(bell dings)
- [Sonny] Here it is, the monstrosity,
The Hulk weighing in at one kilogram.
This thing is gigantic.
Let's try it out.
- What up dudes?
This is Senpai Kai
and dude, I've snuck my way
onto the Babish culinary universe.
Yo, hold up.
I thought the whole thing here
was that I didn't have to show my face.
There we go, there we go.
Now I feel like I'm in the BCU.
This is the first episode of Street Food with Senpai,
and we're gonna be recreating Mumbai's biggest
sandwich featured on Best Ever Food Review Show.
This beast is originally made by OM Snacks,
a street vendor posted up in Mumbai, India.
Five layers of bread stuff with chutneys, masalas,
and a couple fistfuls of cheese.
First thing we gotta make is the chaat masala.
It's a funky, tangy, and sour spice mix,
typically used for street snacks.
So, very different from garam masala.
In a blender, combine 2 1/2 tablespoons of amchur,
which is dried mango, 2 tablespoons of cumin seeds,
2 teaspoons ajwain seeds, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds,
1/2 teaspoon dried mint, 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel,
1 teaspoon Kasmiri chili powder,
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger,
and 1/2 teaspoon of asafetida.
Whoop, so many words.
I like to blend it all first,
so it all toasts evenly and conveniently, all at once.
Toast over medium heat until very, very fragrant.
It should smoke but not burn, preferably
Transfer all that to a bowl with your hands, I guess,
and that's your powerhouse chaat masala
we're gonna be using.
Man, get a closeup of that.
Oof.
Yo, this camera is sick.
One of the star ingredients they used
was what the owner called in-house sauce, very secretive.
Appears to be a very chunky tomato masala situation.
So, we'll call our own version the in-studio sauce.
In a wide pot, saute 1/2 a red onion, chopped small,
and 1 serrano sliced thin,
followed by a red and green bell pepper.
Give it the old shimmy, a pinch of salt,
a teaspoon of the chaat masala, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric,
and 1/2 teaspoon of Kasmiri chili powder,
and toast for a minute or three.
Add in two large tomatoes, diced,
and cook at medium high until almost all the water's gone.
Let's call eight-ish minutes.
Taste and adjust for salt and cool it down.
That's it, yo.
Actually that is not it yo.
Stir in two tablespoons of full-fat Greek yogurt.
And now we're done, I think.
You want this to be thick
so it doesn't get the sandwich all soggy.
They all had an onion masala ,
stuffed in one of those 37 layers.
Looked very similar to the tomato masala,
maybe a little bit more chunky,
so it's gonna be a very similar preparation.
Saute 1 red onion and 1 serrano,
add 3/4 teaspoon rated ginger,
and 1 clove minced garlic
along with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the chaat masala,
blooming the spices for a minute.
In goes three large diced tomatoes and a big pinch of salt.
Same, deal saute, until almost all the water's evaporated,
and honestly, you could just eat this
over Basmati rice or roti and call it a day,
but we got a big booty sandwich to make.
Now, the most interesting component
that they used was the cubed up paneer,
marinated in what looked like a tamarind sauce.
Combine 2 tablespoons tamarind paste,
2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon honey,
and 1/2 a cup of water into a small pot.
One that I guess doesn't register on this induction burner.
I guess size does matter.
This jaan is insanely flavorful.
Look at it as a boosted up, sweetened sour sauce.
You can use this for steaks, roast,
or to glaze something like carrots or Brussels sprouts,
like imagine this on an Italian grinder, oof.
Once it comes up to a boil,
add a cornstarch slurry to thicken.
After a minute, add a green chili, a shallot,
and 1 tablespoons each cilantro and mint.
Also add 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin,
Mix that up and das' it.
Transfer to a large bowl that'll fit the paneer.
Paneer is just fresh cheese, very common in India,
that'll hold its shape really well without melting.
Cut it into medium to large cubes,
and tossed with the tamarind and a big pinch of salt.
Wicked easy.
The longer this sits, the better.
Okay, last thing we gotta make, I swear.
The green chutney, also super simple and delicious.
In a food processor or blender,
combine 1 serrano, 1 garlic,
and also a smile for the camera, ay!
Calm down Andrew, I know you're watching.
Also, 1 teaspoon cumin and the jugo of 1/2 a lemon.
3/4 cup of mint, 1 cup of cilantro
and that jaan ready to blend.
Season with salt and boom,
this another God-tier sauce.
Put it on any sando or slam dunk some chicken in there.
People really out here sleeping on mint
and here we go,
this is most of the components for the sando.
This will make you quite a few of these gut busters.
Oh, I keep knocking things over
and forgetting to lay out
what looks like pedestrian white bread
featured on this sandwich.
They had this really interesting triangular shape
that we won't be replicating just
'cause US grocery stores are not cool enough,
and we've already made
like 50 components for this sandwich, roughly.
All right, yo, let's oil up this baking sheet,
and lay down two pieces of bread
to begin assembling on what may be
the first precut cross-section featured on the BCU.
Generously lather the bread with butter
and green chutney, diced green bell peppers,
and sliced tomatoes with a dusting of chaat masala,
then mozzarella cheese, the first layer of many.
Another layer of bread with the butter-chutney combo,
and coming in hot with that in-studio sauce and more cheese.
Another one, the bread that is.
Diced red onions this time and the tamarind paneer,
straining off all that liquid.
Cheese, bread, onion, masala and more cheese.
Only butter and chutney
on the bottom side of this last bread.
Then a ridiculous amount of mayo.
Okay, maybe not that much
but still enough to induce a very, very long nap.
Also, a tiny bit more cheese for good luck.
Dry oregano, red chili flakes.
Launch that behemoth in the broiler on low
until she golden and melty.
At a low broil, maybe around 10 minutes,
but if you sit there and watch it,
an hour and 37 minutes, shee.
Let's admire that for a second.
Thank God it didn't fall over like we thought It might.
Double spatular technique into a smooth offload.
Yoho, this is gonna be a sick thumbnail
and let's peep out this cheese pull.
Mhm, mhm, oh, it's still going.
Classic cross section shot.
People love that.
That's what I call meal prepping.
No more games, son, let's get a lick of this.
As you can imagine, definitely not lacking in any flavor.
All that, that cheese becomes more of a creamy accent
to all the spices and textures involved.
The tomato and onion masala bring crazy umami in flavors,
and the green chutney helps brighten
and freshen up this level 99 sandwich.
Tons of crazy texture from the fresh veggies,
and a sweet, chewy, acidic blast from the tamarind paneer.
I'm still like blown away by that.
That's such a brilliant move
that you don't ever really see in American cooking.
The only downside,
I think this has ruined sandwiches for me forever.
I suppose you could share this if you wanted to,
it's only like 9,000 calories.
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music continues)