Club Sandwich Recipe (Indian Style)

 

Make Sandwich Chutney

1. Rinse coriander leaves with water a few times and drain the water well. Then in a blender or a mixer-grinder, add the following ingredients and blend them to a smooth consistency.

• 1 cup of coriander leaves
• ½ a teaspoon of chaat masala powder
• 1 to 2 chopped green chilies (about 1 teaspoon of chopped green chillies)
• salt to taste
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of water or as required to make thick or medium-thick consistency

When well ground and blended, remove the chutney in a bowl and set aside.

Make Cheese Slaw

2. Shred or grate a ⅓ cup each of carrot, cabbage and finely chop or mince ⅓ cup of capsicum (green bell pepper). Feel free to blanch the cabbage if you want.

You can also use any colored bell pepper instead of green bell pepper.

3. Add all veggies to a bowl. Then add ⅓ cup of grated cheddar cheese or processed cheese and ⅓ or ½ cup of eggless mayonnaise.

Use your favorite brand of eggless mayo or make your own. You can check my Eggless Mayonnaise Recipe that is easy to make and tastes wonderful.

You can add some more grated cheddar if you prefer.

4. Season with ¼ a teaspoon of black pepper and add salt according to taste preferences. I did not add salt as cheese has a natural salty flavor.

You can also add 1 to 2 tablespoons of light cream at this step.

5. Mix well and set aside. You can also refrigerate the mixture for about 30 minutes. Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate.

Make Chilla Batter

6. Add ½ a cup of gram flour (besan) into a mixing bowl. You can also use chickpea flour in place of gram flour. Add the following spices:

• ⅛ teaspoon of carom seeds (ajwain)
• ⅛ teaspoon of turmeric powder
• ⅛ teaspoon of red chili powder or cayenne pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon of garam masala powder

7. Add the aromatics:

• ¼ cup of finely chopped onions
• ⅓ cup of finely chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

8. Add ⅓ cup of water.

Tip: Add less or more water if necessary. The mixture should have a smooth and medium consistency.

9. Mix well and make a smooth batter without any lumps.

Make Besan Chilla

10. Heat a well seasoned skillet or shallow frying pan and spread the oil on the tawa.

Scoop up some batter in a large serving spoon, add it to the tawa and spread it to make a small-sized chilla or pancake almost the size of the bread you will be using.

Alternatively you can make a big chilla and cut it later according to the size of the bread.

11. Cook chilla on a low to medium heat. Once the top cooks, drizzle some oil on it and spread it with a spoon.

12. Once the base is crispy and golden, flip the chilla and cook on the other side.

13. Cook until golden spots appear on the second side.

14. Remove and set aside. Repeat the previous steps with the rest of the batter and set the prepared chillas aside.

Make Club Sandwich

15. Place 2 to 3 bread slices on a pan or skillet on a low to medium heat to toast them. You can also lightly toast them in a toaster or an oven.

16. Flip over each slice of bread and toast on the other side. If you want a crispier toast then toast the bread for longer.

17. Remove the lightly toasted bread from the skillet. Then spread softened butter generously on all the slices of bread.

Make sure to evenly spread the chutney on the bread. An even and generous coating of the butter on the bread slices, does not let them become soggy from the green chutney.

18. Spread a thin layer of the prepared green chutney over the butter on the toasted bread slices.

19. Place 3 to 4 thin slices each of the cucumber and tomatoes.

20. Sprinkle a few pinches of black pepper powder, chaat masala powder and salt on top of the cucumber and tomato slices.

21. Spread butter and green chutney on another toast. Place the side with these two spreads applied, on top of the cucumbers and tomatoes.

22. Spread softened butter on top of this slice.

23. Spread the cheese slaw stuffing on this slice. At this point you can also top with fresh lettuce.

Make sure to rinse the lettuce in water a few times and then pat dry with clean paper towels or run them through a salad spinner.

24. Cover with a third bread slice with the side having the chutney and butter facing the cheese slaw stuffing. Spread butter on the top of this bread slice too.

25. Place the besan chilla on the toast.

26. Cover with the final slice of toast. Then slice the sandwich into rectangles or triangles using a sharp bread knife.

27. Serve Vegetarian Club Sandwiches immediately with tomato ketchup, Potato Wafers, French Fries or Potato Wedges. Assemble the sandwiches these way and serve them straightaway.

You can prep the chutney a day ahead and refrigerate in an air-tight container. The cheese slaw stuffing can be also prepped ahead and refrigerated for 30 minutes in a covered container.

Toast the bread when you assemble the veg club sandwiches. If you toast them a few hours earlier, they will become chewy and dense.

Expert Tips

• Spicy: If you want to turn up the heat in this sandwich then chop up some small green chilies and add them to the chilla batter. Make sure you stir the batter well so the chilies are evenly distributed and there no lumps. Alternatively, you can leave out the chilies if you don’t want a spicy sandwich.
• Bread: I like to use multigrain bread to make these sandwiches as they are healthy and delicious but feel free to use whole wheat, brown or white bread instead. Whole wheat, brown and multigrain breads are a great healthy alternatives.
• Variations: Another great thing about this unique club sandwich is that you can get creative with the fillings. I usually add cucumbers and tomatoes to the first layer and carrots and cabbage to the second layer but, feel free to omit any ingredient that you don’t like.
• Substitutions: When mixing the veggies you can opt to add mayonnaise or grated cheese depending on your preference. I like to add both. Mayonnaise gives the veggies a creamy, tangy flavor while cheese will add a salty cheesy taste.