Indo- Mexican Burrito Bowl

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Indo- Mexican Burrito Bowl

Indo- Mexican Burrito Bowl is a healthy and comforting recipe prepared with coriander rice, spiced beans, corn tomato salsa, mango chilli salsa, sauteed paneer, vegetables and sour cream.

Burrito bowls are all the rage right now, and for good reason. They are tasty and easy to customize to one’s preferences and taste. This Burrito Bowl recipe is basically my Indo- Mexican inspired twist on a traditional Burrito. Coriander rice, paneer, salsa and sauces – scooped inside of a bowl versus a tortilla, so it is gluten free and lower in carbs than a traditional burrito.

I enjoy making this recipe at home as it is fresh, healthy, customizable and wallet friendly too since it is made with fridge and pantry staples like rice, beans, vegetables and salsa. The basic combination of protein, carbs, and fat (paneer, rice and beans) is not only healthy and filling, but incredibly satisfying too. You won’t be looking for an evening snack after eating a burrito bowl for dinner. This Mexican rice bowl combines some of my favorite Mexican/Tex-Mex ingredients for a delicious and nutritious vegetarian/vegan burrito bowl that tastes as good as it looks.

Other recipes you might like to try are Chicken Fajita, Homemade Pico de Gallo (Fresh Tomato Salsa), Guacamole, Warm Avocado Open Guacamole, Mango Salsa and Mexican Bhel.

Ingredients

For Green Coriander Rice
1 cup rice
1 cup roughly chopped coriander leaves
3-4 green chillies
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves
½ cup finely chopped onions
¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon cumin powder

For Kidney Beans Salad
1 cup boiled kidney beans
2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
½ teaspoon sugar

For Sauteed Paneer
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
½ cup diced green pepper
½ cup diced red pepper
½ cup diced yellow pepper
1 cup paneer cubes
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon tabasco sauce

For Mango Salsa
1 cup finely chopped mangoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3-4 drops tabasco sauce
½ teaspoon salt

For Corn Tomato Salsa
1 cup boiled corn kernels
½ cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons coriander leaves
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon lemon zest

For Sour Cream
1 cup full fat cream
2 tablespoons yoghurt
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

Step-1

Wash the rice under running water and then soak the rice in water for 20-30 minutes. After the rice has soaked, drain the water using a colander.

Boil 9-10 cups of water add the rice and 1 teaspoon oil and gently stir. Let it cook uncovered until it is 80% cooked. This takes around 7 to 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and drain the rice in a colander. Set aside to cool it down.

Grind the coriander leaves, green chillies and water into a smooth paste.

Step-2

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan and add the garlic, onions and green peppers for coriander rice. Sauté on medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until the onions turn translucent.

Next add the salt, white pepper, cumin powder and the prepared coriander paste and mix. Cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes and then add the rice and gently mix.

Turn off the heat and keep aside.

Step-3

For the kidney bean salad, mix kidney beans, minced garlic, salt, red chilli powder, oregano, red chilli flakes and sugar. Taste to adjust the seasoning and keep aside.

Step-4

For the sauteed paneer, heat oil in a pan and add the onions and peppers. Sauté on high heat for 3-4 minutes and then add the paneer, salt, white pepper, red chilli flakes, oregano and Tabasco sauce.

Mix and taste the seasoning. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat and keep aside.

Step-5

For the mango salsa mix together mangoes, onions, coriander, green chillies, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce and salt.

Taste the seasoning. Keep it aside.

Step-6

For the corn tomato salad mix together corn, tomatoes, onions, coriander, salt, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce and lemon zest.

Taste the seasoning. Keep it aside.

Step-7

For the sour cream, mix together cream, yoghurt, salt and lemon juice until well combined. Keep it in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes.

To serve either you can layer each component in a bowl or add some rice as the base and top with some of each ingredient.

Tips & Variations

It is important to prepare the rice well which means rinsing them at least 2-3 times till the water is clear as this helps to clean the excess starch.
I always recommend soaking the rice for at least an hour or if you are short of time then at least for 20 to 25 minutes because well soaked rice will expand and cook well, and each strand of rice will be long and fluffy.
In this recipe the rice is boiled for 7-8 minutes so the rice is 80% cooked as the final cooking happens while it is tossed in the spinach masala. If you overboil the rice, then when it is tossed in spinach masala it will turn mushy.
I have used tinned kidney beans as they are easy to use for this recipe. You can pinto beans, black eyes peas, black beans, chickpeas or cannellini in this recipe.
Instead of a bowl you can make a tortilla bowl for serving too. To make a tortilla bowl, preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF. Place the tortilla in a oven-safe round bowl/dish and bake for 10-12 minutes. It may not seem super-crispy when you first take it out of the oven but should crisp up even further as it cools and becomes firm and crunchy and ‘set’ in its shape. If you decide to serve this rice bowl out of the tortilla shell, make sure to only serve it right before eating otherwise the ingredients will make the tortilla soggy.