Sunday, June 14, 2020

Chipotle Veggie buritto bowl ~ copy cat recipe



One of our quickest and healthiest take away when we were in the US was the "Buritto Bowl" from Chipotle. Chipotle is one of the Mexican fast food chain. This burrito bowl has often comforted us on long drives and cold winter nights. The spice from the chilli, tanginess from the salsa's and lime, the creaminess from the guacamole and crunchiness from the roasted pepper and onions create a beautiful harmony in mouth. When we moved to Bangalore 1.5 years ago we were elated with variety of spicy Indian food easily available. After the initial cravings were satisfied we started missing few of the items that we frequently ate in the US. This burrito bowl was one among them. Our Son A, is a die hard fan of Chipotle bowl and when I made this for him he was super happy and said " This is how it smells when you enter Chipotle!". 
Having tried the copy cat version 2 years ago I had a fair idea of the recipe. Do not get intimidated with the long list of ingredients.  This is a fairly easy recipe with a little cooking involved. 

The different elements in this bowl are:
1) Cilantro - lime rice
2) Black beans
3) Tomato Salsa
4) Corn Salsa
5) Guacamole
6) Roasted Onions and
7) Roasted peppers

Optional and not in picture : Sour cream, Tabasco hot sauce and lettuce.



Lets breakdown this recipe for better understanding.  
Here is what's needed:

1) Cilantro - lime rice:
2 cups Basmati rice or any long grain rice - soaked for 20 mins and drained
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
10 - 12 springs of cilantro or coriander leaves with stem finely chopped.
salt to taste
juice of 1 lime

Procedure:
I used my instant pot to make this rice. 
1) Press saute , Add oil. Add in garlic,  cilantro stems (reserve the leaves for later use) and rice. 
2) Saute until it turns turns slightly brown. 
3) Add 3 cups of water. Add in salt to taste and  pressure cook for 6 mins. 
4) When done immediately release the pressure and open the lid. Fluff with fork. Add in the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Your rice is now ready. 

The same can be done in a pressure cooker or on stove top.

2) Black beans:
1.5 cups of black beans soaked overnight and drained
2 bay leaves
4-5 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp of dried oregano
salt to taste
1 tsp oil

I used Instant pot to make this. 
1) Heat oil on saute. Add bay leaves and garlic. Saute.
2)  Add in the beans, salt to taste and water. Crush the oregano between your palms and add it in. 
3)  Cook it on beans / chili mode and let the pressure release manually. If it  has excess liquid then let the beans cook without the lid on , until its nice and  thick. 

This can also be done in a Pressure cooker or on stove top. The stove top version would take a long time though.

3) Tomato Salsa:
3- 4 meduim sized tomatoes - Finely chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
2-3 green chillies finely chopped ( adjust according to your spice level)
Salt and lemon juice to taste
chopped coriander leaves 

Mix all the above ingredients to make the salsa.

4) Sweet corn salsa:
2 cups boiled corn kernels
1/4 piece of capsicum
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 green chilly finely chopped ( adjust according to your spice level)
Salt and lemon juice to taste
chopped coriander leaves 

Mix all the above ingredients to make the salsa.

5) Guacamole:
2 ripe Avocados
1 tomato finely chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped ( adjust according to your spice level)
Salt and lemon juice to taste
chopped coriander leaves 
Cut the avocado lengthwise and remove its pit (Do not throw it away)

Mix all the ingredients except Avocado and give it a mix. Add in the avocado and mash lightly with the back of spoon. I like mine chunky so  I mash the avocado lightly.

Pro-tip: Keep a pit of the avocado in the guacamole to retain its color and freshness.

6) Roasted onions and Pepper:
2 capsicum/ peppers sliced
3 Onions sliced
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Taco seasoning (Optional)
Olive oil 2-3 tbsp

Procedure:
Heat oil in a cast iron pan. Saute the veggies with salt and taco seasoning individually on high flame until well roasted yet crunchy.

To Serve:
Take a bowl, Add in the rice. Top it with beans and both the salsas.  Add in the guacamole and roasted veggies. Add in the optional  items hot sauce, sour cream and cheese Serve immediately.  Mix and enjoy!