Cemitas
Kay Chun
118 ratings with an average rating of 3 out of 5 stars
118
35 minutes
Published June 13, 2024
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Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for two-zone cooking over medium heat. (For a charcoal grill, pour the coals on one side. For a gas grill, heat all burners, then decrease one burner to medium and turn off the other. If your grill has three burners, decrease the outer burners to medium and turn off the middle.)
Thinly spread butter on one side of each piece of bread. Place half the bread slices butter-side down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Divide the chutney among the four butter-side down slices (1 tablespoon each) and spread evenly. Top with onion, cheese and tomatoes, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with the remaining bread slices, butter side up.
Place the assembled sandwiches in a hinged grill-basket, if using, and close. Alternatively, tie each sandwich with bakers’ or kitchen twine like you would ribbon when wrapping a present, and trim any loose ends. This makes it easier to flip with a spatula on the grill.
Take the sandwiches and a spatula, if you tied them with twine, to the grill. Clean the grates with a grill brush. (No need to grease the grates.) Place over the indirect-heat (unlit) side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook, flipping every 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the bread is toasted. If the cheese is melted before the bread is toasted, transfer the sandwiches to the direct-heat (lit) side of the grill and cook, flipping more frequently, until the bread is golden brown. The whole process will take about 15 minutes total. Transfer to plates, cut off and remove twine if needed, slice in half and serve immediately.
As an ex South African I can attest that these are good! We don't braai anymore so I just make them on my panini press. And it's delicious on thickly cut sour dough bread. Mrs Balls chutney is easy to find online.
Seems like this could easily be done in a cast iron skillet. I love a good grilled cheese sandwich for dinner with a salad & this is a really interesting variation.
Ahh, I'm so disappointed. I thought I invented this recipe. When my daughter was young, I served her grilled cheese sandwiches with mango chutney (Trader Joes). She love it. If she ordered a grilled cheese sandwich at a restaurant, she would ask for mango chutney with it. I can't begin to describe the unusual looks that servers gave her. When they offered ketchup instead, she would say, "no thanks" and tell me that my grilled cheese sandwiches were so much better than those in restaurants.
Hi Wen! Yes, absolutely. While these are traditionally made on an outside grill, you can definitely make them inside on a panini grill or in a skillet, instead.
I first enjoyed these at the Victoria Falls Hotel over 30 years ago. It sounds strange if you've never had it, but it is delicious. The panini press works great for this, as does a simple skillet. Once you realize chutney is great on a grilled sandwich, you'll find yourself using it elsewhere. A thin layer on a Cubano is divine!
If you're not a fan of any of the chutneys, fig jam is a great complement to cheddar and swiss type cheeses. Not sure what the onion and tomato add and wouldn't seem to work with the sweet chutney. I'll stick to simple. This seems like a lot of work for a simple sandwich.
Use Beecher's Flagship cheese if you can get it.
I can’t say it works as well on a cast iron skillet and with Patek’s mango chutney as it does with the traditional methods/ingredients, but it was terrific.
If you're not a fan of any of the chutneys, fig jam is a great complement to cheddar and swiss type cheeses. Not sure what the onion and tomato add and wouldn't seem to work with the sweet chutney. I'll stick to simple. This seems like a lot of work for a simple sandwich.
I indulged and purchased Mrs. Ball's chutney. While I suspect mango chutney would work well, Mrs. Ball's seemed to add a perfect taste. Overall, this was delicious and I will definitely make this again...and again...and again.
This is to go for quick dinner for my family since I learned cooking after kids. They won’t eat grilled cheese sandwiches anywhere but the home, I use green mint and cilantro chutney along with mango chutney (for my daughter only) with finely chopped red onions, tomatoes with sharp cheddar cheese I use thick slices of bread mostly seeded one to give it a crunch.this is not a new recipe and can be modified in many ways in winter we have it with tomato&Basil soup home made no cream.
I love these ingredients but I’ll def be making these the old school way on my stove in a cast iron skillet rather than with twine and parchment and firing up the grill and a lot of improving on the tried and true
I didn’t have a tomato, and used Major Grey’s chutney. It was a little too sweet for me and I was craving something salty to add, like a slice of ham. I cooked it on my panini which is so quick and easy for grilled sandwiches.
I first enjoyed these at the Victoria Falls Hotel over 30 years ago. It sounds strange if you've never had it, but it is delicious. The panini press works great for this, as does a simple skillet. Once you realize chutney is great on a grilled sandwich, you'll find yourself using it elsewhere. A thin layer on a Cubano is divine!
I was on fieldwork on a basa project Bioscape and our amazing South African colleagues made some amazing braii and these sandwiches were divine!
Ahh, I'm so disappointed. I thought I invented this recipe. When my daughter was young, I served her grilled cheese sandwiches with mango chutney (Trader Joes). She love it. If she ordered a grilled cheese sandwich at a restaurant, she would ask for mango chutney with it. I can't begin to describe the unusual looks that servers gave her. When they offered ketchup instead, she would say, "no thanks" and tell me that my grilled cheese sandwiches were so much better than those in restaurants.
Seems like this could easily be done in a cast iron skillet. I love a good grilled cheese sandwich for dinner with a salad & this is a really interesting variation.
Would a panini maker work in a pinch?
Hi Wen! Yes, absolutely. While these are traditionally made on an outside grill, you can definitely make them inside on a panini grill or in a skillet, instead.
As an ex South African I can attest that these are good! We don't braai anymore so I just make them on my panini press. And it's delicious on thickly cut sour dough bread. Mrs Balls chutney is easy to find online.
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