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Last year, Halima Ghumman visited Nishaan, a popular East Village restaurant known for its South Asian spin of New York City\u2019s bodega mainstay: the chopped cheese sandwich<\/a>. <\/p>\n Eating the widely popular Pakistani rendition, Ghumman, the 21-year-old behind Kabobeesh\u2019s upgrades and its cafe Karak Cha<\/a>, thought: What if Philadelphians could experience the gloriously sloppy, spicy sandwich, too? So, when her family\u2019s West Philly hot spot moved to a new address, Ghumman went into the kitchen to experiment. <\/p>\n She took her dad\u2019s \u2014 Asad Ghumman, owner of Kabobeesh \u2014 chapli kebabs and chopped them \u201clike a cheesesteak\u201d on a griddle, she told The Inquirer, later adding green pepper, onions, a bit of tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise in a foot-long seeded roll. The sandwich launched May 1 for $10.99. <\/p>\n \u201cYou can get a cheesesteak at a million places in Philly, so I was like, \u2018let me try this out,\u2019\u201d Ghumman said. \u201cGrowing up, my mom would put a kebab in a bun and call it a burger. This is really a unique idea that\u2019s not that complicated at all.\u201d <\/p>\n Ghumman emphasized she was inspired to offer the sandwich because of Nishaan owner Zeeshan Bakhrani\u2019s creativity. \u201cI want to be clear that I take no credit for this sandwich; it\u2019s inspired by Nishaan.\u201d <\/p>\n Traditionally, a chopped cheese is made of burger patties with spices, onions, and American cheese and paired with tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo in a hero or kaiser roll. It\u2019s a staple in New York City\u2019s many bodegas and delis; Bakhrani told Eater<\/a> his approach to Nishaan\u2019s<\/a> halal menu stems from his upbringing. \u201cLooking at the dishes I enjoyed growing up as a Pakistani kid and an American kid,\u201d Bakhrani said, and figuring out how to \u201ccombine them in a way that honors both dishes and it\u2019s not just two dishes slapped together.\u201d <\/p>\n