Pav Bhaji Cheese Quesadillas
India meets Mexico: thick, spiced pav bhaji and melting cheddar and mozzarella folded into flour tortillas and crisped in butter, with a minty sour-cream dip.
Method
Peel the potatoes, cut them into 2 cm cubes and put them in a 18 cm pot with the frozen vegetables and the water. Boil on high heat for , until the potato crumbles easily with a fork. Drain and mash well.
Add in this stepPotatoes 200 gFrozen peas and carrots 100 gWater (for boiling) 600 ml
high heatMelt the butter in a 24 cm pan on medium heat and cook the chopped onion and garlic for until soft. Add the finely chopped tomato, pav bhaji masala, chilli powder and salt and cook for more, until the tomato has completely broken down.
Add in this stepButter 15 gOnion ½Garlic cloves 2Tomato 1Pav bhaji masala 2 tspKashmiri chilli powder ½ tspSalt ½ tsp
medium heatAdd the mash and stir on medium-low heat for to drive off moisture, until you have a thick filling that holds its shape on a spoon. A wet filling makes soggy quesadillas, so cook it down well. Spread it on a plate to cool for 5 minutes.
medium-low heatMix the sour cream with the chopped mint, lime juice and a pinch of salt to make the dip, and keep it in the fridge.
Add in this stepSour cream 4 tbspFresh mint, chopped 1 tbspLime ½
Spread a thin layer of filling over half of each tortilla, scatter over the cheddar, mozzarella, jalapeño and coriander, then fold in half and press gently. The cheese glues everything together as it melts.
Add in this stepFlour tortillas (20 cm) 4Cheddar, grated 60 gMozzarella, grated 60 gJalapeño, thinly sliced 1Fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped 2 tbsp
Melt a little butter in a wide pan on medium-low heat and cook the quesadillas two at a time, in 2 batches, for per side, until golden and crisp and the cheese begins to ooze. Rest for 1 minute, cut into wedges and serve with the mint sour cream.
Add in this stepButter 10 g
medium-low heat
Cook's tip
Keep the heat at medium-low: too hot and the outside burns before the cheese melts. Leftover pav bhaji is perfect here; skip steps 1 to 3 and just cook it down until thick. For no heat, swap the jalapeño for finely chopped bell pepper.
Cooking it at camp
Bring the filling made at home and you only need to cook the quesadillas, in a cast-iron pan or on a griddle over the grill. Charcoal runs hot, so cook at the cooler edge and flip often. Keep the sour-cream dip in the cooler.