I call this ‘sambhariyu’ toast because that’s what my mummy calls it! Sambhariyu is what she refers to any vegetable that is lightly cooked with a tempering and served as side salad or one of the components to the thali. But the real word for it is: Sambharo. The beauty of this form is that as the veggies are lightly cooked, they still have a bite to it, yet don’t feel raw. The tempering does the job of infusing warm Indian flavours which balances it off. The tempering is usually mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing and green chilies. Some add turmeric and even a bit of sugar and vinegar – and like in all rules of cooking – there are none! Do as you please!
And how can anything go wrong when its paired with delicious ricotta? The soft creaminess of ricotta balances well against the Indian spices and slightly crunchy veggies. Ricotta is incredibly versatile – it has the ability to pair well with most flavours and palates – ricotta isn’t a very strong flavour and hence brings out the best of the Indian tempering here.
The veggie options are flexible – you could try tindora (ivy gourd) tossed with a bit of methiyo masala and pair it with fresh ricotta for a contrast. You can choose raw papaya, cabbage, raw mango… whatever is in your fridge!
The Recipe
Serves Serves: 2 | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bread of your choice
- 1 tbsp ricotta per toast
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 2-3 curry leaves
- pinch of asafetida
- 1/2 green chili, sliced
- sliced carrots
- sliced green peppers
- sliced onions
- ½ tsp salt
- extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium pan
- Add the mustard seeds and wait for it to sizzle
- After they sizzle, add curry leaves, asafetida and onions and stir
- Once the onions turn translucent, add the carrots and peppers and cook until al dente and switch off heat
- On each bread, drizzle olive oil and toast if you wish or leave as is
- Spread ricotta on each slice and load with the vegetables
