Okay, I should be more specific: I just made something that I’d like to call a burrito, but it had no cheese, no meat, and no sour cream. It was still delicious though.
The making of a fake burrito.
I’m not sure if my posts so far have demonstrated the minor paranoia I have regarding weight gain. I know I’ve mentioned Franklin, my expands-at-will belly, before, but I don’t think s/he captures the extent of my worries on tipping the scales. This is not to say that I’m some pompous ‘weightist’ who advocates unhealthy attempts to stay rail thin or scowls at people who are bigger than me, but that I am not fond of exercise, in fact I detest it. And, so, in lieu of all the miles I’ll never run and the leg lifts I’ll never bother with, I turn to eating stuff that works for me and helps me maintain a healthy standard.
The burrito I made for lunch today conforms to that model. Now, it’s up to you to decide whether it’s really that great or not, or even healthier than what you’d get at a restaurant, but if you’re fond of mushrooms, kidney beans, guacamole and yogurt (among other things) read on:
Here’s How we Fake a Burrito:
Prep Time: 45 minutes.
Cook Time: 10 minutes.
Suggested Playlist: I watched my first ever episode of House! I love Hugh Laurie.
What You’ll Need (for one, yes, just one burrito):
1. A whole wheat tortilla. I used a frozen whole wheat chapati and honestly, I think it tasted great.
2. Four to five Baby Bella mushrooms – washed and diced.
3. Half an onion – sliced long.
4. One garlic clove – chopped very fine.
5. One-third cup boiled kidney beans. I use Progresso.
6. Two to three healthy tablespoons of guacamole. Here’s how you can make guac at home.
7. Two Romaine lettuce leaves – washed and cut into strips.
8. One-fourth cup yoghurt. I used Danone non-fat.
9. One teaspoon red chili powder.
10. A dash of crushed black pepper.
11. Two to three teaspoons of salt.
12. One teaspoon olive oil.
13. A smattering of Tobasco. I used the original flavor.
14. A medium sized skillet.
15. Optional: A tablespoon of milk.
16: Optional: Juice from half a lemon.
The Method:
Open.
I didn’t want to use sour cream or any kind of cream really and so I substituted it with a wonderful yogurt spread. Hang your yogurt in something that can act like a fine strainer. I have a chhalni that I use, but you can also use cheese cloth or muslin. Tie the cloth on the faucet of your kitchen sink and drain the yogurt of its excess water. Leave this for now, we’ll come back to it in a bit.
Warm up the skillet on medium heat. Add half a teaspoon of oil or spray with one to two spritzes. Once the oil is warm drop the onions into the skillet and fry till they look like they’ve lost their crunch. Move the onions in to a separate bowl and set aside. Now, using the same skillet, add the other half teaspoon of olive oil and add the mushrooms. Sprinkle some salt over them and cook till they reduce in size. If you want to make them a bit creamy you can add a splash of milk and cook the mushrooms till they soak it up. Keep these aside.
Although there’s enough oil left over in the skillet to cook the beans, you can add a little more if you wish but limit it to one spritz or a quarter of a teaspoon. Add the kidney beans and stir. Add salt and pepper and cook for a while. Set aside in a bowl.
Closed.
Transfer your yoghurt into a small mixing bowl. To this, add the chopped garlic, two pinches of salt and red chili powder. Mix them together. Taste. My dip was tart enough thanks to the few-days-old yogurt but if you want a little more zing you can add the lemon juice and mix it in.
Now, warm up your tortilla or chapati on a non-stick skillet. If you’re using the microwave for the tortilla, sprinkle some water on either sides first so it doesn’t harden.
Now, spread the yogurt liberally on your tortilla. Then, spoon a layer of the beans down the center. Follow it up with the mushrooms, onions, guac and lettuce. If you have some yogurt left over add a dollop. Now sprinkle some Tobasco on top. If there’s too much stuffing and you can’t roll the burrito up, you can keep it tied together neatly with a toothpick as I have in the image above. Your fake burrito is ready to eat.
I hope it’s good!
© Ayesha Sindhu 2014
The Quarter Chef 