Amritsari Chole Baguette Bruschetta

Leftovers are a big issue for us and we do not want to discard them as we want to use every bit of our money we invested in buying the items!Unless food is stale,rotten or starting to rot,an average Indian does not throw it away and instead finds alternatives and solutions to use them or recycle them to make another delicious recipe!

We had guests in the weekend before this and I had made Amritsari Chole (chickpeas made the way they do in the Holy city of Amritsar,Punjab) and Bhatura.We used the same Chole with rice on Sunday and I had a little more than 1/4 cup of Chole left.It was not sufficient for a single serve and I feared that eventually it had to be discarded.However the theme for the 146th FoodieMondayBloghop saved the day and I used it to make one of the tastiest Bruschetta ever!This is another of my fusion recipes where East meets West and it was a wonderful end to the Amritsari Chole where nothing was wasted and everyone relished the recycled recipe a lot!

I made a Bruschetta with freshly bought Baguette from the Farmer’s Market!Layered with stringy cheese and baked,the crusty loaf,the delicious chickpeas and the tasty cheese gave us the best breakfast ever washed down with hot Coffee.These are some pointers for success in the recipe :

• I used Baguette but you can use sliced bread or even buns or pav for the recipe.
• I mashed the Chole to a paste so that it could be spread neatly over the bread.I used normal refined oil to spread over the bread as a base just as they spread olive oil over the Italian Bruschettas!You can use any oil you want,however with a classic Indian recipe its best to use a neutral oil which goes down well with the bread.
• I used a combination of Mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses but you can use any cheese you like provided it melts well,like Swiss Cheese or Camembert.

So let us make the recipe now :

Recipe for Amritsari Chole :

You can check the recipe for Pindi Chana on the blog here.However the only difference is that while Pindi Chana uses Amla or Gooseberries,Amritsari Chole uses 1 tsp Anardana or dried Pomegranate Seeds.Each addition has its own unique taste!I will be posting Amritsar Chole as a separate post and updating the same.

http://thefoodsamaritan.com/pindi-chanapindi-chole/

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Makes : 8 – 10 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 Baguette/8-10 slices of bread

1/4 cup refined oil

1/4 cup Amritsari Chole

1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice

1/2 cup Coriander – Mint Chutney

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C OR 350°F.Mash the Amritsari Chole with a potato masher to a coarse paste.

Slice the Baguette in half so that it makes 2 long slices with one flat end.Apply half of the oil on each half and do the same with the Chutney followed by the mashed Chole and cheese.

Bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes till the cheese melts.Take out and leave for 3 – 4 minutes.

Slice into equal parts with a pizza cutter.Serve with ketchup!

Served with a drizzle of ketchup…