Tandoori cheese & onion flatbreads

A delicious Indian-style version of cheese on toast.

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Cheese on toast has always been one of my favourite snacks, and this version is my “flatbread take” on the sublime Himalayan cheese on toast sold in the restaurant chain Mowgli: it is punchy, fragrant and comforting. It is also very easy to make with a good quality commercial Indian chutney.

I love this as a supper dish or snack, but it is also good when cut into wedges for party food whether over the festive period or at any time of the year.

A strong, mature cheese really makes the difference here. For additional flavour, you can add some black mustard seeds that have been heated in hot oil until they pop (step 1 of the recipe) but you can leave these out of you prefer. For added heat, feel free to add some chopped red or green chilli to the cheese mixture.

The bread

You can use any type of flatbread: naan, roti, soft tortillas….or, of course, good sliced bread. A thicker bread such as naan gives more of a pizza feel, whereas thin flatbreads give tostadas or, when cut, crispy and coated nacho vibes!

If you want to make your flatbreads, why not try my simple garlic and herb flatbreads: recipe here. I often freeze a few when I make a batch just so I can use them for dishes like this.

For quesadilla-style, pop a flatbread on top of the cheese (as well as a flatbread base), press it down and then bake for about 10 minutes: I love a bit of fusion cooking, especially when it works so well!

Chutneys

A key element of these cheese on toasts is a good chutney, ideally with a bit of chilli heat and warming spices in there, and this is where you can go all out with whatever chutneys you like.

I like mixing a few chutneys together (a spicy, jammy aubergine pickle mixed with a little mango chutney is delicious); but a little lime pickle also perks things up. I’ve even used a commercial curry paste mixed with a little mango chutney and it works superbly.

I often like to use a tandoori onion chutney: there are some good commercial ones, but I have a recipe for a great tandoori chutney coming soon.

Recipe: Tandoori cheese & onion flatbreads – serves 2

• 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds, optional
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, optional
• 2 flatbreads such as rotis, chapatis, small naan or tortillas
• 2-3 tablespoon Indian chutney of choice – see above
• about 60g grated strong cheese – eg) Cheddar, mature Red Leicester
• 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• small handful of fresh coriander, chopped

preheat the grill or set the oven to 200°C (fan) and line a baking tray with a sheet of greaseproof

(1) If using mustard seeds: heat the oil in a small pan over a medium heat and add the mustard seeds. Continue to heat for about 30 seconds until the mustard seeds crackle and pop: put a lid on top once they start to pop. Turn off the heat and set aside until needed.

(2) Liberally spread the chutney on one side of whichever bread you are using and place on the baking tray.

(3) Mix the cheese, onions, coriander and popped mustard seeds (if using) in a bowl. Alternatively, you can simply mix the chutney with the cheese mixture and dollop it on top of the bread.

(4) Sprinkle the cheese mixture on top of the chutney.

(5) Place in the oven or under the grill until the cheese melts and turns golden-brown on top.

(6) Cut into wedges and devour!