Mexican Black Bean Wrap with Pico De Gallo

Mexican cuisine is very dear to my heart for various reasons. One of the first cuisines I tasted, after I came to US was undoubtedly, Mexican. Since the food packs quite a punch with good level of heat and tangy flavors, it sings to my heart and appeals to my Indian palate. Be it the gooey Guacamole with rich buttery mashed Avocados dipped in Corn chips, the overloaded and stuffed Tacos which is a super cheap, quick meal if you are a student in US studying on a limited budget for food or the humble everyday dish of re-fried beans served with Mexican rice, the truth clearly stands out - they are all made with zesty and fresh ingredients, have a spicy edge and are very easy to fix.

One of the biggest blessing for the Roti lover in me is the unlimited options and varieties of Tortillas available at my local grocery. From the traditional Corn Tortillas made from Masa flour to the healthy variety of Tortillas made of Whole Wheat Flour and often even Spinach Tortillas, the options are endless and one can plan a decent meal with less than 15 minutes of prep work.

Days when I do not have the inclination to move a muscle, I happily opt for Black Bean Wraps made of Honey-Wheat Tortillas. They have a mild sweet taste and do not break easily when added with a stuffing. Pico De Gallo is the version made in many Mexican homes similar to what Kachumbar or Koshimbiri is to all Indians.  The wraps are very portable and great as outdoor foods.

Mexican Black Bean Wrap with Pico De Gallo 
A quick and easy wrap made of Black Beans

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Processing Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
For Pico De Gallo -
Tomatoes (ripe, finely chopped, pulp drained) - 1 cup
Shallots (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Jalapeno (seeds and membranes removed, finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
Lime juice -  1 tsp
Salt

Black Beans (soaked, pressure cooked with salt) - 2 cups
Cheese of choice (grated) [Monterey Jack Cheese with Jalapenos] - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves (roughly chopped) - 3 tbsp
Crushed Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Tortillas (Honey-Wheat variety) [store bought] - 4-6

Method:
Remove the inner membrane of Jalapeno and finely chop into tiny bits. Mix with chopped Tomatoes, Shallots, lime juice and salt (remove the seeded pulp of Tomatoes as the water content will make the wrap soggy, just retain the outer thick skin).
Mix the cooked black bean with little salt and crushed black pepper powder and keep aside. Grate the cheese on box grater.
Warm both sides of a Tortilla on Tawa for a minute. Transfer to a work surface. Place a tbsp of Pico, add a tbsp black beans, garnish with a a tsp of grated cheese and coriander leaves. Add a dash of lime juice. Fold the sides and then wrap like a log. Too much stuffing and the wraps break, stuff with caution. Slice diagonally with a knife to divide into two portions. Transfer to a serving dish. The wraps are portable and great as appetizers. Warm for 30 seconds in MW just before serving for home style flavor.

Guacamole - A Mexican Avocado Dip

Guacamole with crunchy Pita chips

Guacamole is a dip sauce made out of Avocado, a fruit native to central Mexico. It is one of my favorite go-to Mexican recipes. Mole is sauce in Mexican and hence Guacamole. Avocados get a bad reputation owing to the high-calorie content of the fruit pulp. The origin of Guacamole can be traced back to the times when Aztecs lived in Mexico, making it a food of choice owing to the 'good fats' found in bulk in this fruit. The healthy unsaturated fat in Avocado is a great energy booster and is a healthy substitute for spreads on toasted bread, warm tortillas, rotis and dips instead of  good old butter. Traditionally, the entire dip is mushed and mixed in a Molcajete, a traditional Mexican tool carved out of a single basalt lava rock. Avocados grow in plenty in California and are part of many dishes hailing from that region.

Halved Avocados with the pit

After coming to US, I found there are dozen different varieties of Avocados. The one I've used here is called Hass Avocados and grows in abundance in California. The pulp of this Avocado optimally suits the mole requirement. Its got a blackish green skin and has a firm to soft texture depending on the ripeness. It is the tiny baby among the different varieties of Avocado family. The Guacamole serves apt for dips aimed for quick entertaining. The flip side of using them is they oxidize very fast and have to be quickly mixed in before serving. A splash of lime juice prevents them from quick oxidation. I like to enjoy them with crunchy Pita Chips or multi-colored Corn Chips.

~ Guacamole ~
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Processing Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Avocado pulp (scored and pulp scooped) - 1 and 1/2 cup
Red Onion (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Red Tomatoes (cored and finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies (thinly sliced) - 1
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Lime juice - 4 tbsp
Toasted Cumin powder - 1/3 tsp
Salt

Method:

In a pestle and mortar, crush the red onion, tomatoes, green chillies lightly along with salt and 1 tbsp of lime juice. Set aside. 

Just before serving, halve the Avocado. Score it with knife to form horizontal and then vertical incisions to form a criss-cross web. Take a large tablespoon and scoop out the pulp of the fruit. Add to the previously mixed ingredients. Add a dash of toasted cumin powder and the reserved lime juice and give a good mix with the back of a pestle. This will even out the chunks to form a gloppy paste. Leave a few chunks in the mix to add texture. Adjust salt and spice as per taste. Serve with crunchy Pita Chips.

Note: Add lime juice to the Avocados once you add them to the mixing bowl to prevent the pieces from getting oxidised.

Jalapeno Poppers

There are some dishes which you associate with your travel and later tend to be one of your favorites. I sampled Jalapeno Poppers during one of our travels to West Coast. The Poppers are traditionally Jalapeno Pepper stuffed with Monterey Jack Cheese or Cheddar cheese or Mozzarella cheese and rolled in a mix of Egg-Milk-Bread crumbs with 2-3 coatings of each. Stir fry or grill them. The taste is simply out of the world, though little high in calories. They are favorite snacks and bar foods and are crunchy owing to the crispy crust of Jalapenos. Jalapeno Poppers are popular in US as a Tex-Mex cuisine, primarily because they were born out of American food products which blended with the recipes inspired by Mexican cuisines.

Since Jalapenos are spicy in flavour, its best to first keep them soaked in a marinade of buttermilk and salt. This helps to soothe the flavours of spiced seeds and veins which are super hot. The Jalapeno I bought were super spicy so much that I could feel the heat in the air. I removed the kitchen gloves once I was done with the seed removal bit. My fingers had the burning tingling sensation for couple of hours. So beware, and never let you gloves rest till you are done. One could also experiment with different types of stuffing like onions, minced vegetables, et al.

Serves ~ 6-8 servings

Recipe source: Adapted from Epicurious with few changes

Ingredients:

Jalapeno Pepper - 6-8

Mozzarella Cheese - 6-8 teaspoon

Egg - 2-3

Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Buttermilk - 5 tablespoon

Salt - As per taste

Oil - For frying

Bread crumbs - 6-8 tablespoons

Oregano herb - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Wash the Pepper thoroughly and make a slit from the top to the bottom in a line (please wear kitchen gloves, I did that and was saved from burning fingers). Gently pull out the seeds, devein and scoop out the veins. Apply a marinade of buttermilk and salt and keep aside for 30 minutes.

Make a batter of beaten eggs, oregano, salt and pepper powder. Roll the Peppers in this mix and then in bread crumbs. Alternate and apply 3 coatings of both. Heat oil in a deep dish pan and fry one by one. Peppers fry quickly, so be on your feet to transfer them immediately to a paper towel to drain out oil and cool down. Serve hot with Hot Sauce and Ketchup.