This quick, flavourful and healthy Tofu Masala Sandwich is going to save your a§§ on days when you want to have a delicious meal but don’t have time! It comes together in 15 minutes and requires very few ingredients! Make this the next time you are craving street food, but healthy, or need to make a quick lunch in between zoom calls.
Why Bombay Style Sandwich?
Sandwiches are really popular in Mumbai. I remember visiting Mumbai and finding a sandwich stall in every corner, near railway stations, in markets, popular hangout spots etc. These are always spicy and so delicious. Of course they were doused in butter so I decided to make a home and vegan friendly version for all of us to enjoy!
How to Make Tofu Masala Sandwich – Tips and tricks
The steps are very easy. The tofu masala or stuffing is made with grated tofu, tempered with spices. the ingredients are pretty easy to find.
- Make the chutney first and keep ready. This can be done ahead of time and stored in the fridge: Blend a bunch of coriander leaves, 2 tbsp vegan yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, 1 inch fresh ginger, 1-2 green chilies in a blender with just enough water. The chutney should come out with a thick consistency.
- Tempering spices and aromatics: I used mustard seeds and curry leaves. You can also use cumin seeds and ginger+garlic instead if that is what is available to you.
- Add the onions and green chilli: the onions don’t need to caramelise. Just cook until translucent or slightly golden brown.
- Add grated Tofu: Grating then makes them easier to handle in the sandwiches and give a more even shape to the sandwich. You can also choose to crumble the tofu if you wish. Use firm or extra firm tofu for this purpose. Sub with mashed chickpeas or potatoes.
- Making the sandwich: I chose to use a classic sandwich maker but if you don’t have one, just use a greased grill or a skillet. Press each side down until golden brown and crispy on each side.
Let me know if you try this healthy Tofu Masala Sandwich and I would love to see your recreation. Tag @beextravegant on Instagram .
If you don’t follow me on Instagram, I think it’s time you do. I post yummy food reels with tidbits about my life.
Try other snacks from the blog:
- Vegan Yoghurt Toast – Spicy
- Baked Aloo Tikki – Crispy and Healthy
Tofu Masala Sandwich
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 1/2 block tofu grated
- 1 small red onion
- ½ tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 or 2 green chilies or jalapeños chopped
- 8 to 10 curry leaves fresh, frozen or dry
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 pinch of asafoetida hing (optional)
- salt as required
- ½ tsp sugar optional
- Chaat masala
Instructions
Coriander chutney
- Blend a bunch of coriander leaves, 2 tbsp vegan yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, 1 inch fresh ginger, 1-2 green chilies in a blender with just enough water. The chutney should come out thicc, like your a§§.
- Set the chutney aside.
Tofu Masala Sandwich
- Heat oil in a shallow pan and add mustard seeds.
- When the mustard seeds start to splutter, asafoetida (hing), if using, on low heat and then curry leaves.
- Add the chopped jalapeños and onions soon and let the onions get golden on medium-low heat.
- Add turmeric powder and let it cook until the raw smell goes away.
- Add the grated tofu and season with salt.
- Stir and mix the tofu the tofu in for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the sugar now, if using.
- Take the tofu masala filling off the heat and set aside. Let it cool down a bit while you grease your sandwich maker.
- Spread coriander chutney on one slice of bread and ketchup/sriracha on the other.
- Add the tofu filling on one side, sprinkle with chaat masala and close the sandwich. Press down gently so the filling doesn’t start falling all over the place.
- Cook in a sandwich maker or on a pan or grill until crispy on both sides.
- Serve with more chutney and enjoy!
Kadala curry in Kerala (the region of India I belong to) is a spicy gravy based recipe made originally with black chickpeas and fresh coconut. It is usually served specifically with kerala puttu (as I did in the video) or appam. It is hands down my FAVOURITE breakfast of all times!
What is Kerala Garam Masala?
Kerala Garam Masala is VERY different from the North Indian Garam Masala most people are used to. The spices have sweeter notes because of the fennel and mace. All the ingredients can be easily found in your local Indian store 🙂
If you like this recipe tag @beextravegant on Instagram.
Check out these other recipes from my page:
- Idli Recipe
- Sambar Recipe
Kerala Kadala curry/Kari
Ingredients1x2x3x
Chickpeas/Kadala
- 1 cup/ 180g dry black chickpeas baby brown chickpeas or kala chana
- 1 tea bag for dark colour optional
Coconut paste
- 2½ cups water
- ¾ cup coconut pieces or ½ cup grated coconut, sub with coconut milk or desiccated coconut
Kadala curry Base
- ⅓ cup chopped shallots if available, use pearl onions
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 1 or 2 green chilies or serrano peppers chopped
- A bunch curry leaves about 10
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder ground turmeric
- 1 tsp red chili powder to taste
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 to 2 cups water or the black chickpea water
- salt to taste
Kerala Garam Masala (makes about 3 times this recipe)
- 5 thin strands of mace
- 2 inch cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 6 cloves
- 1/4 tsp grated/ground nutmeg
Instructions
Chickpeas
- Pressure cook (overnight) soaked chickpeas with salt, tea bag and 6-8 cups water until tender.
Kerala Garam Masala
- Dry roast the Kerala Garam Masala spices till aromatic. Very slightly, do not let it burn!
- Grind them in a coffee grinder or a mortar pestle and store in a small air tight jar.
Coconut Paste
- Add coconuts to a blender with just enough water to blend it smooth. Set aside.
Kadala Curry
- Heat coconut oil in a pan.
- Add mustard seeds and let them pop.
- Add chopped shallots. Stir and saute for a minute.
- Then add the aromatics- ginger, chopped green chilies, curry leaves and saute till the shallots turn light brown.
- Then add ground spices- red chili powder, coriander powder, black pepper and 1 tsp of the Kerala garam masala.
- Saute for a minute on low heat.
- Then add the ground coconut paste and mix well. Saute for about 5 minutes on a low heat.
- Add the cooked black chickpeas (Kadala) and the chickpea water and stir.
- Season with the salt and cook kadala until you get the right consistency.
- Serve kadala curry hot with puttu, like I did here or with dosa (recipe on the blog) or rice.
Notes
- Sub black chickpeas with white chickpeas or any other beans you have
- Scaled this recipe as per your needs (make smaller or bigger batch).
- Sub fresh coconut with coconut milk, frozen coconut or unsweetened desiccated coconut.
- If cooking chickpeas in a pot, add the soaked chickpeas to 3 cups water in a pot and the salt. Cover and bring the water to a boil. Cook on medium to till they are tender.
This Green Bean Plantain Dish is a simple side-dish commonly consumed in Kerala (South Indian state that I belong to). I know, the name Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti sounds super intimidating, but this dish is SO SIMPLE with a few ingredients. It comes together in under 20 minutes and goes great with some Sambar and rice!
What is Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti?
Achinga is a the Malayalam name for Green beans and Kaya is the name for raw plantain. Plantains are very commonly found in South India and are quite widely prepared. This is a simple and quick recipe commonly made in Kerala households to add to a simple meal for lunch or dinner.
How to make Achinga Kaya Mezukkupuretti – Tips and Tricks
The Achinga Kaya Recipe is very easy and doesn’t call for a whole bunch of spices, except for turmeric powder.
Achinga: Green beans. You can use long or short green beans, also called French beans in India. You can also replace this with potatoes or beetroot or any veggie you have. Slice these to amount an inch in length:
Kaya: Raw Plantains. The star of the show. If you replace this, you will lose the essence of this recipe. But it can be replaced with any other starchy vegetable if you REALLY want to. Slice these to the same size as the green beans:
Whole Spices: Curry Leaves and mustard seeds . Curry leaves provide an earthy savoury flavour that cannot be replaced. You can find these dry or frozen or fresh in any Indian/Asian store.
Ground Spices: This recipe only calls for turmeric powder, but you can also add red chili powder if you like it extra spicy!
Why are my peeled plantains turning black?
Raw plantains oxidise easily and tend to turn black. Nothing wrong with it. But if you want to avoid it, drop them in a bowl of turmeric water. Helps keep the colour until you are ready to cook.
You can also just follow the recipe and boil them in salted turmeric water directly after slicing:
Check out other Kerala dishes from the blog:
- Kerala Kadala Curry/Kari
- Sambar
- Idli and Dosa
Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 250-300 g Green beans/Achinga sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 medium – large Raw Plantains/Kaya (sliced into 1 inch pieces)
- 1/2 tsp ground Turmeric
- 2-3 Green chilli peppers
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- Curry leaves
Instructions
- Peel out the tough portions of the raw plantain/pachakaya and slice it and the green beans to a equal sizes length.
- In a cooking pot, add raw plantain/pachakaya pieces and achinga payar/long green beans (unless using frozen ones like I was. Then keep it for later and add after the aromatics) with water and 1/2 tsp ground turmeric and salt. Cover, bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when it starts to splutter, add curry leaves and green chillis. Cook for 30 secs.
- Add 1/2 tsp each turmeric. Fry for 1-2 mins.
- Add cooked green beans and plantains. Mix well. Cook for 5 mins and remove from heat. Serve with rice and pappadom.
Tofu Masala Sandwich
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 1/2 block tofu grated
- 1 small red onion
- ½ tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 or 2 green chilies or jalapeños chopped
- 8 to 10 curry leaves fresh, frozen or dry
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 pinch of asafoetida hing (optional)
- salt as required
- ½ tsp sugar optional
- Chaat masala
Instructions
Coriander chutney
- Blend a bunch of coriander leaves, 2 tbsp vegan yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, 1 inch fresh ginger, 1-2 green chilies in a blender with just enough water. The chutney should come out thicc, like your a§§.
- Set the chutney aside.
Tofu Masala Sandwich
- Heat oil in a shallow pan and add mustard seeds.
- When the mustard seeds start to splutter, asafoetida (hing), if using, on low heat and then curry leaves.
- Add the chopped jalapeños and onions soon and let the onions get golden on medium-low heat.
- Add turmeric powder and let it cook until the raw smell goes away.
- Add the grated tofu and season with salt.
- Stir and mix the tofu the tofu in for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the sugar now, if using.
- Take the tofu masala filling off the heat and set aside. Let it cool down a bit while you grease your sandwich maker.
- Spread coriander chutney on one slice of bread and ketchup/sriracha on the other.
- Add the tofu filling on one side, sprinkle with chaat masala and close the sandwich. Press down gently so the filling doesn’t start falling all over the place.
- Cook in a sandwich maker or on a pan or grill until crispy on both sides.
- Serve with more chutney and enjoy!
