptable lunch.
And there are the creative filling stuff you can come up at home like this one :
This ladies and gents is an avocado cheese and chicken meatballs sandwich, I usually make it for dinner, but this one was on today’s breakfast plate as I was craving it.
It’s pretty easy to make, and oh so satisfying. I use fresh ripe avocados for it, they aren’t always easy to find, so if you can’t jarred guacamole would work just as fine, you can substitute the chicken meatballs with grilled chicken breast, or more veggies if you are vegetarian (you could even experiment with paneer I’m sure), but let’s get the recipe for that particular version.
Ingredients:
3 slices of whole grain bread
1 ripe avocado, pureed
Half a lemon (lime) juice
Half a tomato, sliced
4 Chicken Meatball (in India Venky’s has them in the frozen section)
3 slice of cheese
Paprika to taste
How to:
1) Take the sandwich maker out, put two slice of bread in it side by side to grill them, in the meantime, thaw the frozen meatloaves in the microwave, mash your avocado and add the lime to the puree so it doesn’t turn brown, season with paprika, then cut the meatballs in half
2) Remove the two grilled slices, and put the third slice and the half meatballs in the grill, spread avocado on the two slices you just took out, ad sliced tomatoes on one side, and top it with the first slice of cheese.
3) Take the 3rd slice out of the grill, and put it on top of the cheese lice covering the tomatoes, then add another slice of cheese right on the toasty warm slice of bread, then top with the chicken, then top it with the last slice of cheese, and put the last slice of bread spread with avocado on the top, press down so all layers stick, and take a bread knife to cut diagonally…voila your sandwich is ready, the heat of the middle slice and meatballs is enough to soften the cheese without making it runny, best enjoyed warm, but can be packed for lunch too. .
In India the most commons are the cucumber and butter sandwich, and the vegetable grilled sandwich…some versions far better than other I must add.
In Switzerland we mainly cut half a crunchy baguette in two spread butter, add mustard, then a few slices of ham or pork salami, the fanciest versions having a few pickles, lettuce leaves and tomatoes in them.
I still remember the first time I went to London on a school trip at age 15, and the subsequent visits later on. Sandwiches seemed to be everywhere there, and they can be really inventive when it comes to decking a club sandwich, which most French and Swiss would laugh at because it comes in soft sliced bread, though I wonder what there is to laugh about, sliced bread serves the only purpose of actually stuffing it with food, not everybody can pride themselves on being the land of the Baguette, or of the Pretzel bread, and beside just because you grew up on something doesn't mean all the other stuff is necessarily bad and inedible, just different.
But back to the desi take on the Sandwich shall we? First, there is a strong British influence there, they probably brought the soft crust loaf with them, so they could continue enjoying finger sandwiches with their afternoon tea, and somewhere down the line the Indians carried on making sandwiches, altering the taste of the filling to suit their palates and culture. The grilled veg sandwich often contains spices, or green chutney, and readily available veggies such as tomatoes, peas, onions and potatoes. The latest avatars have cheese inside, some are covered in cheese, and the staple lunch of the busy student was born…like everywhere else on the planet. The older generation interestingly still consider sandwiches a tea time snack and I had one neighbour shocked to hear I actually do sandwich lunch when DH is not around. To her it doesn’t seem very filling…
Well yes and no, sure just throwing a few slices of cucumber between two slice isn’t much, and true I would consider that a tea time snack myself. But there are some versions of the mighty grilled veg Sandwich out there that can give you a run for your money and make a perfectly acceptable lunch.
And there are the creative filling stuff you can come up at home like this one :
This ladies and gents is an avocado cheese and chicken meatballs sandwich, I usually make it for dinner, but this one was on today’s breakfast plate as I was craving it.
It’s pretty easy to make, and oh so satisfying. I use fresh ripe avocados for it, they aren’t always easy to find, so if you can’t jarred guacamole would work just as fine, you can substitute the chicken meatballs with grilled chicken breast, or more veggies if you are vegetarian (you could even experiment with paneer I’m sure), but let’s get the recipe for that particular version.
Ingredients:
3 slices of whole grain bread
1 ripe avocado, pureed
Half a lemon (lime) juice
Half a tomato, sliced
4 Chicken Meatball (in India Venky’s has them in the frozen section)
3 slice of cheese
Paprika to taste
How to:
1) Take the sandwich maker out, put two slice of bread in it side by side to grill them, in the meantime, thaw the frozen meatloaves in the microwave, mash your avocado and add the lime to the puree so it doesn’t turn brown, season with paprika, then cut the meatballs in half
2) Remove the two grilled slices, and put the third slice and the half meatballs in the grill, spread avocado on the two slices you just took out, ad sliced tomatoes on one side, and top it with the first slice of cheese.
3) Take the 3rd slice out of the grill, and put it on top of the cheese lice covering the tomatoes, then add another slice of cheese right on the toasty warm slice of bread, then top with the chicken, then top it with the last slice of cheese, and put the last slice of bread spread with avocado on the top, press down so all layers stick, and take a bread knife to cut diagonally…voila your sandwich is ready, the heat of the middle slice and meatballs is enough to soften the cheese without making it runny, best enjoyed warm, but can be packed for lunch too. .
