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Chocolate Pizza, Pizza Dosa, Baked Rasgulla are just a few of the thousands of fusion dishes that are found in India. We Indians are good not only at discovering new dishes but we are also pretty good when it comes to indianising any dish. And one particular region which I regard as the brain child of food innovations and fusion capital is Gujarat. From coming up with desi version of the popular snack Kurkure to having chocolate Khakhras, they have some of the most innovative dishes. Amongst all of these, one dish that I probably fell in love with is the Sandwich. And there are not one or two but a handful of sandwich varieties in India. In this post, I’m going to talk about this – Sandwiches of India.
The Aloo Sandwich
This is possibly the simplest version of Indian Sandwich that I was introduced to. This was the only sandwich variety that we had in our house for a long time. It had a good mixture made from potatoes with onions, tomatoes and the other Indian spices. It was more or less like a dry subzi. Take a dollop of this mix, stuff it between two slices of bread. Apply a generous amount of desi ghee on both the sides and throw it up in a toaster. We didn’t have an electric toaster back then, it was the gas toaster. I’m sure you too would have had this sandwich at some point or the other in your life. In fact, you could find this at some roadside stall too.
Indian Railway Sandwich
You must be wondering what’s with the Indian Railway Sandwich. No matter which station you go to – small or big – you will probably find this version of sandwich. Even on trains, you’ll more often than not find this. The Indian Railway Sandwich – as I like to call it, contains a mixture of mayonnaise with cabbage and carrots. The sandwich is often served with brown bread too. Shrink wrapped in clear plastic and served cold, the Indian Railway sandwich is liked by many and disliked by others. I came across this version of sandwich for breakfast when I was travelling by Air India from Hyderabad to Bengaluru and Jaipur to Lucknow. I guess the Indian government’s chosen caterer loves this sandwich a lot ! Do you like it ? Or hate it ? Let me know.
Food court / Bakery Sandwich
These variant of Sandwich is what I would call the hunger saviour. You are hungry and desperately want something. You see a bakery and find that it has sandwich or a roll or puff and you will eat any one of these. And all of these have the same stuffing, just the price and presentation changes. I would have numerous of these during the last 20 years. My latest would be at Lucknow airport. The burger and the roll, both have the same stuffing but taste good. Many bakeries would also serve the Indian Railway sandwich and that depends on the type of bakery and the area you are in. If you are in a food court or an uptown market you’ll probably find sandwiches with red paneer cubes and cheese. How many times have these fulfilled your hunger ?
Bombay Sandwich – My favourite
I had been having these from my school days but never knew what they were called. Recently again, I was reintroduced to this when I ordered them from Bombay Juice in Ameerpet using Swiggy. And ever since I’ve fallen in love with these heavenly sandwiches. Fresh coriander / mint chutney at one side, with tasty butter on the other. Cucumber and tomatoes in the middle and neatly cut and served. These are one of the quickest to make and great on taste. My own home-made version of the Bombay Sandwich includes onions, Jalapenos and grated cheese with occasional addition of Paneer. For me, at this point of time, sandwich = Bombay Sandwich. As said I’m in love with these, what about you ?
That’s about the Sandwiches of India that I’ve come across over the time. From the Aloo sandwich to the Indian Railway sandwich and my latest crush the Bombay Sandwich. These are all the sandwiches that I’ve had. How about you ? Have you eaten or come across any other type of sandwich or think I’ve missed out on any, please mention in the comments below or tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj
