Fajita time, amigos

Spicy smoked BBQ cottage cheese fajitas

The credit for fajitas goes to the cowboys from the ranches of South and West Texas apparently - while there are several claims about who coined the term or sold it first, we like this story the best. The legend goes that around the beginning of the 20th century, ranchers there would throw away the less-desirable cuts of meat - mainly beef - to the vaqueros (Spanish: cowboys), including the skirt steak or faja (Spanish: belt/girdle). The vaqueros would then marinate it, grill the strips over open fire, and plate it up with pico de gallo, a kind of salsa, on a bed of colourful veggies, with tortillas. Over time, the delicacy made it to taco stands, Texan restaurants, and soon enough, people were digging into the sizzling Tex-Mex dish across the globe. As the US celebrates National Fajita Day today, chef Abhijeet Gomare, head of culinary, Chili's India (West & South), gives us the lowdown on nailing the flavours with two recipes.

Chef Abhijeet Gomare

Spicy smoked BBQ cottage cheese fajita
"Cottage cheese is a preferred source of protein for many in India," says Gomare, adding that the tangy, smoky notes in the BBQ sauce sit well with Indian taste buds. "We've added a twist to the originally mild BBQ sauce, to satiate our desire for spicy food."

Yield: Two to three people
Ingredients
200 gm cottage cheese
80 gm smoky BBQ sauce
1 tbsp chilli paste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the vegetables:
Half red, yellow and green capsicums for each serving
1 small red onion
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp lemon juice

Sauté the capsicums and onion slices in oil with salt and lime juice; ensure they're not too soft. This applies to the other recipe, too.

For the corn salsa:
2 tbsp boiled corn
2 tbsp diced red, yellow and green capsicum
1 tbsp diced red onion
1 tsp southwest Cajun spice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1 tsp jalapeño
2 tbsp boiled kidney beans

For the herb ranch:
Mix 60 ml ranch sauce with a tsp of mixed herbs.
For the sizzling sauce:
Mix two tbsp water with two tbsp soya sauce and a tbsp of vegetable oil. You can use it for the other recipe, too.
For the mixed cheese:
Mix one tbsp of shredded mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and cheddar. This also applies to the other recipe.

Method
Spread the chilli paste and oil on the cottage cheese, and let it marinate for two hours. Brush some smoky BBQ sauce on both sides while grilling it till it's cooked. Mix all ingredients of the salsa and let it sit in the fridge. Grease a cast-iron skillet and heat it till it's piping hot. Take it off the flame, make a bed of the sautéed veggies, place the sliced, grilled cottage cheese, brush some more BBQ sauce and garnish with a lemon wedge. Drizzle some sizzle sauce on the sides and serve with the corn salsa, herb ranch, mixed cheese and flour tortillas.

Chipotle chicken-cheese fajita
This is an authentic, fresh Tex-Mex dish, shares Gomare, explaining, "Chipotle is a smoke-dried jalapeño chilli pepper used for seasoning, primarily in Mexican and inspired cuisines. This recipe is a combination of chipotle sauce, chicken and staples from southwest US."

Yield: Two to three people
Ingredients
2 each chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)
2 tbsp chipotle chilli paste
Southwest Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Sautéed vegetables

For pico de gallo:
1 tomato (diced)
1 tbsp red onion (diced)
½ tbsp jalapeño
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice

For the chipotle ranch:
Mix 60 ml ranch sauce with one tsp chipotle chilli paste and a small minced garlic clove.
For the guacamole:
1 crushed avocado per serving
2 tbsp diced tomatoes
1 tbsp diced red onion
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp diced jalapeños

Method
Marinate the chicken with the chipotle chilli paste, Cajun seasoning and oil. Grill it using little oil on both sides till cooked. To prepare the pico de gallo, mix all ingredients and let them marinate in the fridge. For the guacamole, combine all the ingredients, but ensure you don't pulp the avocados. Heat the greased cast-iron skillet till it's smoking hot, and throw in the sautéed veggies. Place the sliced grilled chicken, topped off with cheese. Garnish with a lemon wedge and coriander. Add the sizzling sauce on the sides, and serve hot with pico de gallo, lettuce, guacamole, chipotle ranch and warm tortillas.

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