By : Dr. Kaviraj Khialani – Celebrity Master Chef
The Egyptians generally get credit for leavened bread – the British Museum houses 5,000-year-old Egyptian loaves, and King Tut was buried with a stalk of wheat, the symbol of Royalty. But Romans usually get the credit for toast. The word toast comes from the Latin torrere ‘to burn’.
In the 1400s and 1500s, toast was discarded or eaten after it was used as a Flavoring for drinks. The word “toast” actually comes from the Latin “tostum,” which means “to burn or scorch.” The first breads were likely toasted by laying them in front of the fire on a hot stone.
The longer the toasting typically means the more harmful chemicals in the bread. That said, the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found toasting bread does have one health benefit. It lowers the glycemic index, so it is less likely than regular bread to spike blood sugar.
Toast is bread that has been browned by radiant heat. The browning is the result of a Maillard reaction, altering the flavor of the bread and making it firmer so that it is easier to spread toppings on it. Toasting is a common method of making stale bread more palatable.
Toasts and recipes dealing with bread as a base have been very popular with our cooking and recipes from across the country. Bread has also been called as double roti since ancient times resembling twice the thickness of a roti.
While in Hyderabad we have heard of a sweet dish called double ka meetha which is bread based and delicious – made there since a very long time and its counterpart with a slightly different look called shahi tukda comes from the north.
Bread is one of the popular ingredients we all stock at home at all times since it is not only easy to work with, versatile and can be used in a number of ways from sandwiches to salads, with soups, as a side dish, as accompaniments and desserts too. Here are a few recipes using bread in the form of toasts with toppings over them from veg to non-veg and from Indian to Fusion and beyond.
Recipe-1] CHEESY PEPPER TOASTS
Ingredients:
- White bread/ brown bread slices- 4-5 no
For the topping:
- Oil- 2 tsp
- Butter- 1 tsp + to apply on the bread slices
- Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
- Onion-1 small chopped
- Green chili-1 tsp chopped
- Tomato-1 small de-seeded chopped
- Green capsicum-1/2 no chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped
- Chaat masala-1/4 tsp
- Tomato ketchup-2-3 tsp
- Grated cheese- ½ cup
To serve with:
Green chutney/ schezuan sauce/ assorted dips and spreads.
Method:
- Prepare the ingredients for the toasts as listed in the recipe.
- Trim the sides of the bread a little if desired, apply a little butter on them and keep aside.
- In a pan heat some oil and add in the garlic, chilies, onions, and saute for a few seconds remove into a mixing bowl, combine together the ingredients for the topping on the toasts, and gently place them over the buttered pieces.
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top and place them under a salamander on in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 3-5 mins and remove.
- Cut the toasts into triangles/ squares etc and arrange them on a serving plate/ platter.
- The toasts can be enjoyed with assortment of dipping sauces and can also be made non-veg by using ingredients like boiled chopped eggs, chicken pieces, or even tuna fish as well from the tins.
Recipe-2] CHINESE CHILI CHICKEN TOASTS
Ingredients:
- White bread/ brown bread slices- 4-5 no
For the topping:
- Oil- 2 tsp
- Butter- 1 tsp + to apply on the bread slices
- Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
- Onion-1 small chopped
- Green chili-1 tsp chopped
- Boiled chopped chicken pieces- 1 cup
- Assorted capsicums- ¼ cup chopped
- Black olives- 2-3 no
- Green olives- 2-3 no
- Parsley- 1 tsp chopped
For veg options:
- Paneer-1/2 cup crumbled
- Sliced mushrooms-1/2 cup
- Green capsicum-1/4 cup chopped
- Red chili sauce- ½ tsp
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp
- Mixed herbs- ¼ tsp
- Chili flakes-1/2 tsp
- Capsico-1/2 tsp
- Coriander -2 tsp chopped
- Grated cheese- ½ cup
To serve with: tomato ketchup / mint chutney/ peanut butter dip
Method:
- Prepare the ingredients for the toasts as listed in the recipe.
- Trim the sides of the bread a little if desired, apply a little butter on them and keep aside.
- In a pan heat some oil and add in the garlic, chilies, onions, and saute for a few seconds remove into a mixing bowl, combine together with the chicken and the ingredients for the topping on the toasts, and gently place them over the buttered pieces.
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top and place them under a salamander on in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 3-5 mins and remove.
- Cut the toasts into triangles/ squares etc and arrange them on a serving plate/ platter.
- Serve the chili chicken cheese toasts with a schezuan mayo dip or a peanut butter soy dip alongside and some french fries.
Recipe-3] DILKHUSH ZAIKA TOASTS
Ingredients:
- White bread/ brown bread slices- 4-5 no
For the topping:
- Oil- 2 tsp
- Butter- 1 tsp + to apply on the bread slices
- Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
- Onion-1 small chopped
- Green chili-1 tsp chopped
- Soy granules- 1 cup soaked in warm water for 10 mins
- Green peas-1/2 cup boiled
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Tomato puree-1/2 cup
- Mixed herbs-1/2 tsp
- Chili flakes- ½ tsp
- Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp
- Coriander leaves-2 tsp chopped
- Red chili sauce/ Capsico- ¼ tsp
- Schezuan sauce-2 tsp
- Grated cheese-1/2 cup
Method:
- Prepare the ingredients for the toasts as listed in the recipe.
- Trim the sides of the bread a little if desired, apply a little butter on them and keep aside.
- In a pan heat some oil and add in the garlic, chilies, onions, and saute for a few seconds add in the drained soy granules, tomatoes/ puree/ sauces/ seasonings, peas and the ingredients for the topping, cook for 10-12 mins, remove and allow to cool, then add cheese and apply on the toasts, and gently place them over the buttered pieces.
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top and place them under a salamander on in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 3-5 mins and remove.
- Cut the toasts into triangles/ squares etc and arrange them on a serving plate/ platter.
- Serve the chili chicken cheese toasts with a schezuan mayo dip or a peanut butter soy dip alongside and some french fries.
Recipe- 4] EGGY CORN CRUNCH TOASTS
Ingredients
- White bread/ brown bread slices- 4-5 no
For the topping:
- Oil- 2 tsp
- Butter- 1 tsp + to apply on the bread slices
- Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
- Onion-1 small chopped
- Green chili-1 tsp chopped
- Boiled chopped eggs- 1 cup
- Green capsicum-1/4 cup chopped
- Tomato-1 small chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp
- Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
- Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
- Tomato ketchup-2-3 tsp
- Peanut butter-1-2 tsp
- Grated cheese-1/2 cup grated
Method:
- Prepare the ingredients for the toasts as listed in the recipe.
- Trim the sides of the bread a little if desired, apply a little butter on them and keep aside.
- In a pan heat some oil and add in the garlic, chilies, onions, tomatoes and saute for a few seconds add in the eggs and salt, pepper, spices and mix well, cook for 1-2 mins, add little water if needed, cook for 2 mins, remove into a mixing bowl to cool slightly for being placed on the topping on the toasts, and gently place them over the buttered pieces.
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top and place them under a salamander on in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 3-5 mins and remove.
- Cut the toasts into triangles/ squares etc and arrange them on a serving plate/ platter.
- Serve the chili chicken cheese toasts with a pepper mayo dip or a peanut butter chili olive dip alongside and some french fries.
Recipe- 5] MARINATED PRAWN TOASTS
Ingredients:
- White bread/ brown bread slices- 4-5 no
For the topping:
- Oil- 2 tsp
- Butter- 1 tsp + to apply on the bread slices
- Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
- Onion-1 small chopped
- Green chili-1 tsp chopped
- Green capsicum-1/4 cup chopped
- Tomato-1 small chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp
- Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
- Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
- Tomato ketchup-2-3 tsp
- Red chili sauce-1 tsp
- Peanut butter-1-2 tsp
- Grated cheese-1/2 cup grated
For the marination:
- Medium sized prawns- 400 gms, cleaned
- Salt to taste
- Oil-2 tsp
- Schezuan sauce/ chutney-1 tsp
- Soy sauce-1 tsp
- Green chilies- 1 tsp chopped
- Coriander -2 tsp chopped
- Apply above on prawns and keep aside for 20 mins.
Method:
- Prepare the ingredients for the toasts as listed in the recipe.
- Trim the sides of the bread a little if desired, apply a little butter on them and keep aside.
- In a pan heat some oil and add in the garlic, chilies, onions, tomatoes and saute for a few seconds add in the marinated prawns and all the seasonings, salt to be adjusted, add a little water and allow the prawns to cook well 3-5 mins, dry up the contents in the pan, add coriander leaves, remove the prawns into a bowl, allow to cool a little.
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top and place them under a salamander on in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 3-5 mins and remove.
- Cut the toasts into triangles/ squares etc and arrange them on a serving plate/ platter.
- Serve the chili chicken cheese toasts with a pepper mayo dip or a peanut butter chili olive dip alongside and some french fries.
Recipe- 6] PEANUT BUTTER LAYERED TOASTS
Ingredients:
- White bread/ brown bread slices- 4-5 no
For the topping:
- Oil- 2 tsp
- Butter- 1 tsp + to apply on the bread slices
- Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
- Onion-1 small chopped
- Green chili-1 tsp chopped
- Green capsicum-1/4 cup chopped
- Tomato-1 small chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Crumbled paneer-1/2 cup
- Grated carrots-1/4 cup
- Sliced black olives- 2-3 no
- Sliced green olives- 2-3 no
- Boiled sweet corn-1/2 cup
- Coriander leaves-2 tsp chopped
- Peanut butter- 2-3 tsp
- Tomato ketchup-2-3 tsp
- Cream cheese-2-3 tsp
- Grated cheese-1/2 cup
To serve with: assorted dips/ sauces/ chutney/ mayo chili dip etc.
Method:
- Prepare the ingredients for the toasts as listed in the recipe.
- Trim the sides of the bread a little if desired, apply a little peanut butter on them and keep aside.
- In a pan heat some oil and add in the garlic, chilies, onions, tomatoes and saute for a few seconds add in the carrots, paneer, olives and corn and allow to cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add in salt, pepper and all other spices, sauces etc and mix well. cook for another minutes, remove into a bowl, allow to cool a little.
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top and place them under a salamander on in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 3-5 mins and remove.
- Cut the toasts into triangles/ squares etc and arrange them on a serving plate/ platter.
- Serve the chili chicken cheese toasts with a pepper mayo dip or a peanut butter chili mayo dip/ pesto chutney dip alongside and some french fries.
