How to cook Mexican food with an Indian twist
Boredom! Adventurous! Monotony! These factors helped me in starting a new concept and tradition at home which we refer to as “Eating International at Home every day”. I started making simple, international cuisine at home for 6 days as the cooking was becoming monotonous as I tend to make the easiest recipes in the morning so that I can reach office on time, and that is when the concept of "Eating International at Home" was born. This concept changed my life, I was no longer sulking to cook in the morning as I was trying a new food every day. It was fun, learning and adventurous.
I wanted to start with simple cuisine that is not far from home taste-wise. I researched and chose Mexican for the week. I learnt about traditional cooking online more specifically about Yucatan cuisine. In Pondicherry, I tasted a few Mexican foods at local joints and wanted to re-create the same at home.
I tried some of the traditional, famous Mexican food at home using Indian ingredients and without buying a lot of condiments and sauces required to re-create them. I wanted to make the recipes at home so that I control what goes in the food and to check the number of processed food items that we add-in that is when I created/modified these simple recipes to suit Indian palate and budget.
Mexican Food! It’s delicious, packed with flavour among herbs and spices just like Indian food. Authentic Mexican food is colourful, vibrant, fresh and spicy as the food contains various varieties of chillies, fresh, dried and pickled.
Among the staples of Mexican food are beans and corns. Corn is used to masa, a dough that is turned in tortillas. Beans and corns are used prominently in many dishes.
All the recipes here are loosely adapted from The Minimalist Baker. The adaptation is to suit my Indian taste palette and locally sourced ingredients.
I’ll list out the recipes that I made and then will explain the process and method.
1) Green Chilli Burger
2) Chilli Tofu Chilaquiles
3) Cauliflower rice burrito Bowl
4) Yam & Black Bean Enchiladas
GREEN CHILLI BURGER
Ingredients:
* Medium Onion -1 (Minced)
* Garlic Cloves – 10 (Minced)
* Chickpeas – 1 Cup (Cooked)
* Coconut Oil
* Mild Green Chillies – 5
* Cumin- 1 tsp
* Chilli Powder – 1 ts[
* Lime- 1 Medium
* Cilantro- A handful (Chopped)
* Tortilla Chips – ½ cup (Crushed)
* Organic Cane Sugar – 2 tsp
* Salt & Pepper – To taste
Method:
· Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
· Preheat oven for firmer burger @ 190 degree Celsius
· Once the skillet is hot, add oil, onions, chillies and garlic, sauté until onions become soft and translucent.
· Add garlic and shallot mixture to a mixing bowl. Then add cooked chickpeas and mash. A little texture is fine.
· Add remaining ingredients and mash to combine. Form into mouldable dough taste and adjust seasoning.
· Divide into 4 even patties press to pack then lift out and slightly flatten with hands.
· Heat same skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add enough oil to form a thin layer and add burger patties as they fit skillet. Cook for 3-4 mins on each side.
· You can save as it is or serve with bread/bun.
· To make firmer and crispier, bake at 190*C for 15 mins.
· Cool for 3 mins, they’ll firm as they cool.
CHILLI TOFU CHILAQUILES
Ingredients:
* Whole Wheat Chapati – 5
* Onion- 1 (Diced)
* Garlic cloves – 7 (Minced)
* Green Chillies – 6 (Deiced)
* Tomato Puree
* Veggie Stock – ½ cup
* Tofu- 1 packet
* Cumin -1/2 tsp
* Garlic powder- ½ tsp
* Chilli Powder – ½ tsp
* Salt- ¼ tsp
* Cheese- Toppings
Method:
· Preheat oven to 180*C. Lightly brush chapati on both sides and dust them with salt (optional) Stack and cut into a triangle and arrange in single layer bake for 12 minutes flipping half-way until crisp.
· Heat skillet & add oil, onion cook till soft and browned. Add garlic and cook for 2 mins.
· Add tomato puree, diced chillies, veggie stock. Heat until bubbly, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins.
· Transfer sauce to a blender (Optional)
· Crumble tofu. Place skillet (same one) add oil and tofu, let it brown for 4 mins stirring. Add seasonings and stir. Cook for 2 mins and remove from pan.
· Add chips to pan and pour the sauce over. Stirring to coat, top with tofu scramble and serve immediately.
CAULIFLOWER RICE BURRITO BOWL
Ingredients:
* Black Beans – 1 cup
* Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
* Chilli Powder – ½ tsp
* Salt – ¼ tsp
* Peppers & Onions
* Coconut Oil – 1 tbsp
* 1 Capsicum (green, yellow, red each) – Thinly sliced lengthwise
* Onion -1 (Sliced)
* Salt- A Pinch
* Cauliflower Rice
* Coconut Oil
* Garlic Cloves – 6 (Minced)
* Onion – 1 (Diced)
* Cauliflower- grated into “rice”
* Salt- A pinch
* Lime Juice- 3 tbsp
* Cumin- 1 tsp
* Chilli Powder – ½ tsp
* Cilantro – 1 cup (Chopped)
Method:
· Add beans to a small saucepan over heat and season with spices and cook or pressure cook.
· Rice cauliflower then heat a large skillet, once hot add oil, garlic, onion, salt and pepper sauté for a minute. Then add cauliflower rice and stir to coat.
· Place the lid on to steam the rice for 4 mins or al dente.
· Remove rice from heat transfer to a large mixing bowl.
· Add lime juice, cumin, chilli powder, cilantro and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings.
· Heat iron skillet, add oil once hot add bell peppers, onions and salt. Sauté stirring frequently till slightly softened.
· To serve, divide rice, beans, bell peppers between bowls. Enjoy as-is or serve with tortilla chips and salsa.
YAM BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS
Ingredients:
* Yam- 3 Cups
* Coconut Oil- 1 tbsp
* Salt & Pepper – ¼ tsp
* Black beans- 1 cup
* Cumin Powder- ½ tsp
* Chapati – 6 or 7
For Sauce
* Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
* Garlic cloves – 6
* Tomato sauce/puree – 1 cup
* Green chilli – 6
* Veggie broth- ½ cup
* Salt & pepper- to taste
* Cane sugar- 2 tbsp
Toppings:
* Toasted pumpkin seeds
* Fresh Cilantro – Chopped
METHOD:
· Preheat oven to 200*C, add cubed yam to baking sheet drizzle oil sprinkle salt and pepper.
· Bake for 15 mins. Reduce oven heat to 180*C.
· Prepare the sauce, heat a large skillet over medium heat, once hot add oil, garlic. Cook stirring frequently until they are soft and browned.
· Remove pan from heat add tomato sauce, diced chillies and veggie broth. Reduce heat to low and return pan to heat. Simmer for 5 mins.
· Transfer sauce to blender and blend well for a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
· Place the same skillet, add black beans season with little salt and pepper, cumin and stir.
· Once bubbling, add roasted yam and stir to coat, taste and adjust seasonings
· Make chapatis.
· Pour some sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, spread to coat.
· Lay down chapati spread with a generous amount of yam bean fillings then roll-up.
· Place seam side down on at one end of the dish and repeat until all chapati is filled and wrapped.
· Then pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Use a spoon to distribute the sauce into cracks.
· Brush edges of bare chapatis with oil for crispy edges.
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