Grilled Veggie Pakora Sandwich

Here's a new sandwich, assembled at home of (mostly) bought ingredients. I was inspired by the many Indian toasted sandwiches I've seen on Instagram. The filling is Veggie Pakoras (fried vegetable fritters), cut-up and mixed with instant mashed potato. The inside of each slice of bread is spread with chutney: cilantro on one side, tamarind on the other. The sandwich was fried in a covered pan, with some butter-olive oil mix, and coconut oil, until golden brown and crispy.

I wasn't sure how it would turn out.  My off-recipe experiments sometimes fail dramatically. 😐 However, in this one, the cilantro chutney added freshness, the tamarind chutney added sweetness, the Pakoras added spice and substance, and the mashed potato brought it all together. I'd say this was a success!

Sambhar Sandwich

This was made with the Carrot & Zucchini Sambhar (South Indian soupy dal/legume dish) seen in a recent post (although unfortunately none of the carrots appear here). When I have a lot of leftovers, as well as bread, it becomes . . . Sandwich Time! 😉 This bread is an oval Italian loaf, with slices of different sizes, and so I made an open sandwich. Had it been regular loaf bread, I would've made an enclosed sandwich. I like to accompany sandwiches like this with whole-milk yogurt, and some potato chips and/or crunchy Indian snacks (not seen here). So, it contains all the essential food groups! 😄😎

Sandwich of 

Steamed Carrots 

& Paneer (Indian cheese)

The sandwich is seasoned with salt and dried Italian herb seasoning. This was a nice way to use leftovers, for a quick and nourishing meal.

Toasted Pita Sandwich, 

filled with Egg, Mashed Potato, 

& Paneer (Indian cheese)

Here, instant mashed potato was mixed with Paneer, salt, and seasoning, and spread in a half-pita. I placed a bit of scrambled egg on the mixture, and put the whole thing in the toaster oven until the bread was browned. (When it cools, the pita crisps up. You can even break up toasted pita, into "pita chips"!) Simple, yet filling. 

Lauki ki Sabzi Sandwich 

(Indian zucchini & tomato)

The Lauki ki Sabzi (Indian zucchini & tomato dish, recipe of @justagirlfrommumbai) featured yesterday, here is part of a sandwich with scrambled egg. It's amazing how just about anything can be turned into a sandwich! 

Just a Girl from Aamchi Mumbai Website, Lauki ki Sabzi

Stuffed Focaccia Sandwich, 

filled with 

Aloo Mattar (Indian Potatoes, Green Peas, & Tomatoes) 

& Scrambled Egg

After my family's visit was over, I was looking for something simple. I remembered the Focaccia I'd made and then frozen. I found that I also had some Aloo Mattar in the freezer; the recipe was from Raghavan Iyer in The Turmeric Trail. I put it all together, along with some crunchy Indian snack mix, and some whole-milk yogurt (not pictured). It was a very nice sandwich, if I do say so myself! 

Handvo (Savory Vegetable Cake) Sandwich

This is a Throwback to early July: Handvo (Savory Vegetable Cake) Sandwich, with Harissa (Moroccan pepper sauce) and Sev (crispy Indian chickpea-flour noodles). The Handvo was made from Food Fashion Party's excellent recipe. I spread some Harissa on toast, then added slices of Handvo, followed by a few sprinklings of Sev. It made a satisfying meal, with whole-milk yogurt, and sorbet (not pictured). 

Food Fashion Party Facebook

Food Fashion Party Website, Instant Savory Vegetable Cake - Handvo

Baked Broccoli & Cauliflower Fritters or Pakora Sandwich

This is a Throwback to June. The fritters/pakore were made to go along with Punjabi Kadhi. I finished the Kadhi, but still had some pakore left. What to do? Make a sandwich! I put some Harissa (Moroccan chili sauce) on toast, followed by the pakore, with sev (crunchy chickpea noodles) sprinkled on. Yogurt and sorbet (not pictured) accompanied the sandwich. 

Vegan Richa Website, Baked Broccoli Fritters with Spiced Yogurt - Pakore Waali Vegan Punjabi Kadhi

Sambhar Sandwich, with Harissa

So, I had some leftover Sambhar (Indian soupy dal/legume dish with veggies) that I took from the freezer, but didn't have any rice made, and was too tired to make some. What could be better than a sandwich? I spread some Harissa (Moroccan pepper sauce) on toast, and topped it with some thickened Sambhar (warmed up separately). I'd call this, a success!

Paniyaram-Papadum Upma Sandwich, 

with Harissa (Moroccan chili sauce)

This is another way to use leftover Paniyaram (South Indian dumplings). (For more information on how I made the Paniyaram, you can see my post from the end of May, if you like.)

I know that people make Idli Upma, with crumbled leftover Idlis (another kind of South Indian dumplings), and decided I would do something similar. Except, when I went to add the Paniyaram to the oil and spices in the pan, I realized that I had far fewer than I thought. What to do? I decided to add some Papadum. These are store-bought legume wafers that are usually puffed in oil, but I puffed them in the microwave, instead, and broke them up, before adding them in.

The other ingredients were mustard seeds, urad and channa dals (legumes), a little onion powder, frozen chopped onion/carrot/celery, and salt. After mixing everything together, I added a little water as needed, and cooked the mixture on low, covered, until I felt it was done. Afterwards, I used it to top some toast spread with Harissa. As you may have noticed by now, I like to use all kinds of leftovers to top sandwiches!

Open-faced Paniyaram-Bhujia Sev-Harissa Sandwich

This was made with some of the leftover Paniyaram (South Indian dumplings, made of moong dal/yellow split mung beans), from a recent post. I wanted a little extra flavor, so I first spread some store-bought Harissa (Moroccan pepper sauce) on toasted bread. Next, I added some Paniyaram that I sort-of cut in half. I thought, why not some crunch, too? And so I sprinkled some bhujia sev (crispy Indian noodles made of chickpea flour) over everything. I warmed it in the microwave just a little, and there was dinner, with some yogurt (not pictured). I thought the combination might seem a little unusual, but decided to share it, anyway. Sometimes it's nice to have something a little different! 

Egg-Potato-Green Pepper Sandwich

This sandwich is made on homemade toasted bread, with a bit of pav bhaji masala for flavor. A filling and tasty lunch! If you don't have a lot of time or energy, and therefore decide to use frozen hash browns and frozen chopped peppers that cook together very quickly, I won't tell anyone. 

Cauliflower-Egg Sandwich, on toast

The toast has pizza sauce spread on it, for extra flavor. The scrambled egg is a bit hidden beneath the veg. I decided I wanted roasted cauliflower, so I tried the easiest way I could think of, as an experiment. I took an entire 12-oz bag of frozen cauliflower, emptied it onto a baking tray, and mixed it with some oil and salt. In a 425 F oven, it took about 40 minutes to get it where I wanted it. Others may prefer less time. I thought the experiment was a success, as I eagerly made this sandwich for myself.

Grilled Veggie Sandwich,

filled with Potato, Carrot, and Pav Bhaji Masala

This sandwich, on soft Italian bread, features mashed potato and oven-roasted carrots, and @notoutofthebox's suggestion (on Instagram Feb. 28) of pav bhaji masala. I first put a layer of potato on the bread, then some roasted carrots that I mashed, and sprinkled on a bit of masala. (I have to be a little careful how much chili heat I eat.) I cooked it in a small frying pan with a little oil, including some that I smeared on each slice of bread. Wow, was that scrumptious! I especially liked the combination of the sweetness of the carrots with the spices of the masala, all held together with potato, and encased in lightly-fried bread. I hope to try it again soon, this time with paneer mixed in, as in the original suggestion. Great idea! 

Cheela Sandwich,

with leftover Gingered Green Peas,

on toasted soft Italian bread. 

I didn't have any chutney, so I spread some pizza sauce on the toast. The peas will actually be more likely to remain on the sandwich, if they are between the bottom toast and the cheelas (unlike here). These are from the same batch of Cheelas as pictured yesterday. A nice vegetarian sandwich -- yum!

Grilled Vegetables Sandwich

#tbt : This grilled veggie sandwich was inspired by Indian-style grilled sandwiches seen online. I defrosted frozen mixed veggies, and then cooked them a bit with some canned cannellini beans, and some spices like ground cumin and coriander. Next, I put everything in the food processor, and the filling was ready. I put the filling between slices of homemade bread, and cooked the sandwich the way I would a grilled cheese sandwich, although using just a little olive oil on the outside of each bread slice. I was very pleased at how nice and grilled it turned out, even with so little oil. Yummy!