Upgrade your classic grilled cheese with this spicy, homemade tikka masala spread. This is the perfect pairing for some homemade tomato soup on a cold winter day.
What You Need
The ingredient list is a little longer than what you’d see for a classic grilled cheese, but trust me when I say, it’s worth the tiny bit of extra effort! You’ll need:
- White Bread: You can totally use whatever bread you have at home, but I prefer to use regular white bread for grilled cheese because this recipe isn’t about using a high quality bread. It’s stuff on the inside that really matters.
- Cheese: You can’t have grilled cheese without cheese!! There is no specific cheese that works better than any other for this recipe so, again, use whatever you have as long as will melt! Mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and American cheese, for example, work very well but feel free to try something else!
- Softened Butter, Margarine or Ghee : Whichever one you choose to use, you’re going to want to make sure it’s soft. Don’t use it straight out of the freezer because it’s going to be hard to make it spreadable.
- My Homemade Tikka Masala : my custom blend made with garam masala, chilli powder, cumin, paprika and ground coriander is used to the make a tikka masala spread that elevates this grilled cheese to the next level.
Tips & Tricks
Everyone knows how to make grilled cheese, right? WRONG! Here are a few tips I’ve picked up over the years to make perfectly melty golden grilled cheese.
- Do not spread the butter on the bread! To get that golden brown toasted bread, add the butter to the pan rather than on the bread directly. If you want, you can also spread a thin layer of mayo or butter on the bread itself. Adding the butter to both surfaces helps crisp the bread more evenly.
- Use cheese that melts easily : Although you can use any cheese you’d like for this recipe, I do recommend regular sliced American cheese as it melts the best. America cheese has more excess liquid to it and therefore has a lower melting point. Since there is already a lot of flavour something from the masala, using American cheese is a good option for this sandwich.
- Press slightly : Using a spatula to press lightly on the sandwich as it grills is helpful in ensuring that the cheese sticks to the bread and that it cooks perfectly from all sides. Don’t press too hard and smash it, though!
- This is a personal preference, so ignore it if you want: cut the grilled cheese diagonally! In the debate of diagonal vs vertically cut sandwiches, diagonal wins 😉
How to Make This Grilled Cheese
Here are 6 easy steps to recreating this heavenly combo grilled cheese!
- Make the tikka masala spread by mixing the spices with a spoonful of softened butter and minced garlic,
- Heat a skillet on low to medium heat and butter.
- Add two slices of bread to the skillet (mayo-side down if you used that trick). Add a slice of cheese (or two) to one slice of bread. On the other slice, spread a layer of the tikka masala spread.
- Flip the slice of bread with the spread over the slice with the cheese. Keep the temperature low to medium low and cover the pan. This allows the heat to distribute more evenly. Make sure to keep and eye on it and check often.
- Once the bottom is golden brown, flip and cook until golden brown. Press gently with a spatula to cook evenly.
- Cut the sandwich diagonally and serve!
It’s as simple as that!
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Indian Tikka Masala Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Total Time: 15
- Yield: 2 Sandwiches 1x
Description
Upgrade your classic grilled cheese with this spicy, homemade tikka masala spread. This is the perfect pairing for some homemade tomato soup on a cold winter day.
Ingredients
Scale
Tikka Masala Spread
- 1–2 tbsp softened butter
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp Chilli Powder
- 0.5 tsp Paprika
- 0.5 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/2 tsp Salt
For the Grilled Cheese
- 4 Slices of Bread
- Butter
- Slices of Cheese
Instructions
- Make the tikka masala spread by mixing the garam masala, paprika, cumin, chili powder, ground coriander, salt, minced garlic and softened butter.
- Heat a skillet on low to medium heat and add butter. Use your intuition and add as much as you would prefer.
- Add two slices of bread to the skillet. Add a slice of cheese (or two) on one slice of bread. On the other slice, spread a layer of the tikka masala spread. Again, spread as much or as little as you would like.
- Flip the slice of bread with the spread over the slice with the cheese. Keep the temperature low to medium low and cover the pan. This allows the heat to distribute more evenly. Make sure to keep and eye on it and check often.
- Once the bottom is golden brown, flip and cook until golden brown. Press gently with a spatula to cook evenly. Cut the sandwich diagonally and serve!
Make sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram @eatsbyramya or DM it to get featured!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Sandwiches