History

Meherwan Irani opened Chai Pani on Battery Park Avenue in 2009; the restaurant won the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant award in 2022, the highest national restaurant honour. The Sloppy Jai (a riff on the American sloppy joe and Bombay's bun maska tradition) is one of the most ordered plates on the street-sandwich menu. Irani's Botiwalla expansion took the format to Atlanta and beyond.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 35 minTotal 50 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g ground lamb (20 percent fat or higher)
  • 2 tbsp ghee or neutral oil
  • 1 large onion, very finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 1 thumb fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 green chilies, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (or smoked paprika)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 200g chopped tomatoes (tinned), drained
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 200ml water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Juice of 1 lime, plus extra wedges to serve
  • 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
  • 8 soft buns (potato rolls or brioche buns), split
  • 30g salted butter, for toasting the buns
  • 4 tbsp green chutney (cilantro and mint blended with green chile, lime and salt)
  • 4 tbsp tamarind-date chutney
  • 4 tbsp sweet yogurt sauce (plain whole-milk yogurt whisked with 1 tsp sugar)

Method

  1. Heat ghee in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 8 minutes until deep golden.
  2. Stir in garlic, ginger, and chilies; cook 1 minute.
  3. Add cumin, coriander, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, and garam masala; toast in the fat 90 seconds.
  4. Push the spices to one side. Add the ground lamb and break apart with a spoon; cook 8 minutes until deeply browned.
  5. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and salt. Simmer uncovered 12 minutes until thick and saucy.
  6. Stir in lime juice and half the cilantro.
  7. Toast the buns on a griddle with butter on the cut sides until deeply golden.
  8. Pile a generous mound of the keema onto each bun bottom. Drizzle with green chutney, tamarind chutney and sweet yogurt sauce.
  9. Scatter raw red onion and remaining cilantro across the top. Close with the top bun and serve with a lime wedge.

Tip from the editors. The contrast of three sauces (green chutney, tamarind chutney, sweet yogurt) is what makes the Sloppy Jai land; building with only one or two flattens the dish into a standard curry sandwich.

Where to eat chai pani sloppy jai

Chai Pani Sloppy Jai in Asheville

Chai Pani ★ 4.6

Indian$south-slope

Meherwan Irani's Chai Pani lays out a snack menu starting under $7 from its 32 Banks Ave South Slope home (moved 2024).

Try: Indian street snacks, chaat

Tip: Lunchtime walk-in moves fastest. Order three small snacks for under $20; skip the thalis if you're keeping it cheap.

32 Banks Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

Botiwalla by Chai Pani ★ 4.3

Street food$downtownMon-Thu 11:30-20:30; Fri 11:30-21:00

Botiwalla by Chai Pani on Battery Park Avenue is Meherwan Irani's tribute to the late-night sigri (grill) cart culture of India. Counter-service grilled.

Try: Indian kababs and street grills

Tip: Order at the counter, take a seat. The 697 Haywood Road sister room is the West Asheville extension.

22 Battery Park Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

Botiwalla by Chai Pani West ★ 4.3

Indian Kababs and Street Grills$$west-asheville

Botiwalla's second Asheville location on Haywood Road in West Asheville opened in 2022.

Signature: Chicken tikka roll, Lamb seekh kabab, Cheese kulcha

Order: The chicken tikka kabab roll, the cheese kulcha, and a Bombay grilled cheese.

Tip: Counter service. Patio takes walk-ins, easier than the Battery Park location for weekend evenings.

697 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806

Mela Indian Restaurant ★ 4.2

Indian, Regional$$downtown

Mela Indian on North Lexington Avenue in Asheville has been the downtown dependable for regional Indian cooking since 2007. Lunch buffet weekdays, full menu.

Signature: Lamb vindaloo, Chicken tikka masala, Vegetable thali

Order: The lamb vindaloo with garlic naan; the lunch buffet on weekdays is one of Asheville's best deals.

Tip: Book on the operator site for dinner. The lunch buffet runs 11:30-14:30 Mon-Sat.

70 N Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

More cities are in research. Want chai pani sloppy jai covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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