You must have certainly tasted Mexican cuisine if you have landed on this page. Paying good money in a Tex-Mex restaurant is worth it when you taste those heavenly tortillas and red beans with rice. Though these and several other Mexican recipes share some similarities with Indian cuisine like the use of chilies, beans, and cornflour, yet Mexican cuisine is distinct as it evolved and was developed thousands of miles from the Indian subcontinent with several different spices and no outside influence for centuries. One other difference is that majority of Indians are vegetarian so for a Mexican food lover it becomes difficult to try certain options as they may contain red meat or poultry. We empathize and share the concerns of our readers and so have curated a list of 5 mouthwatering vegetarian Mexican recipes. The animal protein used in them has been substituted with delicious and nutritious vegetarian options. Let us look into these below.
Vegetarian Mexican Fried Rice Recipe
This vegetarian Mexican rice dish combines boiled rice with kidney beans, peppers, and corn fried and seasoned with cayenne pepper powder and red chili powder.
a. Ingredients
- 2 cups boiled rice
- 1 cup boiled sweet corn
- 1 cup kidney beans, soaked beforehand, and then boiled
- 1/2 cup diced and chopped tomato
- 1/2 cup red chopped onions
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
- 4 minced cloves of garlic
- 3 tablespoons of salted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon chili red or cayenne pepper, you can vary the quantity as per the heat tolerance
- Salt as per taste
b. Preparation
- Heat a heavy-bottomed wok and add butter. When butter gets melted, add chopped onions and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and green bell peppers to the mix and sauté for 3 more minutes.
- Now add boiled sweet corns and kidney beans to the pan and mix all the ingredients well.
- Add salt, red chili or cayenne powder, tomato puree, and vinegar. Mix all the ingredients well and let it cook for around 3 more minutes.
- Now add boiled rice, stir and mix all the ingredients well. Cook for 2 more minutes. Your delectable vegetarian Mexican ricedish is ready to serve.
Vegetarian Mexican Chili
Vegetarian Mexican Chili is one of the classic vegetarian Mexican recipe usually accompanied by tacos or fried rice. The chili can be prepared with beans of several varieties. We have used pinto beans here for this purpose.
a. Ingredients
- 1 cup soaked pinto beans (should be soaked at least for 6 hours)
- 1 full-sized chopped red onion
- 2 finely chopped pickled Jalapenos
- 2 finely chopped celery stalks
- 1 full-sized diced and chopped tomato
- Three finely chopped garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons roasted Jeera (cumin) powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 Tej Patta (bay leaf)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano flakes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
- Salt as per taste
b. Preparation
- Boil the soaked pinto beans in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water. Fix the lid of the cooker, put on high flame, and wait till you hear 5 to 6 pressure cooker whistles. After these, turn to low flame and let the beans simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Now turn off the heat and allow the pressure inside the cooker to dissipate on its own.
- Open the lid of the cooker, take out the beans in a bowl and if excess water is left in the cooker, do not throw it out. That will be used in the preparation of chili later on.
- To make the spice base of the chili, pour the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed wok and put the flame to medium heat. Throw in chopped onions, garlic, and celery stalks, sauté them until celery stalks and onions are tender.
- Now add the chopped jalapenos and tomatoes along with jeera and chili powder, dried oregano, bay leaf, and black pepper powder. Cook until tomatoes become soft and are easily assimilated into the mix.
- Add the boiled pinto beans along with 2 tablespoons of left pinto bean water. Increase the heat to a high flame so that the mixture begins to boil.
- Lower the heat now, cover the wok with a utensil and let the chili simmer for nearly 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and wait for 5 minutes. Your vegetarian Mexican chili is ready to serve.
- Serve it with tacos, sour cream, and grated cheese.
Mexicans Refried Beans
Mexican refried beans Recipe is one of the authentic vegetarian Mexican recipes loved all over the world. It is made from kidney beans and can be used as a flavorful dip with tacos, nachos, and other chips.
a. Ingredients
- 1 cup kidney beans, soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
- 2 tablespoons hot chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt as per taste
b. Preparation
- Boil the presoaked kidney beans in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water. You can add the salt beforehand so the beans absorb the salt. Put the lid on, wait for 6 to 8 pressure cooker whistles. Turn the heat to low, and wait for 15 more minutes. Turn off the heat now and let the pressure inside the cooker dissipate on its own.
- Take out the boiled beans and mash them into a slightly coarse paste to add to the volume and texture of the dish.
- Put a heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat and pour olive oil in it. Add garlic and fry for half a minute or so until they start sizzling.
- Now add tomato puree, red chili, and jeera powder, hot sauce, and add boiled kidney beans. Stir fry the mixture till it takes a homogenous shape and gets a cream-like texture.
- Adjust salt, hot sauce, and other spices as per the taste.
- Your Mexican vegetarian refried beans are ready to serve. Serve it along with salsa as a dip accompanied with nachos and tortillas.
Spicy Mexican Tomato Salsa Recipe
This recipe, though found in several vegetarian Mexican cookbooks, is presented here with a unique Indian touch. It is easy to prepare with fresh ingredients and makes for a great party dip.
a. Ingredients
- 7 or 8 full-size tomatoes
- 1 finely chopped red onion
- 3 medium-sized finely chopped green chilies
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin powder)
- 1 small cup finely chopped cilantro (dhaniya) leaves
- 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce
- Salt as per taste
b. Preparation
- Put all the tomatoes in a pressure cooker. Add half a cup of water, fix the lid, and put on high flame. Wait till the cooker gives off two whistles. Turn off the heat and wait till pressure is released from the cooker.
- Now, open the lid and let the tomatoes cool.
- Now peel off the skin of the tomatoes and finely chop them.
- Put the tomatoes in a bowl and add green chilis, onions, salt, sugar, jeera powder, hot sauce, and cilantro leaves.
- Mix all the ingredients well. The tomato salsa is now ready to serve. Top it with shredded cheese and cream and use it as a dip with chips and nachos.
Vegetarian Mexican Quesadilla Recipe
This Quesadilla recipe is one of the authentic vegetarian Mexican recipes. This makes for a deliciously healthy and nutritious meal where tortillas are filled with mixed vegetable stuffing.
a. Ingredients
- 4 Tortillas from supermarket or specialty goods store
- 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
- 1 cup finely grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup green and red finely chopped bell peppers
- 1 cup finely chopped green zucchini
- 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
- Hot Sauce as per taste
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup softened salted butter
- Salt as per taste
- Some finely chopped cilantro leaves
b. Preparation
- Add olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pan and turn to medium flame. Throw in chopped garlic, carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini.
- Add salt as per taste and stir fry till carrots and zucchini are softened and cooked.
- Now add hot sauce and coriander leaves.
- Let the mixture cool down to an optimum temperature.
- Put the tortillas in a flat utensil or any plate, put the roasted mixture on one half of the tortilla with some shredded cheese, and close the tortillas in a half-moon shape.
- Apply some softened butter to the top of the stuffed tortillas and put them on a pre-heated flat-bottomed pan. Cook on both sides until the tortillas become brown and crisp.
- Now, cut the tortillas into four parts and serve them with lettuce salad, salsa, and guacamole dip.
Conclusion
So, these are some vegetarian Mexican recipes Indian style. We hope you like them and prepare them for yourself and your friends and family.
