Samosa masala toastie: A Crunchy & spicy comfort food

This samosa masala toastie is a classic comfort food; warm, easy to prepare and even pack as a meal on-the-go

When we think of samosas, a deep-fried triangle snack with tangy, spicy, sweet and sour chutneys comes to mind. And, when we think of sandwiches, potato is not the first filling that comes to mind (unless you grew up in India as a kid!). However, this samosa masala toastie brings together the best of both worlds; the medley of flavours from a samosa and, the ease of prepation, cheesiness and warmth of a toastie!

Masala is an Indian term for a medley of spices. This toastie therefore uses the veggies from the samosa along with the medley of spices used in a samosa as a filling.

I am a fan of samosas, but let’s face it – eating a samosa on a regular basis is neither healthy nor practical. What if you could have those lovely flavours enveloped in a different crunchy exterior? Now, that is exactly what this toastie brings to you. Unlike a samosa, it comes together in less than an hour and does not require any prep or special items from the supermarket!

This recipe uses a potato masala, a spicy, tangy and herby coriander chutney and, a sweet and sour tamarind-date chutney.

Samosa Masala Toastie: Dietary Modifications

The best part of this recipe is that it is naturally vegetarian (and even vegan, based on your choice of cheese). It is also naturally nut-free, making it suitable for personal allergies, kids’ parties, as a workplace/travel snack or for large gatherings.

I recently experimented with various vegan cheese alternatives and my favourites have been Cathedral City Plant-based Sliced Dairy Free Cheese and Applewood Smoked Vegan Cheese. If you are not a fan of vegan cheese, you can also leave it out. I suggest mixing finely grated tofu to the potato mixture or adding a layer of almond cream cheese for added protein and a medley of textures. I love Nush Almond Vegan Soft Cheese Alternative.

While no sandwich is gluten-free, I love some of these gluten-free breads in my sandwiches – Waitrose Free-from Sliced Seeded Cob and Schär Gluten-free Wholesome White Loaf.

What you Need

(serves 4)

For the Samosa Masala
🔸 500 g potatoes
🔸 30-50 g peas
🔸 1 tsp cumin seeds
🔸 2 tsp red chili powder (Kashmiri red chili powder/paprika for mild heat or Reshampatti for a bold heat)
🔸 1 tbsp grated ginger
🔸 ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds or bishop’s weed)
🔸 1 tsp fennel seeds
🔸 2 tsp garam masala
🔸 1 tsp garlic powder
🔸 2 tbsp coriander powder
🔸 3 tbsp mustard oil (or substitute with a neutral oil like olive oil)
🔸 2 tsp lemon juice
🔸 Salt, to taste
🔸 1 tsp turmeric powder

For the Coriander Chutney (Click Here for the recipe)
🔸 75 g coriander (you can use the stems)
🔸 2 tsp peanut butter or 1 tbsp roasted peanuts (or sunflower butter and tahini in equal parts for a nut-free substitute)
🔸 2 green chilies or 3 tsp green chili sauce (adjust for heat preference)
🔸 3 cloves garlic
🔸 Salt, to taste
🔸 100 ml water (adjust consistency as needed)
🔸 Juice from ½ a lemon

For the Tamarind Chutney (Click Here for the recipe)
🔸 2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
🔸 5 tbsp date syrup
🔸 1 tsp jaggery (you can also substitute it with ½ tsp maple syrup)
🔸 ½ tsp kosher salt
🔸 1 tsp red chili powder (I recommend byadgi chili/hot paprika/Kashmiri red chili based on desired heat)
🔸 1 tsp cumin powder
🔸 ½ tsp ginger powder
🔸 2 cups (~500 ml) water
🔸 Salt, to taste

Garnishing
🔸 2 tsp chaase masala
🔸 ½ tsp kosher salt or black salt

For assembling the sandwich
🔸 16 slices of bread
🔸 5 tbsp olive oil
🔸 8 slices of cheddar cheese

The Samosa Masala Toastie Recipe

Preparing the vegetables

1️⃣ Prepare the potatoes and peas
There are a few ways to cook the potatoes and peas.

1. Boil the potatoes and peas: Add potatoes chopped in quarters to a pot of boiling hot water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Now add the peas and let it boil for a minute or 2. Check that the potatoes are fork tender and drain the water.
2. Steam the potatoes and peas: Use a steamer or the steam function in your instant pot or your pressure cooker. Steam the potatoes for 10-12 minutes, until fork tender. While you can steam the peas for a minute after removing the potatoes, I prefer boiling the peas.
3. Microwave the potatoes and boil the peas in a kettle: This is the quickest method and admittedly, my favourite. Microwave the potatoes at the highest setting for 4 minutes and 30 seconds (if your microwave has a potato mode, just use that). Add water 300 ml water and peas to the electric kettle. Turn on the kettle and bring the water to a boil. If you are using petit peas, they will be done by now. Drain the water and retain the peas.

2️⃣ Peel and mash the potatoes
Once the potatoes have cooled, peel them. In a bowl mash the potatoes and ensure that there are no lumps. As you begin mashing, add salt and 1 tsp turmeric powder. You don’t need to make it extremely silky and smooth at this stage. Set this aside.

Preparing the samosa masala

3️⃣ Bring the spices together
In a large pan, add 2 tbsp mustard oil (or any other neutral oil, such as olive oil). I love using mustard oil as it infuses those beautiful North Indian flavours. However, using any other neutral oil would not undermine the flavours so feel free to substitute!

Once the oil heats up, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds and carom seeds (ajwain). As they begin to splutter, add ginger and 1 tsp garam masala. As the raw spices cook off and turn fragrant, your spice base is ready.

4️⃣ Add the potato mash
Now, add the mashed potato to the spices. Combine everything well.

Spread out the potatoes in a thin layer on the pan and let it cook further. Add 1 tbsp oil to the edges of the pan, keep flipping and mashing this mixture as you let it cook for 7-10 minutes.

5️⃣ Mix in the peas and other spices
Next, add in the boiled peas. Mash the peas gently with the back of the ladle. The peas should blend in and be partially mushy. However, ensure that you don’t mash up the peas completely. This would ensure a medley of texures and keep the toastie interesting.

Finally, add the coriander powder, garam masala, garlic powder and some salt, to taste. Combine everything well and take this off the heat.

Once cooled, add chaat masala and lemon juice to this mixture.

Prep for the sanwich

6️⃣ Prepare the chutneys
I suggest preparing the chutneys in advance and storing them for this samosa masala toastie. This saves a lot of time and specifically helps in prepping this dish as a snack for picnics and gatherings.

1. Coriander chutney: Find the recipe here.
2. Tamarind chutney: Find the recipe here.

Making the samosa masala toastie

7️⃣ Prepare the bread
Start with 2 slices of bread for the first sandwich. Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil.

8️⃣ Ready the skillet
Heat the skillet. We want to ensure that water splashed on the surface form pearl-like balls and roll on the surface. Turn the stove heat to the lowest setting.

9️⃣  Assemble the toastie
Toast one side of both slices. As soon as the side turns a light golden, flip the slices. Now, apply the coriander chutney evenly on one of the slices. Next, apply a coat of the tamarind chutney evenly on the other slice. You can now turn of the heat to prevent the toasties from burning.

Next, add a genrous serving of the samosa masala and spread it evenly. Finally, add 1 slice of cheese or 2 tbsp of freshly grated cheddar cheese. Here, you want to ensure that the cheese is spread evenly as well.

Finally, cover the fillings and cheese with the other slice of bread and turn on the stove.

🔟 Complete the samosa masala toastie
It’s time to make the toastie golden brown and crispy on the outside and ensure that the cheese on the inside melts.

For this, you can use a clean plate and apply pressure on the toastie for exactly 1 minute. Flip the sandwich over and use the plate to apply pressure on the other side.

Your crispy, golden brown toastie with ooey-gooey, perfectly melty cheese inside is now ready. Serve with extra green chutney, our garlic chutney or tomato ketchup.

If you love this samosa masala toastie, let me know your feedback in the comments below!