The humble sandwich is said to have been created by John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. The legend goes that the idea for a ‘sandwich’ resulted from the Earl never wanting to leave the gambling table. Modern versions of the cheese sandwich are said to have originated in the 1920’s in the United States featuring buttered and grilled bread alongside American cheese.
Growing up in an Indian household in Sydney, Australia meant a lot of western recipes became adapted into some form of fusion Indian cuisine. In a home where the whistle of a pressure cooker rang almost every night, cheese toasties made their way into our homes particularly around exam time. It meant plenty of fun experiments that sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. Here is one that I think really hits the mark.
Slightly spicy, and a little bit tangy, this is a really full flavoured toastie that you will wan to make again and again and again. I stuck to shredded mozzarella cheese I had on hand, but you could could absolutely use any cheese that just melts really well. I love serving these toasties with some tomato sauce, and /or some homemade chutney.
In all honestly, I just cannot think of anything better than a fresh cheese toastie on a cold day.
This to me is the ultimate comfort food. There is a level of decadence and simplicity – but also it’s very hard to mess it up.
Tips for the PERFECT Toastie
- Use thick sliced bread
This is especially important if your toastie has a lot of fillings such as tomato. The bread will soak up all that liquid goodness and hold shape which is really important.
2. Use really good quality melting cheese
The standard cheese to use is mozarella, but venture out a little here and get your hands on a variety of melting cheeses to really amp up your toastie.
3. Temperature
You absolutely cannot expect frozen cheese to melt perfectly between 2 slices of bread.
Unless you plan on burning the bread.
So just make sure your cheese is at least at room temperature. Don’t risk it.
Watch me make them!
Here is the recipe
Desi Cheese Toasties
Equipment
- Griddle pan or fry pan
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bread like a thick cut sourdough or rye
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 6 tbsp. grated cheese you may need more depending on your bread size
- ¼ tsp crushed garlic
- ¼ tsp crushed ginger
- ¼ tsp nigella seeds
- ⅛ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp chilli powder or paprika
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- Heat up a pan over a medium flame
- Add both the cumin and mustard seeds to the pan and toast. Lightly shake the pan and toast until the seeds start to dance around, and remove from the pan
- In a mortar and pestle lightly grind the toasted cumin and mustard seeds until coarse, then add to the cheese
- Add the turmeric powder, and chilli powder (or paprika) along with the ginger and garlic paste to the cheese
- Mix the cheese together well until combined
- Heat the pan again over medium heat
- Butter one side of the bread and sprinkle some onion seeds over it then place buttered side down on the heated pan. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting
- Spoon over a generous amount of the cheese mixture to top the bread. I used 3 tbsp. of the mixture
- Butter another slice of bread and top with some nigella seeds, and place over the cheese un-buttered side down
- Use a spatula to press down on the cheese toastie until the cheese goes visibly soft. Be careful to ensure the bread doesn't burn!
- Flip the toastie carefully over (try not to spill all the cheese!) and press down using the spatula again
- Continue to grill until the cheese goes ooey and gooey. If the cheese doesn't melt enough but the bread is browning, it's okay to pop the toastie in the microwave for 10-30 seconds to get bubbling cheese, then place the toastie back in the pan to crisp up again
- Serve hot with some tomato sauce, or a sweet tangy chutney of choice, and some chopped coriander on top
