Indian Afternoon Tea Sandwiches

These are four delicious Indian afternoon tea sandwiches. All of these finger sandwiches have an Indian-inspired twist, but are still light and delicately flavoured. The four fillings are:

• Curried egg salad
• Spiced chickpea salad
• Cucumber and chutney cream cheese
• Paneer with chilli and chutney

How to make Indian afternoon tea sandwiches

Making afternoon tea finger sandwiches is fun and easy. Here are some tips to ensure your sandwiches turn out perfect:

Curried egg salad

• Use Japanese mayo. I used Japanese Kewpie mayo to make my curried egg salad. Kewpie mayo is made using egg yolks which makes it very creamy. Using this mayo will make your egg salad extra rich. If you cannot find Japanese mayo however, you can add a splash of double cream for richness.
• Use Japanese milk bread. If you choose to make your egg sandwiches with white bread, then I recommend using shokupan, or Japanese milk bread. This bread is enriched and has a deliciously soft and fluffy texture. However, this filling also tastes delicious on wholemeal bread.

Spiced chickpea salad

• Mash the chickpeas thoroughly. Mashing the chickpeas will ensure the filling does not fall out of the sandwiches. You can also stir through a little yoghurt or mayonnaise to hold the filling together.
• Finely dice the vegetables. Finely dicing the veg will also help to keep the salad as cohesive as possible. Furthermore, you can use toothpicks to keep your fillings in place as you slice the sandwiches.

Cucumber and chutney cream cheese

• Use homemade chutney. Mint and coriander chutney can be difficult to find in the shops. I made mine from scratch using this recipe.
• Pat the cucumber dry. To prevent the cucumber from making your bread soggy you can pat it dry beforehand using kitchen paper.

Paneer with chilli and chutney

• Soak the paneer in hot water. Supermarket paneer can be softened by leaving it to stand in hot water for 20 minutes, this will greatly improve the texture. Soak it before slicing and dry the paneer well.
• If you don’t like spice, feel free to leave out the chilli sauce. You can replace it with more coriander and mint chutney, or mango chutney.

How to slice finger sandwiches

• Remove the crusts after building your sandwiches. This will allow the fillings to spread to the edge of each sandwich, giving the sandwiches a more uniform shape.
• Use a serrated bread knife to slice the bread. Using a sharp straight-edge knife will squash the bread and your sandwiches will lack volume.
• Don’t hold your hand down on the sandwiches as you slice. Gently hold the sandwiches whilst you slice them so that the fillings stay in place, but do not squash the bread.

Can afternoon tea sandwiches be made a day ahead?

It is always best to serve your sandwiches as soon as possible after you have made them. This will prevent the bread from going stale or becoming soggy from liquid in the fillings.

If you wish to make your sandwiches in advance, here are some tips to preserve them as best as possible:

• Slice your sandwiches just before serving. Remove the crusts and slice the sandwiches just before serving to prevent the bread from drying out.
• Butter each slice of bread. This will prevent the fillings from making your bread soggy.
• Wrap the sandwiches tightly in cling film to keep them from drying out.
• Store the sandwiches in the fridge to keep the fillings fresh. However, remove them from the fridge 30 minutes before serving so they are not too cold.

What to serve with afternoon tea

These afternoon tea sandwiches can be made as part of a full afternoon tea. A full high tea includes:

• Tea – the most popular teas to serve with afternoon tea are Darjeeling, English breakfast, or Earl Grey. Since these sandwiches are Indian-inspired, you could serve them with chai.
• Jam and scones – jam and scones are essential for a proper afternoon tea. You can serve these with butter, clotted cream, and a range of fruit jams.
• Cakes and mini dessert – sweet treats are an important component of afternoon tea. These are usually bite-size cakes and pastries. Why not make some Indian-inspired treats, inspired by Indian desserts?
• Champagne – afternoon tea is sometimes served with a glass of bubbly. Why not serve yours with a glass of Champagne, Cava, or Prosecco?

How to serve finger sandwiches

I like to serve the sandwiches on a 3-tier cake stand. I recommend this glass cake stand or this vintage porcelain cake stand.

Indian afternoon tea sandwiches: similar recipes

If you liked these Indian-inspired sandwiches, then check out my other afternoon tea sandwich recipes:

1

Vegetarian Afternoon Tea Sandwiches

Four vegetarian finger sandwiches – Japanese egg mayo, herbed cream cheese and cucumber, Cheddar and pickle, and coronation chickpea.

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2

Vegan Afternoon Tea Sandwiches

Four delicious vegan finger sandwich ideas – chickpea 'tuna' salad, roasted red pepper and pesto, vegan Cheddar and onion, and hummus with roasted tomatoes.

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3

Traditional English Tea Sandwiches

Four vegetarian finger sandwiches – egg and cress, vegan ham and mustard, vegan chicken and tarragon, and cream cheese with avocado.

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Indian afternoon tea sandwiches

5 from 1 vote

Four delicious and vegetarian-friendly Indian-inspired afternoon tea sandwiches.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 24 finger sandwiches

Course: Afternoon Tea

Cuisine: British, Indian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Curried egg salad

• 4 slices white or brown bread
• butter
• 3 large eggs hard boiled
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp mango chutney
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander chopped

Spiced chickpea salad

• 4 slices white or brown bread
• 130g/4½oz cooked chickpeas
• 2 tbsp onion finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
• 2 tbsp red bell pepper finely chopped
• 2 tbsp cucmber finely diced
• 2 tbsp raisins soaked and drained
• ¼ cup fresh coriander finely chopped
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• handful of spinach
• handful of fresh coriander leaves

Cucumber and chutney cream cheese

• 4 slices white bread
• butter
• 12 slices cucumber
• 1 tbsp mint and coriander chutney
• 110g/4oz cream cheese

Paneer with chilli and chutney

• 4 slices white bread
• butter
• 2 tbsp mint and coriander chutney
• 2 tbsp chilli sauce I used Maggi Malaysian chilli sauce
• 1 handful spinach
• 110g/4oz paneer soaked in hot water for 20 minutes if shop-bought, this will soften the cheese. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
• 12 slices cucumber
• 2 medium tomatoes sliced
• small handful sliced onion red or white

Method

 

Curried egg salad

1. Peel the eggs and add to a medium bowl. Mash gently with a fork.
2. Add in the mayonnaise, curry powder, mango chutney, and coriander. Mash again with the fork until well combined.
3. Butter each slice of bread. Top 2 of the slices with half of the egg mix and top with the remaining bread slices, butter-side-down.
4. Carefully remove the crusts and slice each sandwich into 3 finger sandwiches.

Spiced chickpea salad

1. Add the chickpeas to a medium bowl and mash with a fork until no whole chickpeas remain.
2. Add in the onion, tomato, pepper, cucumber, raisins, and coriander and stir until combined.
3. Into a small bowl combine the cumin, garam masala, olive oil, honey, and lemon juice. Mix together and pour over the chickpeas.
4. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Top 2 of the slices of bread with a small handful of spinach. Top the spinach with the chickpea mixture. Garnish with a small handful of fresh coriander.
6. Top with the remaining bread slices and carefully remove the crusts. You can use toothpicks, if you like, to keep the sandwiches in place. Slice each sandwich into 3 finger sandwiches.

Cucumber and chutney cream cheese

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and chutney until fully combined.
2. Spread each slice of bread with butter. Spread 2 of the slices with the cream cheese. Top the cream cheese with 6 slices of cucumber.
3. Top with the remaining slices, butter-side-down. Carefully remove the crusts and slice each sandwich into 3 finger sandwiches.

Paneer with chilli and chutney

1. Spread each slice of bread with butter. Top two of the slices with a tablespoon each of chutney. Top the other two slices with the chilli sauce.
2. Top the chutney slices with a small handful of spinach. Top the spinach with 6 slices of paneer, and 6 slices of cucumber. Top the cucumber with the sliced tomatoes and onion.
3. Top with the other slices of bread, chilli sauce-side-down. You can use toothpicks, if you like, to keep the fillings in place. Carefully remove the crusts and slice each sandwich into 3 finger sandwiches.