Bombay-Potato-Sandwiches

Good thing you don't have to miss out on these delicious Bombay potato sandwiches if you're on a gluten-free or low-FODMAP diet. I'll show you how (and with which bread) you can make this delicious Indian street food classic gluten-free and low-FODMAP at home. Packed with vegetables, herbs and spices and fried on a hot pan with a little vegetable butter until crispy, these sandwiches are not only extremely tasty and filling, but also healthy.

As the name suggests, the heart of the dish is the deliciously spiced potato filling. For this, the potatoes are first boiled in salted water, grated with a grater (or mashed by hand) and then briefly sautéed in a pan with various spices and herbs before the filling is placed on the bread. Often, a thin layer of green chutney is applied to each slice of bread first. You can find out how to make this delicious chutney yourself from fresh coriander leaves and mint in the recipe section. On top of the chutney and potato filling, add a layer of crunchy vegetables (usually tomatoes in India). Now fold the two slices of bread together, spread a thin layer of butter on the outside and put them in the frying pan. Fry for a few minutes until crispy and serve with green chutney and ketchup. Mmm, simply heavenly! Street food can be so good.

You can find out which bread and how much is suitable for a low FODMAP diet below in the Low FODMAP tips.

PORTIONS: 6 SANDWICHES | PREPARATION TIME: APPROX. 45 MIN

INGREDIENTS

Soft bread - 12 slices
e.g. from Schär (gluten-free and low FODMAP) or sourdough bread (low FODMAP, for quantities see Low FODMAP Tips below)

For the potato filling

Potatoes – 300 g
Peas (optional) – 40 g
Ginger – 10 g
Mustard seeds – ½ TL
Asafoetida – 3 Msp
Turmeric – ½ TL
Kala Namak (Schwarzsalz) – ½ TL
Oil – 2 EL
Plant butter (to spread on the bread slices) – as per taste
Salt to taste

For the green chutney

Coriander, fresh – 45 g
Mint, fresh – 15 g
Ginger, fresh – 6 g
Water – 3 EL
Lemon juice – 1 EL
Green chilli or bell peppers – depending on the desired spiciness
Kala Namak (optional) – ½ TL
Chat Masala (optional) – 3 Msp
Mayo, vegan e.g. from Byodo – 3 EL
Salt to taste

For the topping e.g.

Tomato – 1 piece
Bell pepper – 1 half

PREPARATION

Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Let cool, peel and grate with a grater or chop by hand.
In the meantime, prepare the green chutney: Pick the mint leaves off the stems. Wash and roughly chop the mint and coriander. Peel and roughly chop the ginger. Wash and roughly chop the chilli or hot pepper. For a milder chutney, remove the seeds from the chilli first. Finely puree everything together with water and lemon juice in a spice and coffee grinder. Then add Kala Namak, salt and vegan mayo and mix.
Now finish preparing the potato filling: Peel the ginger and grate finely. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and wait briefly until they start to bounce. Add the ginger, asafoetida and turmeric to the pan and fry briefly. Then add the peas and grated potatoes and fry for a few minutes or until the peas are cooked. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside. If you like, you can season the potato filling with a little lemon juice to enhance the flavours.
Wash the raw vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, kohlrabi) and cut into thin slices. Now assemble the sandwiches: Provide bread slices, chutney, potato filling, raw vegetables and vegetable butter. First spread two slices of bread thinly with green chutney. Next, spread a generous layer of potato filling, then top with vegetable slices and fold shut. Spread the top of the sandwich thinly with butter.
Heat a second pan, as shallow as possible (alternatively you can use a grill or sandwich toaster). Place the sandwich, buttered side down, on the hot pan and fry until browned and crispy to your liking.
Serve the finished sandwiches with green chutney and ketchup and enjoy.

In India, aloo (potato) sandwiches come in different variations depending on the region. Sometimes they are prepared with slightly different spices, and often fresh peas are added. This is then called an aloo mattar sandwich (potato and pea sandwich). My recipe today is inspired by the sandwiches that are freshly prepared and sold on the street stalls in the region around Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). The spices used here are mustard seeds, fresh ginger, green chillies, a little asafoetida, kala namak (black salt), and sometimes a pinch of chat masala. Chat masala (also spelled chaat masala) is a fruity, slightly sour and spicy tasting dry spice mix that is popular in India for chutneys, raita, salads, lassis and various snacks. By the way, if you're not a fan of spicy food or want the sandwiches to be suitable for children, you can simply omit the chillies and reduce the amount of ginger.

LOW FODMAP TIPS

Low FODMAP certified bread is now also available in Germany, namely from the company Schär. Due to its soft consistency, it is perfect for our Bombay potato sandwiches. Unfortunately, it is not vegan because it contains honey. Alternatively, you can use a vegan sourdough bread from your bakery. Spelt sourdough bread is particularly well tolerated. 75g of a spelt sourdough bread at a meal has low FODMAP levels and should be well tolerated by most people with IBS. A soft, white bread is most similar to the bread traditionally used for aloo sandwiches. But you can of course use any bread that you tolerate well and enjoy.

Fresh (and frozen) peas are only low in FODMAP up to 15g. Canned peas, on the other hand, are low in FODMAPs up to 40g if you rinse the peas and pour away the water. Alternatively, you can simply omit the peas from this recipe.

When choosing your mayonnaise, make sure there is no garlic in it. For example, this mayo from Byodo or the one from Alnatura contains only low FODMAP ingredients.

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