Tastes like home.
For me, Bombay Cheese Toast is more than just food: it is memory, comfort and identity wrapped in one melty, golden bite. It’s a bridge between two worlds, and the flavour of home.
Mehak Kansal says…
There are dishes that nourish, and there are dishes that transport. For me, Bombay Cheese Toast is more than just food: it is memory, comfort and identity wrapped in one melty, golden bite. It’s a bridge between two worlds, and the flavour of home.
Growing up, weekends in the Wiltshire countryside were filled with small joys that will live with me forever. One of those joys was my papa’s cheese on toast. Slices of pillowy white bread, slathered with salty butter, layered with sharp mature cheddar and topped with chopped green chillies, onions and tomatoes. It wasn’t just a snack, it was a ritual.
But my childhood wasn’t just rooted in the green fields of England, it stretched across oceans to the vibrant streets of India. Summers spent there were a sensory explosion. Colours, sounds and, of course, food. My go-to street eat was the Bombay sandwich: soft, thin white bread filled with spiced mashed potatoes, slathered in green chutney, scattered with onions, tomatoes and chaat masala, and crisped up under a sandwich press with lashings of ghee. Bold, bright and utterly addictive.
Years later, in a quiet moment of nostalgia, I wanted to create a dish that wrapped both those worlds into one. Something that spoke of my English roots and my Indian soul. Something that hugged me from the inside out. That’s how my Bombay Cheese Toast was born.
It’s not just delicious, it’s emotional. The tang of the cheddar and sourdough is unmistakably English, while the spice and chutneys bring in the rhythm of India. It’s a dish that tells my story. A piece of my childhood. A memory of my father. A flash of India’s busy streets and the joy of food that makes your eyes close with the first bite. It’s not just what I eat, it is who I am.
Ingredients
Serves 4
4 slices of sourdough bread
2 tablespoons melted ghee
4 tablespoons Green Goddess Chutney, plus extra to serve
handful of grated mozzarella
handful of grated extra mature cheddar
½ red onion, diced
1–2 green chillies, diced
tomato chutney, to serve
Green Goddess Chutney
2 large ripe avocados, peeled, stoned and roughly chopped
handful of coriander, roughly chopped (including stalks)
handful of dill, roughly chopped
15g parsley, roughly chopped
3–6 green chillies (depending on how spicy you like it), chopped
5 spring onions, roughly chopped
½ tablespoon ginger purée
1 tablespoon garlic purée
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
zest and juice of 4 limes
2 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
125ml (½ cup) cold water
generous pinch of salt, or to taste
Masala Mashed Potato
1 large potato, peeled and chopped into large chunks
small handful of coriander, chopped
pinch of ground turmeric
pinch of ground cumin
½ tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Begin by making the Green Goddess Chutney. Simply tip all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blitz until finely chopped and emulsified. Season to taste, adding more lime juice, salt or sugar if you like. Set aside. Any leftovers will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Then make the Masala Mashed Potato. Boil the potato in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 12–15 minutes until tender, then drain and transfer to a mixing bowl. Mash with a fork, then add the remaining ingredients. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment or foil and preheat the grill to medium.
Lightly toast the sourdough in the toaster until it has a nice crunch. Place the slices on the prepared tray and spoon over most of the melted ghee. Add 1 tablespoon of the Green Goddess Chutney to each slice and spread it all over the toast. Divide the Masala Mash between the slices, spreading it out into an even layer. Top with the cheeses and sprinkle over the onion and chillies. Finish with a little extra ghee to help it brown and bubble. Place under the grill for 4–6 minutes until the cheese has bubbled and melted. Serve with a little extra Green Goddess Chutney, a spoonful of tomato chutney, or as it is with a glass of masala chai!
BINDAS: COMFORT FOOD WITH INDIAN SOUL IS OUT NOW.
Published in ed#743
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