Red bean quesadillas
The most we stock up on these days at home is cheese. D n I usually go out every 2 weeks once to see and buy some stuff from the supermarket and the main thing in that ‘SEE and BUY’ is cheese. Once we surprised ourselves with the amount of cheese we bought and the different kinds of cheese we got too :D. Now we are not surprised anymore. Just become the norm of the house. There is almost always some 5 or 6 different kinds of cheese in our house at any point off late :). 2 of the common cheese we stock up on each time are Moz & Cheddar blocks. We only buy mild cheddar (should brave and buy the regular ones next time). There was this one thursday (rest of the world’s fridays) when D wanted something different and thankfully I was well prepared. Mexican food for D gets a little tricky in terms of stuffing since D isn’t a fan of soya chunks & isn’t a big fan of paneer either (both of which doesn’t require pre planning). I had tried these really simple red kidney beans stuffing a few weeks prior and had absolutely nailed it the first time around and so that is what happened for D’s thursday dinner. Quesadillas stuffed with the rajma & loads of cheddar cheese. Also made a quick raw mango salsa to go with the quesadillas which came out really nice too (to be blogged another time). There are days when I make just this red kidney bean/ rajma stuffing to have just like that (no tortillas nothing) and I absolutely love it and I am not even a big fan of rajma otherwise :). If you have cooked/ canned rajma and tortillas on hand, this dish is so easy and so yummy to put together.
On a personal front, our new normal has us playing board/ card games every evening. Adya enjoys it too and so a win win for all. Adya plays Uno all by himself (well almost) and its funny to see how his mind works. He likes to play the same number card over the same colour cards. When each of us play the +2 or +4 card we just say sorry (not sure how much we mean it but we say it) and he has picked this up very cutely :). Each time he puts down one of these card, he says sorry too :D. Justu heart melt moments for me.
- 1/2 cup boiled red kidney beans/ rajma
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium capsicum
- 2 pods garlic
- 1 no green chilli
- 1 tsp refined oil
- 1/8 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1.5 tsp siracha sauce
- 3 medium tortillas
- 1/2 cup mild cheddar/ mozarella cheese
- 8-10 nos pickled jalapenos
- 1 tsp refined oil
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Chop onion, capsicum, garlic and green chilli to thin long pieces.
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Heat a pan/ kadai with 1t oil.
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Once hot throw in garlic and green chilli.
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Just when it starts to change colour throw the onion and saute on high heat.
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When onion starts to change colour, add capsicum, a little salt, 1/8t cumin powder, 1/2t kashmiri chilli powder.
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Saute on high heat for 1 minute or till it starts to soften. Check & adjust salt/ seasoning.
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Finally add 1.5t siracha sauce. Mix.
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Turn off heat.
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You may choose to lightly mash the beans/ rajma with the back of a ladle.
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Heat a flat pan and place a tortilla.
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Drizzle a few drops of oil in the corners.
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Flip sides when the placed side browns/ cooks. Drizzle a little more oil if needed.
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On the flipped side, add a little of the bean stuffing & some pickled jalapenos (all on one half of the tortilla).
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Top with some cheddar cheese.
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Fold the tortilla & let the tortilla brown (cheese inside melt).
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Toss on both sides while this happens and then transfer to a plate.
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Cut into slices & serve along with sour cream as a dip.
- You can soak 1/4c rajma/ red kidney beans over night for this & pressure cook for 7-8 whistles.
- You can also use canned beans if you have.
- Any cheese can be used (simple processed cheese is fine too) or you can completely skip cheese as well. But I will not recommend this :).
- If you do not have siracha sauce, add 1.5t chilli garlic sauce. If not 1t tomato sauce (last favoured option).
Stepwise pictures
Prep work – Chop onion, capsicum, garlic & green chilli into thin long pieces. Heat a kadai/ pan with 1t oil. Once hot, add garlic & green chilli. 
When it starts to change colour, add onion and saute on high. 
When onion starts to change its colour, throw in the capsicum. 
Add a little salt, cumin powder & red chilli powder. Saute on high heat for 1 minute or till capsicum starts to soften. 
Add the boiled red kidney beans/ rajma, mix. Check & adjust for salt. 
Finally add siracha sauce, mix. 
Turn off heat. 
You may choose to mash the rajma/ kidney beans lightly with the back of a ladle. Rajma/ bean stuffing ready. 
Heat a flat pan and place one side of a tortilla. Drizzle a little oil around the corners. 
Flip sides when the side browns and drizzle a little more oil if needed. On the flipped side, add a bit of the stuffing, some pickled jalapenos on one half of the tortilla. 
Top with some cheese. 
Fold the tortilla. 
Toss both sides till it browns & the cheese melts. Quesadilla ready to be devouvred. Repeat the same process for the other 2 tortillas. 
Slice into quarters & serve with some sour cream to dip into!
