Korma-spiced French Toast

By Lisa Faulkner
This budget-friendly recipe for Korma-spiced French Toast from Celebrity MasterChef winner Lisa Faulkner is a fabulous curried spin on a brunch classic. It’s essentially a chunky cheese sarnie spiced with korma paste,…
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Time and servings

Total time
Servings
Prep time
Cooking time

Ingredients

17 total
  • 250 g of paneer, thinly sliced into 5mm slices (approx. 16 slices)
  • 3 heaped tbsp of korma paste
  • 8 thick slices white bread, crusts removed
  • 125 g of reduced-fat crème fraîche
  • 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
  • 125 ml of semi-skimmed milk
  • 2 tbsp of natural yoghurt
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 200 g of cooked peas, cooled
  • 80 g of watercress
  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 30 g of unsalted butter
  • 0.5 lemon, juiced
  • 1 large handful of mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 1 large handful of coriander
  • 4 tbsp of (approx.) mango chutney, to serve (optional)
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil

Method

7 steps
  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. Soak the paneer in a bowl of hot water for 1-2 mins to help soften it, then pat dry with kitchen towel.

  2. Step 2

    Mix 1 heaped tbsp of korma paste with the crème fraîche in a small bowl. Gently and evenly spread one-quarter of the mix over 2 slices of bread, then top one of them with 4 slices of paneer. Sandwich together. Repeat to make 4 sandwiches.

  3. Step 3

    In a wide, shallow dish, beat the eggs with the yoghurt, milk and remaining korma paste; season.

  4. Step 4

    Carefully place 2 sandwiches in the egg mixture and turn a couple of times to coat, holding onto the bread at the edges to stop the filling escaping. Leave to soak for 30 secs, then turn and repeat.

  5. Step 5

    Heat half the vegetable oil and half the butter in a frying pan over a low-medium heat until sizzling. Add the soaked sandwiches and cook for 3-4 mins on each side until golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the pan and repeat steps 4 and 5 for the remaining sandwiches.

  6. Step 6

    Meanwhile, for the salad, put the red onion, watercress, peas, coriander and mint into a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and olive oil, season and gently toss.

  7. Step 7

    Cut each sandwich in half and serve with the salad and a dollop of mango chutney, if you like.