The thing about Mexican food is it can be modified to suit local tastebuds and yet remain authentic in essence. The strong Mexican flavour comes from jalapenos (large green chillies) and pinto beans (rajma). That’s why, even when the Spanish fused their preferences into the Aztec cuisine, the food still tasted typically Mexican.
The cuisine’s essential ingredients — corn, beans, rice — are easily available. “The food is wholesome and has a close resemblance to Indian cuisine,” says Samrat Kapoor, owner of Sammy Sosa, a Mexican restaurant in Oshiwara. So it’s surprising that there aren’t more Mexican eateries in the city.
Memnah meat
After weighing different options, I decided to experiment with an exotic Mexican lamb dish. Sukanta Mondal, the chef at Sammy Sosa, patiently instructed me on how to go about making ‘Mexi Chilli Lamb’ at home. The lamb is cooked with beans, chilli and white wine, and served on a bed of rice.
That weekend, I went hunting for lamb. After asking for ‘memnah meat’ in three neighbourhood butcher shops, I was directed to one suspect-looking shop in a Four Bungalows alleyway. (In case lamb isn’t available at a local butcher shop, you can substitute it with mutton or pork or beef.)
It took me an entire afternoon to make the Mexi chilli lamb, but it tasted nothing like Sammy Sosa’s version. I should point out here that I’m an arrogant cook, confident in my understanding of the recipe and ready to improvise with ingredients and cooking methods. Anyway, it turned out that I had completely omitted the jalapeno peppers and gone overboard with the pinto beans which dominated every other flavour.
Jalapenos originated in Mexico and give Mexican cuisine its distinct spicy flavour. (Even adding them to a chicken recipe will give it a Mexican character, I discovered later.).
Humbled, I returned to the suspect-looking butcher shop to buy more lamb. This time, I was going to cook it by the book. And so I did. While the lamb was cooking slowly on a low flame, and the beans boiling on the second burner, I chopped up the other ingredients, arranging them neatly in little bowls, just like they do in cookery shows. Feeling thoroughly elated at my professionalism, not to mention my apron, I spent another afternoon following the recipe to a T.
Tangy aftertaste
Until I poured in the wine, that is. Mondal had mentioned that the 20-30ml of wine was just to add a little flavour, but I was far more generous with it. Wham! The spicy Mexican lamb suddenly tasted a bit tangy. Now, maybe I’m biased, but I don’t think that was such a bad idea after all. It gave the chilli lamb an exotic zing. With Mexican rice (see recipe box), the semi-dry chilli lamb left me with an interesting spicy-tangy aftertaste.
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