Masala Tomato Soup With Bombay Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Recipes

BOMBAY MASALA CHILE CHEESE TOASTIES

Steps:

• Hari chutney:
• Purée apple, lime juice, ginger, garlic, cilantro, mint, sugar, a pinch of salt, and 1-2 chiles, depending on how spicy your chiles are and your heat preference, in a blender, scraping down sides and adding water by the tablespoonful, until a smooth paste forms. Taste and season with more salt or sugar if needed. (You should have about 1 cup, which is more than you'll need for the sandwiches. Color will fade as it sits.)
• Do ahead: Chutney can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.
• Filling and assembly:
• Heat oil in a medium cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium. Add mustard seeds and cook until popping, about 30 seconds. Add curry leaves and cumin seeds. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until slightly darkened in color, about 1 minute. Stir in coriander, turmeric, asafetida (if using), and 1-2 chiles. Crumble potato into pan in large pieces and add salt. Cook, coarsely mashing and tossing potatoes to coat, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Fold in cilantro and chaat masala. Transfer filling to a bowl. Wipe out pan and reserve.
• Arrange 4 slices of bread on a cutting board. Spread some chutney over each slice. Divide filling among slices and top with red onion, green pepper, then cheese. Spread 1 side of remaining 4 bread slices with more chutney and close up sandwiches. Spread ghee over outside of top slices of bread.
• Heat reserved pan over medium. Working in batches if needed, melt a small knob of ghee in pan, then arrange sandwiches, buttered side up, in pan. Cook until golden brown underneath, about 4 minutes. Turn over and cook, pressing down occasionally with the back of a spatula or the bottom of a saucepan, until cheese is melted and other side is golden brown, about 4 minutes.
• Serve toasties with extra chutney and ketchup alongside.
• Chef's note: Sandwiches can be made in a panini or sandwich press as well, or ideally a toastie maker.

MASALA TOMATO SOUP WITH BOMBAY GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• For the soup: In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering, add the onion, ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, heavy cream, garam masala, pepper and salt and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover and cook until the flavors have really deepened and the soup has thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, make the chhonk: Melt the ghee in a butter warmer or small pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and toast for a minute or less, until the cumin seeds turn fragrant and a deeper shade of brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the chile powder and asafetida. Drizzle the chhonk over the soup once it's done.
• While the soup is cooking, make the chutney and assemble and cook your sandwiches.
• For the sandwiches: Spread a thin layer of the chutney on four slices of the bread, then evenly distribute the cheese on top (adding more, if you'd like), followed by the onions. Close each sandwich with the remaining four slices of bread and slather the tops of the sandwiches with a generous amount of mayonnaise (this will let the sandwich brown in the skillet).
• Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once it's hot, add a sandwich, mayonnaise-side down. Slather the side of the sandwich that's now on top with mayonnaise. Once the sandwich is golden brown on the bottom, flip and cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is fully melted. While the sandwich is cooking, use a spatula to press down on the sandwich and bind the cheese and bread together. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
• Slice the sandwiches in half and serve with the soup.
• Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until homogeneous, adding more lime juice or water if needed to get the blades moving.

TOMATO SOUP AND GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• For the tomato soup: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chile and cook until it crackles, about 30 seconds. Add the onions, ginger-garlic paste and cilantro and cook until the onions are slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, masoor dal, sambar powder, salt and pepper, to taste. Cover with water until all the fresh tomatoes are covered and let it cook on a low heat until the lentils are soft, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Carefully ladle the soup into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth, taking care when blending hot liquids. Pour into a medium-large saucepan and add the coconut milk and butter. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until just bubbling.
• For the cheese filling: Combine the cheese, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, garam masala and salt to taste in a medium bowl and reserve.
• For the sandwiches: Lay out the bread slices and top half of the slices with the cheese filling. Top with the other slices of bread and spread half the softened butter on the top piece of each sandwich.
• Preheat a double-burner cast-iron griddle pan over medium heat. Add the sandwiches, butter-side down. Carefully spread the remaining butter on the top sides of the sandwiches and cook, turning once, until the bread is golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the sandwiches to paper towels. Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal.
• Serve the tomato soup hot with the grilled cheese sandwiches on the side.