Quesadillas

Restaurants are opening up at a speed that would put Mach 5 to shame. Of course, it goes without saying that they are closing down almost at the same speed. One has to make the most of the good times while they last. So the moment I got to know of a Mexican restaurant in the heart of Delhi, I decided that I had to go there ASAP for lunch.

So I went to Mismo in Janpath Hotel, and read the menu with some interest. The dishes were Tex-Mex, Mexican and Italian. I focused on the Mexican. And one lamb enchilada later, I was happy to have, for once, foregone my favourite dish of pasta tossed in olive oil.

A few days later, I was back in a Mexican restaurant. This time I was at Rodeo in Connaught Place, which is the favourite haunt of some of my younger friends. When Rodeo opened shop in Delhi 14 years ago, there were 10 restaurants offering Mexican and Tex-Mex. Now most have shut down.

I find that surprising, for Mexican wraps are dishes that should appeal to our palate. The wraps are essentially different kinds of rotis — some soft, some hard and some crisp — made with maize or wheat. Some are open, some rolled like kathis — and these are either baked or fried. The spectrum of wraps is truly awesome — it encompasses everything from tortillas and tacos to enchiladas, fajitas and quesadillas.

Tortilla azteca

I had an interesting conversation with the owner of Rodeo, S.M. Sherwani, about Mexican food. I actually knew him when he was about three — for his father, a Member of Parliament, was our neighbour. Sherwani has made quite a success out of Rodeo which now has branches in Gurgaon and Lucknow.

Rodeo, which imports its cornflour and chillies for the authentic touch, started off as a Mexican eatery, but when patrons started demanding Tex-Mex, they expanded the menu. Tex-Mex is quite like Mexican, but relies more heavily on cheese and meats, and is more starch-based than Mexican food.

Wraps, of course, are central to both Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. Tex-Mex wraps — such as burritos, which are filled tortilla rolls, chimichangas, which are fried burritos, and fajitas, soft tortillas — tend to use wheat flour for the tortilla, while the Mexicans prefer maize. These days you get readymade tortillas in many of the big departmental shops, but most restaurants like to make their own tortillas, for you just can’t beat the taste of handmade fresh food.

There are different recipes for tortillas, but you could try these two out. For a dozen corn tortillas, take 1½ cup cold water, ½ cup maize flour, 1 egg, 1 cup flour and ¼tsp salt.

Beat all the ingredients with a hand beater until smooth. Heat a greased skillet and pour ¼ cup of batter, rotating the skillet so that the batter expands into a round shape. The tortilla should be thin and have a 6-in diametre. When the edges are dry, turn around and cook till golden.

Chimichangas

For flour tortillas (to make three dozen, 10-inch ones) use 4 cups flour, ½ cup vegetable shortening, 1 cup water and 1 ½tsp salt. Mix and knead, and let the dough stand for three hours. With a rolling pin, roll out in roti-like shapes. Cook in an ungreased griddle.

Now, with different kinds of fillings, you will have all kinds of wraps. The fillings are varied. But Mexican wraps are traditionally filled with beans or meat, while the Tex-Mex goes overboard with meats, cheeses and sour cream.

Not surprisingly, the Tex-Mex varieties are bigger and more filling. The quesadilla is a cheese-filled wrap that translates to ‘little cheesy thing.’ Flautas are deep-fried tortillas with different toppings.

For chicken flautas, mix boiled chicken, sour cream, green onions, lime juice, jalapeno pepper and cumin. Put a tortilla in hot oil and put this filling in the middle. Roll and secure with a toothpick. Fry until crisp and golden brown.

You can prepare a nice chicken enchilada with your tortilla. Mix cooked chicken, cheese (cheddar would do), slivered almonds, green onions and black olives. Fill a tortilla with the mixture, place in a casserole, seam side down. Now cover with an enchilada sauce.

For the sauce, sauté onion and garlic in oil, and add pureéd tomatoes, chilli powder, cumin powder, oregano and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Bake the enchilada with the sauce in an oven for 30 minutes at 300°F. Add some cheese to melt on top. Serve with sour cream.

Enchiladas

For a green enchilada, use a green salsa — that is a thick sauce of green bell peppers, green tomatoes, chillies and green onions.

For a meat taco, fry meat and onion in oil until brown. Add green pepper, tomatoes, garlic, chilli, oregano, vinegar and salt. Warm tortillas until soft. Spread the meat filling on a tortilla, roll, and fry with the seam side down until crisp.

You can serve this with a taco sauce — which you can prepare by mixing chopped and peeled tomatoes, chopped onions, chopped green chillies, salt, oregano, oil and wine vinegar.

Sherwani tells me that Mexican and Tex-Mex have a future in India, and I tend to believe him. Some restaurants, of course, will go under — but if you are full of beans, you can, if you’ll pardon the pun, wrap up life with ease.

Shredded pork tacos

Ingredients (Portion: 1) • 1tbs oil • 1 large onion, chopped • 1tbs garlic, minced • ½tsp dried thyme • 1/4thtsp oregano • 2 bay leaves • Salt and pepper to taste • 3tbs tomato paste • 1kg fatless, boneless pork • 800gm tomatoes, peeled and deseeded • 3 green
chillies, finely chopped • 16 toasted corn tortillas • 1 cup crumbled cheese • 1 cup fresh coriander leaves
Method
In a large heavy pot, heat oil. Add onion, garlic, thyme, oregano and bay leaves. Season. Stir in tomato paste. When the onions soften, add pork, tomatoes, chilli and one cup water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer till the meat is tender. Transfer meat to a large bowl, shred with two forks. Return meat to pan and simmer until sauce is thick. Spoon pork and sauce into toasted tortillas, using two for each serving. Top with cheese and coriander leaves.