Paneer/Chicken Enchiladas

A good dish for a nice dinner with friends. It's one of those dishes, that works good served by itself. A side salad and my quick nachos from my earlier post would make this a complete and impressive meal. I made this for my friends who were visiting this weekend, and they were really impressed.

I got store bought enchilada sauce, but it tasted really bad, so I made it from scratch. The re fried beans however taste really good from the can. Taco bell's re fried beans work really well here.

Update: I made this dish again with paneer instead of chicken. It tasted really good too. Just substitute the chicken with panner. The rest of the process is the same.

Chicken Filling:
Ground chicken/Paneer - 1 pound
Onion - 1
Green chilis - 2
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Taco seasoning - 1 pack
Salt - to taste
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Cilantro - few sprigs
Oil - 1 tbsp

In a pan, add the oil and fry the chopped onions and green chilis. When soft ad the chicken/Paneer and fry till slightly browned. Add the taco seasoning, cumin powder, salt, red chili powder and fry till done. Add the chopped cilantro and keep aside.

Enchilada sauce:
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Chili powder - 1 tbsp
Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp
Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Garlic powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Chicken stock/Water - 1/2 cup

Simmer all the ingredients together until well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Re fried beans - 1 Can
Flour tortillas - 6
Onion - 1 chopped
Cilantro - small bunch - chopped
Sharp cheddar cheese - 1 pack grated

Heat the tortillas on a pan until heated through. lay them on a chopping board and spoon 2 tbsp of re fried beans on each of the tortillas and spread evenly. Add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the chicken/Paneer filling on each of the tortillas and top with onions, cilantro and some cheese.
Roll the tortillas and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spoon the sauce on the tortillas and cover evenly. Spread the grated cheese on top and bake in a pre-heated 400F oven for 15 to 20 min.
The tortillas will start to get crisp at the ends and the cheese will be melted and bubbly.
Serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole.

It is well worth the effort as this is a really tasty dish.

Rice crackers/Chekkalu

Rice Flour - 1 1/2 cups
AP Flour/Maida - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 inch
Green Chilis - 5
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Chana daal - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves(torn) - few
Peanuts - handful
Butter - 2 tbsp
Oil - for frying

Grind the ginger and green chilis with some water. Soak the chana daal in some water for 1/2 hr. Break the peanuts into smaller pieces. Mix all the ingredients well except the oil. This should form a soft dough.
Spray some non-stick spray or add a few drops of oil on a plastic sheet or a large ziploc bag. Form gooseberry sized balls for the dough and place on one side of the plastic bag, fold over the other end and press to form flat discs. Alternately use your hands to do this. Heat a heavy bottom pan with oil and fry them until golden brown. Drain, cool and store in an air-tight container.

If you mix the dough to the right consistency and fry at the right temperature, they do not absorb more than a few tbsps of oil.

Gavvalu

AP Flour/Maida - 2 cups
Salt - a pinch
Butter/Ghee - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 3/4 cup + water to knead the dough
Oil - for frying

Mix the maida with salt and melted butter. Knead with water, to form a soft dough. Make chickpea sized balls of the dough and press on the end of a fork. Roll out the dough, to form the shape of the gavva. Alternately, if you have the wooden block to make these, use the block. The fork method work great here. I could not take pictures during this step. Heat a deep bottomed pan with oil and fry them. Make these gavvas ahead and cover with a damp cloth. I tried making some while the rest were frying, but it was a stretch. Fry them and set aside. In another pan, heat the sugar with 3/4 cup water and mix till the sugar dissolves. Cook till the mixture thickens and reaches a 1 string consistency. When you touch the solution with your fingers, a sting should form. Else, add a few drops of this solution to a bowl filled with water, and it should hold its shape.
Pour this solution on the fried gavvas and mix well. When the coating starts to harden and turn white, mix again. Stir once every 5 mins, till they are completely cooled down. This will ensure that they do not lump together. Store in an air tight container when they are completely cool.

Mini Pancake Muffins

This recipe is inspired from a post in the Pioneer Woman's blog. She has some amazing recipes and I haven't tried many, but this one is a sure winner. It's extremely easy, quick and the kids will love them.

I have a recipe for Pancakes on my blog. It's the same recipe that we can use for this dish as well.

Mini Muffin Pan
Pancake Batter
Blueberries or Chocolate Chips

Spray the Muffin pan generously and add the pancake batter to the moulds up to 3/4 full. Top with blueberries or chocolate chips.
Pre-heat the oven to 400F and bake for 8 to 10 min until baked through.

Remove and cool. Remove and serve with some syrup. This is also a good lunch box recipe for kids.