I think Indians are very innovative when it comes to toast making. It’s funny because bread isn’t actually a staple here, and neither is it local. But I have learned that we will put anything between two slices of bread. Remember the recipe of the iconic Bombay toast that I shared a couple of years back? And then there was a whole slew of my own tasty toast-related experiments: cheese-garlic sourdough toast, pesto-parmesan toast, cherry tomato-yogurt toast and masala baked beans on toast. The last one on that list is similar in concept to the recipe I’ll share today, which is an Indian-style tofu masala toast, a variation on a paneer toast. With bread borrowed from Continental cuisine and tofu from Asian cuisine, and spicy lashings of masala from India, this becomes a wonderfully international fusion sandwich.
There was a point when I ate paneer quite a lot as it is high in protein. But I was aware that the dairy quotient was also high, and slowly started tapering it off. I’ve been trying to avoid dairy, as you may have noticed from various vegan-friendly posts, and decided to use tofu instead.
I should say that I’m not averse to paneer at all. It’s a classic ingredient of Indian cuisine, and it’s a big feature in everything from this soft Bengali sweet to my son’s favourite dish of all time. It’s just that I found myself switching my paneer out for tofu in this recipe, and it worked beautifully. If you are neither vegan nor vegetarian and want to notch up your protein consumption, you could use a boiled egg as the main protein too.
Here, I have used regular sliced white bread, not the sourdough that I make very often. If I use sourdough, I tend to make open-faced sandwiches. Sourdough has a rustic feel and the slices are necessarily thicker, so one slice is sufficient for any toastie made with it. When it comes to sandwiches, the toppings or fillings you use are also what help you decide about how to prepare the toast itself. For instance, the Bombay toast is best on a hand-held toaster that is kept hovering over a flame, and that remains my favourite way of making closed sandwiches. I sometimes use a waffle maker too. For this recipe, I feel it works well as a grilled toast. See what your own preference is, and toast it your way.
I tend to enjoy sandwiches most on days when I find myself really hungry at around 5 in the evening, after having had an early lunch. This tofu toast is very filling, and I make it at that time. I can usually skip dinner after that.
Sandwiches work great for kids and for kids’ lunchboxes too, which reminds me of how there were plenty of them consumed during my own growing years. As I’ve shared many times, I got some of my cooking skills from my mother, and she was quite creative in the kitchen. Bombay toast was by far the most popular in her repertoire of sandwich making, but she made so many varieties for us when we came home from school. Potato masala was another favourite. Sometimes, she would just layer thin slices of different veggies with cheese – the cheese would melt and hold it all together, and this particular sandwich was a great attractor for us. It was called a club sandwich.
In fact, I think that the popularity of clubs is the reason why toasts are so popular among Indians. Club culture in India is a remnant of the British era, and the menus always featured items from that cuisine – sandwiches among them. The club culture of my childhood was a family vibe, and not remotely like today’s nightlife clubbing. In those days, the club was a place we went to together, a safe and happy environment in which the kids could hang out, the dads could have a drink together, and the moms could catch up with their friends. I’m sure this must have popularised toasts in general among my generation. I must admit that those sandwiches somehow did always taste better at the club, even though such care was taken at home to ensure the vegetables were clean and the chutney was wholesome, but somehow… Of course, this is true of street food too. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t make almost-as-delicious dishes ourselves, too!
Indian-Style Tofu Masala Toast
(Yield: Serves 2)
1 dollop butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup onions (finely chopped)
½ tomato (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons tomato paste or purée
1 teaspoon green chilli (finely chopped)
1 cup cut tofu
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon sugar
4 slices of bread
Toast the bread slices lightly. Set aside.
In a pan, add the oil and the butter. Next, add the onions and green chilli. Sauté until tender.
Now, add the tomato and all the spices. Stir and then add the tomato paste or purée. Stir until it all comes together and is nicely sautéed.
Then, add the tofu. Stir gently. Make sure that all the masala and veggies come together with the tofu. Your filling is now ready.
Divide the filling into 2 portions. Fill one side of a toasted slice with the filling and close with another toasted slice. Butter both sides and place on a clean pan. Allow to turn crispy and golden on both sides. Repeat with the second sandwich.
Your Indian-style tofu masala toast is now ready. If you prefer, serve with a sauce or chutney of your choice. Let me know what you decide to accompany it with; I’d love to try that out myself!
