The Westin Mumbai Garden City: Mexican Delights

As we roll into our specialty Mexican Food Festival at Seasonal Tastes, our Chef de Cuisine, Amit Suri shares with you some tasty treats from the colorful cuisine of the Latin American region for you all to try at home.

Picadillo (Grounded lamb with tomato)

Ingredients

500gm ground beef

150gm onion, sliced

4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

2 jalapenos seeded and diced

100gm tomatoes, seeded and diced

8 green olives, pitted and sliced into quarters

100ml olive oil

80gm raisins (softened by soaking in warm water for 20 minutes)

1 poblano chile or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

10gm cumin

5gm ground cloves

5gm brown sugar mixed with 5gm mollasses

60gm potatoes peeled and cubed

320ml oil (for potatoes)

Preparation

Cook the ground beef, jalapenos and onions over medium heat until the beef is about half cooked and only some pink remains. Add the garlic and cook for mixture for two more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over low heat until the beef is well browned and crumbly, the tomatoes and onions are softened and begin to blend with the other ingredients.

Mixiote de Borrego en Mole Coloradito: Lamb Shank in an Oaxacan Red Mole Sauce

Ingredients

For the mole sauce:

1.5kg tomatoes, roasted in a 375 degree oven until blackened

10 garlic cloves, roasted

12gm sesame seeds, toasted

3gm freshly-ground black peppercorns, toasted

5gm dried oregano, toasted (Mexican preferred)

3gm cinnamon, toasted

10 ancho chilies

10 guajillo chilies

90ml canola oil

220gm Mexican chocolate

125gm sugar

For the lamb shanks:

4 medium to large lamb foreshanks

Salt

125ml canola oil, for searing

125ml red wine vinegar

80gm onion chopped

4 (12-inch) square bananas leaves

Preparation

To prepare the mole sauce: In a blender or food processor, blend tomatoes and garlic cloves, adding water if necessary. Strain and set aside. In a spice grinder pulverize the sesame seeds, peppercorns, oregano and cinnamon; set aside.

Make a lengthwise cut on 1 side of each ancho and guajillo chile and remove seeds. Put chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water, letting soak for 20 minutes or until soft. Place chilies and soaking water in a blender. Puree, strain and set aside. In a medium stockpot, heat three tablespoons of canola oil. Add the dried spices stirring continuously. Add the two purees and bring to a boil. Add the chocolate, sugar, and salt to taste; let simmer for about 20 minutes.

To prepare the lamb shanks: Season the lamb shanks with salt and in a hot skillet sear shanks in oil on all sides. In a bowl, dip each shank in mole sauce, sprinkle with some of the vinegar, chopped onion and salt, then wrap in a banana leaf and then in aluminum foil. Place shanks in a roasting pan and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 3.5 to 4 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone. Place shank on a plate and top with additional warm mole sauce.

Tex Mex Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray

150gm chopped onion

20gm garlic cloves, minced

35gm tomato paste

5gm ground cumin

3gm chili powder

1.5ltr vegetable broth

60gm chopped fresh cilantro

24 inches corn tortillas cut into 1/2 inch-wide strips

125gm chopped tomato

165gm black bean, rinsed, drained

65gm chopped zucchini

60gm minced seeded jalapeno chiles

Directions

· Spray large nonstick saucepan with vegetable oil spray.

· Add onion and garlic; cover and cook over medium-low heat until almost tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

· Stir in tomato paste, cumin and chili powder.

· Add broth and half of cilantro; bring to boil.

· Reduce heat, cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes.

· Add tortillas, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and jalapeño to soup.

· Cover simmer until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.

· Season with salt and pepper.

· Ladle soup into bowls.

· Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

Should this all look a little too challenging or the long working hours not enable you time to prepare any of the above, come join us at Seasonal Tastes and let the culinary team tempt your taste buds and transform your regular evening into a Latin American delight.