Black Beans and Rice Quesadilla

                 Black Beans and Rice Quesadilla

 

 

 Indians in U.S. love Mexican food. If you are eating Mexican food, you are simply eating Indian food made differently! Not kidding you guys!The factors for this culinary fusion are more than one.

India and Mexico both are situated on the Tropic of Cancer,though they are opposite to each other on earth.

 Because of sharing the latitude, both countries have same agriculture and almost same climate.Tropical fruits and veggies are common to both the countries.

But the most prominent and interesting factor is our cultural fusion which dates back to Ramayan Era! Mexicans are known as Mayan civilization of History. The Maya civilization was one of the most dominant indigenous societies of Mesoamerica (a term used to describe Mexico and Central America before the 16th century Spanish conquest).

 Like Indus Valley civilization, something unknown happened to shake the Maya civilization to its foundations. One by one, the Classic cities in the southern lowlands were abandoned, and by A.D. 900, Maya civilization in that region had collapsed. The reason for this mysterious decline is unknown, though scholars have developed several competing theories.

 

Quesadilla is a Mexican food which is pronounced as kesadiya. L is silent here. Indian food,especially North Indian food has a great similarity with Mexican food.
Mexicans incorporate Beans, rice, eggs, meat, corn, sour cream, cheese and salsa which is similar to Indian tomato chutney. It's like you are not missing dal,chawal,chutney as your base food.

This rice and black beans quesadilla is my own creation and I'm very happy to share it with you guys. I made it with flour tortillas that are easily available in U.S. You can make it at home by kneading maida with some oil and water and rolling roti out of that or you can also use your wheat flour rotis but make sure,rotis should be soft,not crisp and karari.
  Ingredients:
Flour tortillas 8 (I used Chicago's very own El Milagro
Black Beans-1 cup soaked overnight or for 6 hours
Rice-1/4 cup-soaked for an hour
Onion- 1 medium finely chopped
Garlic cloves-4-5 Minced or grated
Green chillies-2-5
Black pepper-freshly ground or powder
Taco Seasoning-1/3 tsp.
Salt
Paparika or red chilli powder-optional 1 tsp.
Butter or 2 tbsp. refined oil
Grated cheese 1-2 cup ( I used Mexican)
Sour cream- 8 oz. ( You can make your own by refrigerating thick yogurt after hanging it in a muslin cloth for 3 days.,Water should be totally drained out).
Pico de gayo- 1 cup Method:
In a pressure cooker, heat approx. 3-4 tsp. of oil.
Add finely chopped onion.
When that is tender,add minced garlic and green chilli.
Stir till the rawness of garlic is gone.
Add soaked black beans and rice,all the powdered spices and salt.
Add water upto the height of beans and rice, only to help them cook,it should not as we put for rice or dal.

 On the slowest settings of your range,cook till one whistle.
Let it depressurize.
Stir and cool for 10 minutes.
Heat a non stick tawa, put buttered tortilla and on half of it,put the stuffing we made and cheese.
Cover the other half like half moon and make crisp from both sides.
In a plate,place this and cut out 3 pieces in triangle shape.
Enjoy with Pico de Gayo and sour cream.
PS. If black bean is not available, you can make it with Kidney beans or rajama.
Pico de gayo is finely chopped tomatoes,onion,green chillies,coriander leaves.lemon juice and salt mixed together.

Pico de Gayo