There is just something about sandwiches made by street side vendors in India. The incredible combinations, the lip-smacking masalas and the cheesy-ness of the sandwiches, they are all simply drool worthy. While I have not eaten many of them myself in the recent days, I have seen several videos on social media of food vloggers posting the street style sandwiches. So I have taken inspiration from them to create this delicious sandwich.

I chose paneer for this sandwich because vegetables by themselves did not appeal to me. There had to be a protein or something heavy as a part of the sandwich. What is paneer if it is not paneer tikka! So I took it up a notch and decide to make paneer tikka and build a double decker sandiwch.

Honestly, the paneer tikka recipe was as random as it could get. I just picked up masalas I could reach in the pantry and made a marination out of it and then grilled the paneer to perfection.

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While the paneer tikka carries a great flavor on its own, the second layer of the sandwich needed flavor. That’s where the sandwich masala comes in handy, which I chose to prepare from scratch. Again, this masala varies so greatly between households and different vendors, just go for the flavors that appeal to you.

I think the best part of a sandwich is the sauce or the chutney that is on the bread slices. Typically, you will see a mint or cilantro chutney (which is what I have used) or a red chilli chutney. But the first one works better because that is typically served with Indian grilled items. The flavors just work so well.

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While this could easily be a snack style sandwich, I and the hubby (who is die-hard paneer lover) enjoyed it for dinner. All in all, a lightly crisped buttery bread with softened vegetables and gooey cheese is a delectable treat for any day.

Prep time	60 mins
Cook time	20 minutes
Serves	2

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Ingredients

Paneer Tikka

• Paneer – 6 pieces, sliced into 3″x2″ size
• Greek Yoghurt – 1/2 cup
• Ginger-Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
• Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp (Or adjust as per taste)
• Cumin-Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
• Garam Masala – 1 tsp
• Kasuri Methi – 1 tbsp, crushed
• Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp
• Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
• Salt – As per taste

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Sandwich Masala

• Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
• Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp
• Cinnamon – 1/4 tsp
• Mango (Amchur) Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp

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Green Chutney

• Cilantro – 1/2 cup, tightly packed
• Mint Leaves – 1/2 cup, tightly packed
• Green Chilies – 2-3
• Garlic – 1 clove
• Lemon Juice – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – As per taste

Other Ingredients

• Sandwich bread of choice – 6 slices (3 for each sandwich)
• Butter – As needed
• Oil for grilling
• Cheese of choice – As needed
• Onion – 1 small, thinly sliced
• Tomato – 1 small, thinly sliced

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Method

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Coat the paneer slices in the marinade and refrigerate for 60 minutes
2. In the meanwhile, prepare the green chutney by adding all ingredients to a blender. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Set aside
3. Also prepare the sandwich masala by adding all ingredients to a spice blender. The masala should be a fine powder. Set this aside
4. After 60 minutes, heat a grill pan and brush some oil on the pan. Carefully place the marinated slices on the pan. Grill the slices on medium heat for 2-3 minutes (each side) until light grill marks appear on both sides. Take them off the grill and place on a paper-towel lined plate
5. To prepare the sandwich, place 2 slices of bread on a flat surface and apply butter on each, followed by the green chutney on each. Then, place 3 paneer tikka pieces on one of the bread slices. Cover with the other bread slice. This is the 1st layer of the sandiwch
6. For the second layer, apply butter, followed by green chutney on the top of the first layer. On this, place sliced tomatoes and onions. Generously sprinkle sandwich masala. Generously add cheese. Then, place another slice of bread on a flat surface and apply butter, followed by green chutney. Place this over the vegetable and cheese layer. Then, butter the top of this slice. This completes the 2nd layer of the sandwich
7. Place the buttered side of the sandwich on a grill pan on medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until light grill marks appear. Repeat on the other side
8. Transfer to a plate, cut in half and enjoy with a side of ketchup or dunk it in the remaining green chutney

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