Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice Recipe

Ingredients
Rice cooked - 2 cups
Onion chopped - 1 no
Tomato chopped - 2 nos
Mixed peas, carrot and sweet corn - 1/2 cup
Jalapeños chopped - 1 or 2 nos
Vegetarian or Chicken seasoning - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cilantro( coriander leaves) - few tbsp
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Mexican Rice Recipe

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan , add chopped onion, jalapeños, peas and corns, sauté for a minute.
2. Add chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook till soft.
3. Add chicken seasoning and salt to the pan, sprinkle few tbsp water to the pan. Sauté until light gravy is formed.
4. Add cooked rice to pan and stir well so that rice is coated with tomato mixture.
5. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve as side to quesadilla, enchilada or stuff in burritos.

Mexican Rice

Baked Tortilla Chips

Baked Tortilla Chips

Ingredients
All purpose flour / Maida flour- 1 cup
Cooking soda - 1/4 tsp
Butter or Olive Oil or Lard- 2 tbsp
Hot water- 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Tortilla Chips with Salsa

Method
1. In a large bowl combine flour, cooking soda, required salt and butter, mix well with your fingers until it resembles bread crumbs.
2. Add hot water to the flour little by little and knead flour for 10 mins until a smooth and soft dough is formed.
3. Set aside the tortilla dough for 5 mins. Take a lemon sized dough and roll out into thin and even circle. Prick flattened dough with fork and cut into several triangle shapes.
4. Pre - heat oven to 200c, place the triangle shaped dough pieces on a oven proof cookie sheet or tray leaving some spaces between each dough.
5. Bake until tortilla chips are crisp and golden browned.
6. Place the chips on wire rack allow to cool and store it in air tight container.
Serve with Mexican Salsa----> click for the salsa recipe

Indian Style Empanadas

Indian Style Empanadas

I adapted the empanadas dough recipe from here laylita.com since dough making details are already given in the link I just go ahead with potato stuffing.

Potato and pea stuffing ingredients

Potato ( boiled, peeled and diced into cubes) – 2 nos

Dried green peas ( soaked overnight and cooked) – 1 cup

Red chilli powder – 1 and ¼ tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves ( chopped) – few

Oil – 1 tsp

Potato Empanadas

Method

1. Prepare the empanadas dough and set aside.

2. To make filling. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and when they crackle add  boiled potatoes, peas, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Stir well until everything is mixed well and potatoes are slightly mashed. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Roll out empanadas dough into small discs like making puris, spoon pea and potato filling onto each disc and seal the edges. Bake in pre-heated 200c oven for about 15 to 20 mins depending on your oven settings.

4. Serve hot.

Empanadas Recipe

Chicken Soft Tacos

Chicken Soft Tacos

Ingredients

Tortillascooked ( click here for the recipe) – 4 nos

Gucamole (click here for the recipe) – 1 cup

Boneless chicken ( cooked and shredded) – 250 gms

Cabbage / Lettuce ( shredded) – 2 cups

Thick cream – 1 cup

Salt and Pepper to taste

Jalapenos ( chopped) – 1 no

Soft Chicken Tacos

Method

      Place cooked shredded chicken, thick cream and chopped jalapenos in a pan. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to the chicken, stir well. Simmer the chicken on low heat for 5 mins until the cream is absorbed by the chicken.

      To serve. Take an cooked tortilla, spoon some chicken mixture in the middle of tortilla, top chicken mixture with guacamole and shredded lettuce.

      Serve at once. 

Chicken Tacos

Mexican Salsa Recipe / Salsa Picada

Learn to make delicious salsa recipe from Rick Bayless cookbook Authentic Mexican.

Mexican Salsa Recipe

Ingredients 

Tomato medium- 2 nos

Onion small- 1 no

Green chilli / Serrano pepper- 2 nos

Coriander leaves- 15 sprigs

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Salsa Recipe

Method

Finely mince onion, tomato, green chilli and coriander leaves. Add everything to a bowl and mix well with lemon juice and salt. Set aside for 5 mins and serve with tortilla chips or as an side to any Mexican food.

Salsa Picada

Homemade Tortilla Recipe

Learn how to make homemade flour tortillas.

Homemade Tortilla Recipe

Ingredients

All purpose flour / Maida flour- 2 cups

Cooking soda- 1/2 tsp

Butter or Olive Oil or Lard- 4 tbsp

Hot water- 1 cup

Salt to taste

Tortilla Recipe

Method

In a large bowl add flour, cooking soda, required salt and butter, mix well with your fingers until it resembles bread crumbs. Add hot water to the flour little by little and knead flour for 10 mins until a smooth and soft dough is formed. Set aside the tortilla dough for 5 mins. Divide dough into equal lemon sized balls, roll out each dough into thin circle using roller pin.

Heat a griddle or tawa, lay each of prepared rolled dough on the hot tawa and cook on both sides until light brown spots appears on tortillas.( Cook tortillas on griddle without any oil or butter). Wrap cooked tortillas with a cloth or keep it in tortilla warmer.

Flour Tortillas

My Cookery Show for "Makkal Tv" demonstrating how to make Salsa Picado, Chicken Quesadilla and Tiramisu.

Hello friends here is my next cooking show for Makkal Tv program Inippu Kaaram. I'm showing makkal tv viewers on how to make Tiramisu Italian Dessert, Salsa Picado Mexican Dip and Chicken Quesadilla Mexican Entrée.

Click on the below image or link to view my cookery show telecasted on 13/July/2012

http://www.istream.com/tv/watch/133868/Inippu-Kaaram-EP-64-Complete

Guacamole recipe( How to make Mexican Guacamole at home)

Guacamole Picado

Guacamole Picado is a famous Mexican dip or a side served with tortilla chips or with any main course. Guacamole Picado is made with Avocados( called as butter fruit in India), onions, tomato and garlic etc. Picado means chopped in Spanish, here the ingredients are chopped finely, mixed and served. Here goes the simple and home made recipe of Guacamole

Ingredients

Onion small finely chopped- 1 no

Green chilies finely chopped- 3 nos( you can use 2 Serrano peppers and 1 Jalapeno)

Tomato medium remove seed and finely chopped- 1 no

Garlic clove minced- 1 no

Fresh coriander leaves chopped- 1 tbsp

Avocado ripe- 3 nos

Salt- 1/2 tsp

lime juice from 1/2 fruit

Home-made Guacamole

Method

Remove the seed and scoop out the flesh from the avocados, chop coarsely and place it in a bowl. Add chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chilies, minced garlic, chopped coriander leaves, lime juice and salt to the avocados. Mix well everything in the bowl with a fork until avocados are mashed and well blended with other ingredients. Serve with warm tortillas or with tortilla chips.

( Note: for Desi touch I spread Guacamole on dosa, bread slice and chapati which tasted very good).

Guacamole

Chimichanga-Baked version( Baked Burrito).

Ingredients

Rotisserie chicken( boneless and shredded)- 2 cups------>for recipe click here

Onion medium( minced)- 1

Tomato medium( minced)- 1

Any Mexican chilli/ Green chilli( finely chopped)- 2

Chicken stock- 1/2cup

Mexican cheese blend( combination of Monterey jack, Cheddar cheese, Mozzarella cheese)- 2 cups

Corn tortillas or Flour tortillas( cooked)- 4

Salt and Black pepper to taste

Oil- 3 tbsp

Method

Heat oil in a sauce pan, when oil is hot add shredded chicken, onion, tomato and green chilli. Stir fry the chicken and onion mixture for few mins. Add the chicken stock to the chicken mixture and season with required salt and pepper. Bring the chicken to boil and cook until dry. Remove the chicken to plate and set aside to cool. Spoon equal quantity of chicken mixture and cheese blend over the cooked tortilla, roll it up and tuck its end to make the filling secure inside the roll( the rolls should look like big burrito). Pre-heat oven at 400 f, place the burritos on a baking tray and top it with generous cheese blend and if required with chopped olives. Place the tray with burritos in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10 mins. Serve the Chimichanga hot with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

Three Pepper and Cheese Quesadilla

Ingredients

Flour Tortillas( medium size)-8

Green Bell pepper/ Green Capsicum( chopped)-1/3cup

Red Bell pepper/ Red Capsicum( chopped)-1/3cup

Yellow Bell pepper/ Yellow Capsicum( chopped)-1/3cup

Mexican Cheese Blend( shredded)-2cups

Green chillies( thinly sliced)-3( optional)

Salt to sprinkle

Method

In a non stick pan add 1 tbsp oil and slightly saute green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper and green chilles for 1 minute. Sprinkle little salt over the bell pepper mixture, set aside and allow to cool. Half cook the tortillas on hot griddle and set aside. Take each tortilla, on half side spread about 2 to 3 tbsps of pepper mixture and top with required cheese( more the cheese, more the taste). Fold the other half of tortilla covering the cheese and pepper mixture. Once again cook the filled tortillas on hot griddle until the cheese completely melts and tortillas are slightly crisp. Serve hot.( You can also fill the tortillas with cooked and shredded chicken).

Caramel Pudding/ Flan

Excellent dessert, easy to prepare and delicious in taste.

Ingredients for caramel

Sugar( powdered)-1/2cup

Ingredients for pudding

Thick Milk-3cup

Eggs-3

Sugar Powdered-3/4cup

Vanilla essence-few drops

Method for Caramel

Heat a sauce pan add the powdered sugar and 2tbsp of water, let the sugar dissolve completely and allow the sugar to burn a little to get nice brown color( shouldn't over burn as you might get bitter taste). Remove from heat. Take an round oven mould and pour this prepared hot caramel into the mould. swirl the mould so that the caramel sticks completely to the base of the mould.

Method for pudding

In a large bowl beat the eggs, add powdered sugar and vanilla essence, mix well. Add milk little by little to the egg mixture stirring constantly. Now take the caramel greased mould, pour the pudding mixture inside the mould slowly. Cover the mould's rim with foil paper and make small holes on the foil paper. Heat enough water in a large vessel, when hot place the mould inside the vessel and cover with a lid. Steam the caramel pudding for atleast 20mins. Once done remove the foil paper and slide a knife into the pudding to check if its done. If the knife comes out smoothly the pudding is done perfectly, if not steam the pudding again for 10 mins. Bring the pudding mould to room temperature and then refrigerate for 2 hours( do not freeze). After 2 hours take the mould and slide the knife along the sides of the pudding to loosen up and invert the pudding on to the plate. Serve cold.

Vegetarian Tacos( Beans filled Tacos)

Ingredients

Taco Shells-6

Kidney Beans cooked-1/2cup

Capsicum sliced-1/2cup

Onion sliced-1/2cup

Tomatoes Chopped-1/4cup

Taco seasoning-1pack

Lettuce Shredded-2cup

Parmesan or any Cheese-1/2cup

Pickled Jalapeno/ Cucumber-few

Method

Microwave Taco shells according to the box instructions and set aside. Heat oil in a pan add the onions and capsicum, stir fry for a minute. Add the kidney beans and tomatoes. Stir in the Taco seasoning and cook till the mixture becomes thick. Now take a single taco shell fill with the kidney beans mixture, place pickled jalapeno or cucumber. Layer the Parmesan cheese above the kidney bean layer and finally fill with the shredded lettuce. Follow this for the rest of the shells and serve immediately.

Stuffed Omelette/ Spanish Omelette

This is an breakfast special, A slice of stuffed omelette with glass of milk makes the morning light and nourishing

Ingredients

Eggs-4

Carrot-1(chopped)

Peas-1/2cup

Beans-10(chopped)

Mushrooms sliced-1/2cup

Chilly flakes-2tsp

Pepper and Salt to taste

Olive oil-3tbsp

Method

Heat 2tbsp of oil in pan, Saute the above vegetables for 2 mins and season with chilly flakes, pepper and salt. Allow to cool. In a deep bowl beat the eggs, add the sauted vegetables and mix well. Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan add the egg mixture and cook on both sides till golden brown