by Ratna

My  daughter  and  I  were  Sari  shopping  in  Mumbai.

The  list  looked  long  and  convoluted.  The  pile  of  “Short  listed”  saris  grew.  “Doh coke  la” (Get  me  two  pops),  the  man  behind  the  desk  shouted.  A  little  boy,  no more  than  ten,  ran  across  the  floor  and  handed  us  the  chilled  drinks.

Working  steadily  through  our  list,  the  “must  have”  pile  of  saris  grew  in  size.  “Khana  mangateh  hain”  (Let  me  get  some  food)  the  salesman  suggested  this  time.  The  smell  of  melted  cheese  was  followed  by  the  two  plates  of  sandwiches. All  promises  of  not  eating  street  food  was  broken  that  afternoon.

As  we  came  out  of  the  store,  I  noticed  this  “hole  in  the  wall”  with  Sandwizza written  in  faded  letters.  I  could  barely  see  the  man  sitting  between  an  assortment of  tin  containers,  plastic  packets,  fresh  produce,  Foreman  grill  look- alike  and  old china.  I  chose  a  safe  distance  to  stand  and  watch  him,  much  to  my  daughter’s disapproval.

His  deft  fingers  methodically  working,  cutting,  assembling,  ingredients  at  ease.  A sprinkle  of  this,  and  a  dash  of  that,  while  maintaining   a  conversation  with  his customer.  His  beetle  juice  stained  teeth  peeked  through  his  thick  moustache.  I made  mental  notes.

I  tried  the  same,  here  in  my  kitchen,  a  few  times,  before  I  thought  it   was somewhat  close  to  the  taste  from  that  day.  So  here  it  is,  Sandwizza.

Ingredients:

Brown bread – 4 Slices
Olive Oil -2 Tbsps
Green Chutney _One third cup. See recipe below
Boiled potato _2 small thinly sliced
Chopped onions _1 small
Finely sliced tomatoes _ 2 medium
Chat masala _1tsp, according to taste
Thinly sliced Zucchini _ 1 small
Swiss cheese grated _1 cup

Method:

1.Brush olive oil on both sides of the bread slices.
2.Lather the green chutney on the inside of the bread slices.
3.Assemble the sandwich. I put the potato slices first followed by Zucchini,tomato,onions and grated cheese. Sprinkle the chat masala according to taste. Put the other slice of bread on top.I used a Breville grill 360 degrees F, for 4 minutes

Inside scoop:

1. I used Brown bread, but white bread can also be used.
2.Butter can be used instead of olive oil.
3.I had Zucchini at home, long English Cucumber or green Capsicum can also be used.
4.Recipe for the green chutney:
Cilantro choped: 1 cup
Mint leaves; Half cup
Green chillies 2
Garlic cloves 2
Ginger Half inch
Salt Pinch
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Grind all of the above with very little water.
5. I used store bought chat masala.