Wrap And Roll Or Anda Parantha; Hack It With Tortillas

A Tortilla is an amazing hack for we Indians. I knew about it for long and have enjoyed Tortilla Wraps and Rolls many a times. Yet, never realised that this Spanish / Mexican thin flatbread, which is part of basic cuisine of many countries, is quite handy for Indian quick food hacks. I have tried Vegetarian and Non Veg Wraps and Rolls with available fillings / leftovers in my kitchen. Experimented Egg Rolls with it, including a version of Anda Parantha or Baida Roti. If you are short on time and need a quick-fix meal, this one is for you.

It so happened that a few weeks ago, while shopping for our monthly groceries, I chanced upon a pack of Tortillas. The Work From Home has facilitated undertaking experiments in kitchen, so Tortillas were yet another interesting thing to explore. Some amount of recall of what one had already tasted in restaurants and then an episode of Nadiya Hussain’s “Time To Eat” on Netflix, gave some ideas.

I used these Tortillas to experiment in my kitchen over the past few weeks. Each one was successful and enjoyed. There are now many more in my head and never let Tortillas go out of stock in my pantry. I share here a few of my creations in the kitchen for your reference.

Vegetarian Rolls & Wraps

This one is closest for the Indian Palate. My Facebook post on this drew quite amusing responses and yet liked a lot.

Ingredients:

Diced Onions, Diced Capsicums, Diced Carrots, Diced Potatoes, Chopped Green Chilies, Cumin Seeds, Spices as per choice, Salt, Oil; and of course Tortillas

Process:

Prepare the filling by heating oil in a pan. Crackle some Cumin Seeds (Jeera) and then add Onions. Once they are soft, add Potatoes. Keep stirring. At this stage add some Salt to help Potatoes cook. Now add chopped Green Chillies followed by, Carrots and Capsicum. Keep mixing them. Add Spices of your choice such as Red Chili Flakes, Ajwain, Dhania Powder etc and give it a mix. Then sprinkle some water, lower the heat, cover it, and let it cook for 3-5 minutes.

Your Indianized filling is ready.

Now take a non-stick Pan or Griddle and heat your Tortilla from both the sides. It will become soft and foldable.

Making a Roll:

It is not so difficult. While I am explaining the process below, you could also search on YouTube for the skill to make a roll or a wrap.

Spread the Tortilla in a plate.

Add some filling, off-centre, vertically. Roll it once from right to left; and then roll it from the bottom upwards, only once to seal the bottom. Hold the roll and continue rolling it from right to left till it is complete. Hold it for a while and it will hold on to its shape. Cut it from the centre in two.

Serve it with a sauce of your choice or ketchup.

For a Wrap, I placed the filling in a circular shape in the centre and then folded the Tortilla from all the four corners. Once packed, I placed it in an oven for about 5-7 minutes. You can also seer it in a pan with some oil.

You can make any filling of your choice, even with overnight leftovers, Indian, Continental, Spanish, Chinese etc.

Non-Vegetarian Rolls

Keema Anda Parantha Roll

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Butter, 2 Eggs Beaten, Chopped Onions (medium half), Some Sliced Onions, Chopped Green Chilly, Salt & Pepper, Leftover Mutton Keema, Lemon Juice, Chaat Masala.

Process:

Beat two Eggs in a bowl, add Chopped Onions, Salt to taste and Pepper. Heat some Butter in a pan and pour the eggs in it. When half done, spread Mutton Keema in the centre of the Omelette. Now place one Tortilla atop the omelette and press gently with a spatula. Flip the Tortilla gently and let it shallow fry in the butter. Once done, take it out in a plate.

Making a Roll:

Vertically line up some Sliced Onions, off centre, sprinkle some Chaat Masala over it, followed by a sprinkle of fresh lime juice.

Roll it as described above. Your roll is ready to be enjoyed.

Chicken Tikka Egg Roll

Ingredients:

In this version, the ingredients are same. The only change is to use Chicken Tikka instead of Mutton Keema and to place it over the Omelette which is placed atop the Tortilla.

Process:

Heat some Butter in a pan and pour the Beaten Eggs, like above. Once half done, just put the Tortilla atop the Omelette. Flip it gently to let the Tortilla shallow fry in butter. Remove in a serving plate.

Making a Roll:

Vertically line up , Chicken Tikka off centre, top it up with Sliced Onions and sprinkle fresh lime juice. Roll it as described above. Your roll is ready to be enjoyed.

You can avoid the Chicken Tikka and enjoy the Egg Roll, as it is too.

Chicken Roll (Continental Style)

Ingredients:

Tortilla

Leftover Chicken (which I made in Onion & Pepper with Demi glaze Sauce, last night)

Mozzarella Cheese

Sliced Onions

Process / Making a Roll:

Heat the Tortilla in a pan till its soft. Shred Chicken meat and vertically line up, off centre, on the Tortilla. Dress the chicken with the thick gravy of the leftover chicken. Grate some Mozzarella Cheese over it, followed by Sliced Onions. Roll it as described above. Your roll is ready to be enjoyed.

These are just a few suggestions which I experimented in my kitchen. You can play around with fillings of your choice, flavours of your choice, spices of your choice and what not. My friend Chef Sanjay Pawar is trying a version with Taro (kachalu) and Sweet Potato (Shakarkandi). And why not? You also my above recipes and if your experiment with different fillings, do share with me. Till then…

Bon Appetite!!

Rajesh Tara