Chef notes

Here’s a French toast recipe unlike one you’ve ever tried before. Rather than the sweet variations you’d typically find on a fancy breakfast menu, this is a savory spin on a classic brunch favorite. Inspired by her annual visits to family in India, this savory breakfast recipe is a grown up spin on Priyanka Naik’s childhood favorite spicy egg toast. It’s also vegan, thanks to the use of chickpea flour and water, which takes the place of the usual eggy custard.

To make it, sauté diced red onion until slightly golden and glossy. In a separate bowl, whisk chickpea flour with water to form a batter. Then stir in a spice blend of ground cumin seeds, minced Thai green chiles, sautéed onions and fresh coriander.

The rest is simple: assemble a few vegan cheese sandwiches between two slices of hearty bread. Dip into the spiced chickpea batter until lightly coated on all sides, then cook in a skillet until the cheese is melty until golden brown on each side. Repeat with each stuffed French toast until you run out of sandwiches. Slice the French toast in half, then serve with a drizzle of maple syrup, a sprinkle of chaat masala (mango powder, black salt, cumin and coriander), a squeeze of lemon and ketchup.

With the remaining batter, fry up savory spiced chickpea pancakes so nothing goes to waste!

Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon neutral oil
1 small red onion, diced
8 slices hearty bread
4 slices vegan cheese (smoked Gouda or cheddar preferred)
1 cup chickpea flour
3/4 cup water
3 Indian green chilis or serrano peppers, chopped
1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground roughly in a mortar and pestle
kosher salt, to taste
4 tablespoons vegan butter
2 to 3 wedges lemon, plus more for serving)
chaat masala, for garnish (optional)
maple syrup, for serving
Indian ketchup, for serving

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Preparation

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, add the diced red onions and sauté until they begin to sweat and caramelize, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a shallow, wide bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour with water until smooth. With a fork, mix in the chilis (or serrano pepper), coriander, sautéed onion, ground cumin seeds and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Place 1 to 2 slices of vegan cheese in between two slices of bread. Gently dip bread into chickpea batter until lightly coated on all sides. Set aside on a parchment-lined plate. Repeat with all sandwiches.

Heat nonstick skillet from earlier over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of vegan butter. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, add one of the batter-coated French toasts to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden-brown on one side. Then flip and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes until both sides are golden-brown and cheese is melty. Remove and repeat with remaining stuffed French toasts.

Place hot toasts on a platter and immediately sprinkle on chaat masala (if using) so it sticks to the French toast. Serve with fresh lemon wedges, a drizzle of maple syrup and ketchup on the side.