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Weekend is almost here, let’s get into mode-a-mexicana with our grand Fiesta Mexicana!

Mexican cuisine is close to home for us and a very regular food. For all Indian food lovers, it comes as a natural liking with a few common base ingredients. The secret to all our Mexican recipes lies in the homemade mexican taco seasoning that we prepare. Refer to its recipe separately on our blog. Also, we recommend adding a hint of oregano (enhances the taste and hence we recommend it for quesadilla and burrito fillings as a taste enhancer)

There are a few quintessential regular food in the Mexican cuisine one must try – quesadilla, burrito (bowl or wrap), loaded nachos, dips like guacamole, pica de gallo etc.

Our Mexican platter above features quesadillas, burrito wraps, loaded vegetable nachos and dips (guacamole, yogurt cilantro dip, pica de gallo). Check out all the recipes for this grand Mexican platter feast you can prepare in just under 60 minutes of time (yes all of them!) for your guests and is surely going to be relished!

QUESADILLA

Ingredients: (yields 8 pcs of big sized quesadilla triangles or 16 pcs of small sized)

For filling:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup capsicum diced – choose your colours of choice
• 1 cup black beans (drained) (can use boiled rajma)
• ½ cup corn kernels (microwaved for 30 sec)
• ½ cup diced onion
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• ½ cup chopped coriander
• 1/3 cup jalapeno if you like it hot
• 4-5 cut mushrooms
• Oregano (optional)
• Mexican taco seasoning (per taste, but at least 2 tsp) – recipe to follow
• Additional salt if needed
• Shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella)

Wraps:

• 4 flour tortilla – we used Gardeniaofsingapore wraps

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Procedure:

• In a pan, heat oil over medium flame and add all the vegetables, black beans, mushrooms, taco seasoning, salt and cook for 4-5 min until capsicum starts softening. Turn off the flame. We suggest not putting sauces and instead use dry taco seasoning for flavouring simply because sauces make the filling watery and eventually turning quesadilla soggy. Add a hint of oregano (optional), coriander leaves and mix well
• Put a skillet on sim to medium flame, add a tortilla wrap and cook on both sides for 15 sec by flipping once. On its half side, put the filling mixture and add shredded cheese on top. Turn the other flap of tortilla to close the semi-circle*. Flip once to cook from other side as well. Cheese will start melting to act as a binder
• Take out and cut into 2 halves. Repeat with other wraps
• Serve these quesadillas hot and crisp with guacamole and yogurt cilantro dip

*We suggest to make a semi circle instead of placing one wrap on the other as this way filling will not fall out and quesadilla will be well cooked

BURRITOS

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 1 cup of mixed colour capsicum
• 1 cup black kidney beans (soaked overnight, boiled and drained)
• Olive oil
• Salsa sauce
• Taco seasoning
• Salt to taste
• Oregano (optional)
• Fresh cilantro
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• Tortillas
• 1 cup cooked rice

Procedure:

1. Cut veggies into thin slices
2. In a pan, heat the olive oil and saute onion and bell peppers and then add rice to it and cook well
3. Turn off the heat and add black kidney beans
4. Add taco seasoning, a hint of oregano (optional) and salt to taste and garnish with fresh cilantro
5. Heat a flat pan and place a tortilla and flip once. This is to cook it gently on both sides. Take it off the skillet and then add the filling in the centre as a square shaped pile, add cheese and fold the sides one at a time to make a closed square shape

Serving suggestion:

Cut burrito into half and serve hot with guac, pica de gallo, spicy salsa

BAKED VEGETABLE NACHOS

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 1 tomato (without seed)
• ½ cup green bell pepper
• ½ cup yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup boiled corn kernels
• 1 cup black kidney beans (soaked overnight, boiled and drained)
• Fresh cilantro/coriander leaves
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 big bag of nachos or tortilla chips
• Salt
• Black pepper

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Directions:

1. Finely cut the veggies and mix them together, add salt and black pepper
2. Preheat the oven at 180 degree celsius for 10 mins
3. In a baking tray spread the nachos evenly, add veggies on top followed by half of the cheese
4. Add corn kernels and black kidney beans, add cilantro and sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly
5. Bake it at 180 degree celsius for 10 minutes until the cheese melt well

Serving suggestion:

Serve hot with different dips. Goes best with guac and sour cream.

DIPS:

Guacamole: (yields one cup guac)

• 2 avocado
• ½ cup diced onion
• ½ cup diced hard tomato
• ¼ cup diced jalapeno
• Juice of 2 limes (add more per taste)
• Salt, black salt to taste

Take out the avocado pulp and coarsely mash with spoon in a bowl. Add chopped onion, tomato, jalapeno and coriander leaves. Add salt, black salt and lime juice. Be generous with lime juice. Mix all well – guac is ready. If not having immediately, refrigerate after cling wrapping it.

Yogurt cilantro dip: (yields one cup)

• ½ cup hung curd
• ¼ cup greek yogurt
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Juice of ½ lime
• ½ cup chopped coriander leaves/cilantro
• 1 tsp olive oil

Take hung curd, greek yogurt and add coriander leaves/cilantro. Mix well. Add lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and the dip is ready. Chill if not having immediately

Pica de gallo: (yields one soup bowl pica de gallo)

• 1 medium sized chopped hard tomatoes (center part removed)
• 1 medium sized finely chopped red onions
• 1/2 finely chopped jalapeno
• Chopped cilantro or coriander leaves
• 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp black pepper (Adjust to taste)
• 2 tsp lemon juice from one big lime
• 1/2 tsp olive oil

Add onion, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Toss gently. Add tomato. Toss very gently. Drizzle little olive oil. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours minimum before having – this lets all the flavours intermingle properly. Immediate chilling also helps in avoiding water to come in due to salt addition. Cling wrap to avoid it getting watery sooner.

Note: Remove jalapeno if you don’t like it spicy