I can almost say I had "love at first bite" with Mexican food at Chipotle in the US almost 10 yrs back . It was a weekend and our friend took us to this famous Mexican chain and said you will like the food as it is very close to Indian Cuisine and is definitely spicy and flavorful.
As usual with a double mind I stepped into the restaurant along with hubby and that friend and felt like a lost kid in fair not knowing what to order . There were tacos, quesadillas, burritos, nachos, rice bowl etc etc not knowing what to order . Hubby very happily settled in for his rice bowl, an ardent rice lover that he is and he suggested I should try the burrito as it is close to the Desi Frankie or Kathi rolls which I love a lot . So I got myself a burrito loaded with some cilantro rice , black beans , veggies , salsa , hot sauce, sour cream and took a bite with full reluctance as to how it would taste ...but I was blown away by the flavors and texture of every element that went into it and thus began my love affair with Mexican food and later on it used to be a regular visit to Chipotle and I enjoyed every single vegetarian option on their menu . Back in India , California Burrito outlets helped satisfy the Mexican cravings though I still miss Chipotle a lot .
Ohh I got carried away as I began writing and got nostalgic.So, if you are wondering what has this love for Mexican food got to do with this post ? Then you guessed it right..this month for our Shhh secret cooking challenge in our FB group , Narmadha who blogs at Nam's Corner suggested we dish out Mexican recipes and I was paired with the most talented person Mayuri ji, who is nothing short of an encyclopedia in the field of cooking & baking . If you visit her blog Mayuri's Jikoni you will definitely agree to what I have said .
Narmadha's blog Nam's corner is another chest of recipes( veg and non veg) and she has certain special recipes which are authentic and famous from various regions of Tamil Nadu. The famous Veg Biryani prepared using Seeraga Samba variety of rice is one you must try and if you are a non veg lover , go through her blog for exotic Chettinaad Cuisine known for fiery nonveg preparations.
Mayuri ji's Saffron Tapioca Pudding is a healthy sweet indulgence and this recipe is a must try for all health freaks as it is loaded with fresh fruits and honey with absolutely no Sugar involved.
Mayuri ji gave me Rajma/ kidney beans and Paprika as secret ingredients to dish out a recipe while I gave her sweet corn and tomatoes and as usual Mayuri ji has raised the bar by preparing the authentic and traditional Mexican Mollete .
With the 2 secret ingredients, I dished out a delicious and lipsmacking Mexican Bean Rice with freshly ground Mexican spice powder . Let's head to the recipe to see how to prepare this flavorful rice . The recipe may look a little lengthy , but with proper pre preparation and planning we can actually put this together in less than 30 mins .
Preparation Time - 8 to 10 hrs
Cooking Time - 20 to 30mins
Serves - 3 to 4
Complexity - Medium
**can be vegan by skipping the use of cheese
Ingredients
Mexican spice mix
1tbsp jeera/cumin
1 tbsp paprika flakes /kshmiri chilli/byadgi chillies
2 tsp oregano flakes
For the rice
2 cups cooked rice (grainy and fluffy)
1 big capsicum cut into long stripes
1 cup of boiled sweet corn
100gms Rajma/ kidney bean
1 bayleaf/ tejpatta
2 cloves /lavang
- Dry roast the dhaniya and cumin in a pan until crisp and set aside. Let it cool for a few mins. In a blender add these roasted ingredients, paprika flakes , oregano and pinch of salt and grind to a fine powder . Store in an air tight bottle free from moisture .
- If using dry kashmiri chilli or byadgi chilli then roast it along with the cumin and corriander and then make the spice mix .
- Soak the rajma for 8 to 10hrs and pressure cook along with bayleaf, salt and cloves until soft and well cooked.
- Puree the tomatoes in a blender .
- Pressure cook the rice well in advance;atleast 4 to 5 hrs and store it in the fridge. This helps the cooked rice retain its texture and the mexican rice won't turn mushy or soft .
- In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil , first saute the garlic followed by the onions until the onions turn pink .Donot let the onions turn brown.
- If not using onion & garlic skip the previous step and directly saute the chopped capsicum till it turns a little soft followed by the corn and rajma .
- Add 2 tablespoon of the fresh spice mix and saute it well such that the spice mixture gets coated well .
- Add in the tomato puree, required amount of salt ,pinch of sugar and cook well till the raw flavor of the tomato is lost.
- You may also use different colored bell peppers .
- The puree on cooking with the vegetables and beans will begin to thicken and you can feel a nice aroma waft through. Now add a little red chili powder and mix well. Adjust salt if needed and at this stage you can even add some more spice mix if you need it spicier.
- Stir in the cooked rice with this puree and careful mix it without breaking the rice .
- The tomato bean curry/masala must get mixed with the rice properly. Close with a lid and cook for 2 to 3 mins on a low flame .
- Lastly ,add the lime juice and freshly chopped corriander and mix well .
- Let the rice stand for 15 to 20 mins before serving so that all the flavors are absorbed well into the rice .
- Add some grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, boiled corn over the rice before serving and serve it along with some crispy nachos if you like them.
First of all I'm a huge fan of Mexican Rice because of the flavours. Love the suggestion of serving it with cheese, have not done that as yet. Priya your Mexican Bean Rice is definitely very colourful and tempting.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot mayuri ji .it means a lot to get such a lovely comment from an expert like you . The cheese gives a nice taste to the rice..pls do try .
DeleteTotally love the look of your Mexican bean rice, with its attractive colour. I'm fascinated by how you prepared a special spice mix for this dish using chillies and oregano. I'll definitely be trying this out some time. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks dear ... yes the spice mix is the highlight .. I had read about this mix somewhere and had saved it. The kitchen was filled with a classic aroma of these roasted spices
DeleteOh myyy... what a fiery red color of rice.. must be so flavorful.. your pic tempting me to make it for today's dinner..
ReplyDeleteCredit to the good quality chillies I could source ... did u make this for dinner ?
DeleteThat sounds like an amazing bowl of rice with those beans and corn! Love that you made your own ground spice mix... I have to try this really soon!
ReplyDeletethanks...do try Rafeeda..am sure you will like it
DeleteThis looks very tempting, the colour, the texture and the loaded cheesed on top, just wow. Would love to dig into this immediately.
ReplyDeletethank you Renu ... I love Mexican food for the explosion of simple flavors that it produces
DeleteThis Mexican Bean Rice looks spicy and delicious. I would love to try this one sometime, looks good with all that cheese.
ReplyDeletethanks a lot jaishree .. this rice is definitely filling and sumptous
DeleteLoved this onion garlic free version of your Mexican bean rice. Everything looks so colorful and appealing, especially that cheese topping.
ReplyDeletethank you dear.... I too was very happy with the outcome
DeleteSuch a colorful and spicy Mexican rice with fresh masala. Love those cheese loaded on the top. Looks so inviting and tempting.
ReplyDeletethanks dear ...ya the spice mix elevated the taste to another level
DeleteI literally drooled at the picture of rice. This looks so amazing and mouth watering. The kashmiri chili has given such a great color to the dish. Also enjoyed reading your writeup about your first visit to a Mexican restaurant.
ReplyDeletethank you for reading the story patiently ..hahaha
Deleteyou have churned out traditional mexican without onion and garlic and it looks smashing.. time to open an Iyengar-Mex cuisine outlet shortly :) whatsay
ReplyDeleteHow about a collaboration between Bombay and Bangalore ? :-)
DeleteMexican bean rice looks super tempting, such a healthy and tasty rice variety. Surely will try this Mexican rice on some week end, loved the flavors of spice mix.
ReplyDeleteI am very fond of mexican rice. The beans, the spices and comfort of rice makes it a wholesome bowl. This bowl remnds me of the one we frequented near our workplace.
ReplyDeleteMexican bean rice looks so colourful and tempting.Serving with grated cheese sounds interesting. So filling and wholesome.Beautiful clicks too.
ReplyDeleteSounds absolutely delicious and so very flavorful. Loved your nostalgic memories. :D this is one rice I want dig in definitely.
ReplyDelete