Bombay Sandwich Recipe (Street Style)

An easy-peasy, yet delightful Bombay Sandwich recipe that you can make and enjoy, whenever you have those sudden bread or sandwich cravings! Also famous as the Mumbai Sandwich, this is a sweet, salty, spicy and savory recipe filled with a flavor that will leave you wanting for more! It includes veggies like beetroot, potato, tomato, onion and cucumber paired with the regular Indian sandwich spreads like butter, coriander chutney and is a popular street food in Mumbai. Serve it as a filling and tasty breakfast or a snack.

About Bombay Sandwich

This Veggie Sandwich, also classically known as the Bombay Sandwich can be made in numerous ways. I mean, if you are in Mumbai city, you will find a different sandwich recipe at every street side stall or even eateries that serve it.

However, the popular and tasty recipe of Mumbai Sandwich that I have shared here on my post, was one of my favorites during my college days.

Whenever I forgot my lunch box, me and my friends would go to a sandwich stall opposite our college and order our customized Veg Bombay Sandwich.

You really don’t have to do much to make this Mumbai Sandwich, as the procedure is just like making any other sandwich.

But remember that the rest of the ingredients along with the bread and veggies, is what truly adds to the essence of this sandwich. The fresh cilantro chutney is one of those elements.

My sister is also fond of the toasted version of this Bombay Sandwich and always orders them when we go to restaurants and cafes in Mumbai. So, this post is dedicated to her.

I always end up making this sandwich with two bread slices and the vegetable fillings in between them. But there are variations where you could use three layers of bread with the fillings between each one of them.

In addition to this yummy sandwich variation, you can also check out other common Sandwich Recipes on the blog, like Club Sandwich, Paneer Sandwich, Potato Sandwich and Grilled Sandwich.

Ingredient Essentials

Like I said, there are certain ingredients and elements that are a must to make the best Bombay Sandwich (in addition to the veggies mentioned above). This guide will help you to do so.

• Bread: Soft, fluffy White Bread is the unanimous choice of bread to make this sandwich. You can also use your preferred bread. To make the sandwiches more nutritious, use whole wheat bread, multigrain bread or soft rye bread.
• Coriander Chutney (Cilantro Chutney): The chutney can be prepped a day ahead and refrigerated. It is also multi-purpose and can be added to wraps, pakoras or chaat.
• Butter: Dairy butter, typically salted butter, is used in this Bombay Sandwich. But you can swap it with vegan butter instead. You can also toast or grill these sandwiches, if you want more crunch. These sandwiches are so good that I often make them for brunch or a light lunch or dinner. They also make for a filling, comforting and scrumptious evening snack.
• Spices and seasonings: Black salt and chaat masala powder add plenty of flavor to this sandwich recipe. You can also add roasted cumin powder, as well as freshly powdered black pepper for more flavor.
• Chaat masala: The chaat masala powder or sandwich masala is one of the key ingredients here. Chaat masala is a tangy flavorful spice mix that is often sprinkled on Indian snacks. You can easily find it online or any Indian grocery store, if you live outside India.
• Cheese: A variation of this sandwich recipe also includes cheese. Use grated processed cheese or cheddar cheese. In India, we use the popular brand of Amul processed cheese.

Veggies You Need

The assorted vegetables that make up the bulk of these sandwiches are cucumber, tomatoes, onions, potatoes and beets. A few variations also add green bell pepper or capsicum.

While you must have not heard of beetroots being included in a sandwich, this earthy root veggie makes these sandwiches from being ordinary to top notch.

The beetroot is boiled and sliced prior being layered in the sandwich. It adds a lovely sweetness, tying all of the savory and spicy flavors together. I highly recommend adding beetroot for a truly authentic Bombay Sandwich recipe that tastes simply awesome.

You do have the option to add or skip any of the vegetables you do not like or prefer. But for a well-rounded Mumbai street food experience, I suggest to add all the vegetables as listed in the recipe.

How to make Bombay Sandwich

Make Coriander Chutney

1. Rinse 1 cup tightly packed coriander leaves (cilantro) and 1 to 2 green chilies in fresh water for a few times. Drain all the water.

Then, in a small blender or a chutney grinder jar, add the coriander leaves, ½ teaspoon chaat masala powder and chopped green chilies.

You can roughly chop the coriander leaves and green chilies. if you prefer. Finally, season everything with a few pinches of salt as chaat masala already has salt in it.

Tip 1: I usually add 2 to 3 green chilies, as we prefer a spicy chutney.

Tip 2: You can also add half a portion each of coriander leaves and mint leaves instead of 1 cup coriander leaves. The mint leaves add a nice minty aroma to the chutney.

2. Blend or grind the chutney ingredients until smooth. 

Add 1 or 2 teaspoon water, if it is not blending. I did not add water as there was enough moisture from the rinsed coriander leaves which helped the chutney to blend smoothly.

Don’t make this chutney runny or water by adding too much of water.

3. Transfer the coriander chutney to a bowl, taste and add more salt, if required. Cover and keep aside, if you are making sandwiches immediately or refrigerate.

Prepare Vegetables and Bread

4. Steam or boil 1 medium beetroot and 2 small to medium potatoes in a steamer, 2 to 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot adding water as needed.

If you are using a stovetop pressure cooker, then cook them on medium heat for 2 to 3 whistles in water that is almost covering the beet and potatoes.

Let the pressure fall naturally in the cooker and then only remove the lid. Remove the cooked veggies with the help of a slotted spoon and set aside to cool on a plate.

Alternatively boil or steam the beetroot and potato in a pan or pot adding water as required.

5. Thinly slice 1 medium tomato, 1 small or medium onion and 1 medium cucumber.

Tip: Some times you may get bitter cucumbers. To remove the bitterness from the cucumber I follow this method.

First slice the top part. Then, add a few slits to the cucumber on top with a knife. Rub the top sliced part with the rest of the cucumber. You will see a froth-like substance on the cucumber.

Doing this gets rid of the bitterness in the cucumber. Slice the frothy part of the cucumber. Rinse, peel it and then thinly slice.

6. Here are all the thinly sliced vegetables on a plate. In clockwise order, there are sliced tomatoes, cucumber, onions, peeled and boiled potatoes and beetroot.

7. Use good quality fresh and soft bread. If you have a loaf, then slice it equally. I used homemade white bread. Slice the edges off, if you want. I did not because my homemade bread was soft.

You can also use whole wheat bread, brown bread, multigrain bread, ragi bread (finger millet bread) or rye bread.

Assemble & Make Bombay Sandwich

8. Spread a generous quantity of salted butter on 8 to 10 slices. If you don’t add enough butter, then the chutney will cause the bread slices to become soggy.

Note: You can use both salted or unsalted butter. The butter should be softened and at room temperature.

The butter that is generally used by the vendors in Mumbai is the brand of Amul salted butter.

9. Spread a thin layer of the prepared coriander chutney now.

10. Place 2 to 3 boiled beetroot slices on 4 to 5 slices of bread.

11. Sprinkle a pinch or two of black salt or regular salt, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala or sandwich masala on the slices.

12. Place 2 to 3 tomato slices on the bread.

13. Then, place 3 to 4 cucumber slices on top of the tomato slices. Sprinkle a pinch or two of black salt or regular salt, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala on the cucumber slices again.

14. Place 2 to 3 thinly sliced onion slices.

15. Sprinkle a pinch or two of black salt or regular salt, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala again.

16. Now, add a layer of 2 to 3 boiled potato slices.

17. Sprinkle a pinch or two of black salt or regular salt, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala again.

18. Cover with the bread slices with the butter and chutney.

19. Slice the sandwich into 4 pieces of rectangles or triangles. If you have larger slices of bread, then slice the sandwich into 6 pieces.

20. Serve Bombay Sandwich immediately with extra chutney and tomato ketchup. You can also sprinkle fine sev (thin fried gram flour vermicelli) on top, while serving.

In Mumbai, these sandwiches are served with tomato ketchup or pumpkin ketchup and green coriander chutney. You can also enjoy them as it is without any side condiments.

Expert Tips

• Bread: I used fresh homemade bread to make these sandwiches, but feel free to use any soft bread of your choice. Some great alternatives include brown bread, rye bread, multigrain bread, ragi bread or whole wheat bread.
• Vegetables: This sandwich includes beetroots, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and onions. I add equal amounts of each veggie. But you can add more or less of your favorite ones or leave out any veggies that you don’t like. For an authentic Bombay Sandwich, I suggest including beetroot.
• Chutney: Green chutney adds a delicious spicy flavor to this sandwich. When making green chutney from scratch, you can add less or more of certain ingredients. For example, add fewer green chilies, if you prefer a milder chutney and add more, if you want more heat. You can also add fresh mint leaves to the chutney for a refreshing flavor.
• Additions: If you want even more flavor, then you can add cheese or paneer to this Mumbai Sandwich. Add mozzarella or cheddar cheese.
• Vegan option: To make a vegan version of the sandwich, replace butter with vegan butter. Also, add vegan cheese instead of dairy cheese.

FAQs

This Bombay Sandwich recipe from the blog archives was first published on April 2012. It has been updated on December 2024.