Indo-enchiladas

There are few things in life better than walking into my home on a Saturday night. The comforting pungent aroma and soothing sound of simmering fills my home before dinnertime in preparation for my favourite dish: indo-enchiladas. But before I tell y’all why, let me start with a little background. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas and both my mother and father are of Indian nationality. My older brother and I were raised in a household full of food and love from seven people—us, my parents, my aunt and uncle, and the most important member of the family: my grandmother, who I call Mota (translates to “grandmother” in Gujarati). As Hindu’s, we all practice vegetarianism, and as Indians in Texas, we love our Mexican food extra extra spicy. Our indo-enchiladas are not your average classic Mexican enchilada, but an Indian take on the vegetarian version of the Mexican speciality. Picture a soft corn tortilla rolled around a generous helping of flavorful chunky black beans, and doused in a thick aromatic tomato-based sauce with pungent notes of onion, cumin, and turmeric (a traditional Indian spice), all topped with plentiful Mexican cheese and fresh coriander. And if that description didn’t already convince you (and maybe even make your mouth water) that this is my favorite dish, then allow me to tell you exactly why. The reason my family’s indo-enchiladas are my favourite dish is because it effectively ties together my Indian heritage and my Texas upbringing—two vastly different cultures that represent my identity. This dish is also my father’s favorite as my grandmother made it for him every Saturday since he was a teenager after they immigrated from Mumbai to Houston. That beloved Saturday night tradition is still continuing.  Writing this post and thinking of this dish as a memory led me to an important realization, I’ve stopped thinking of my culture’s cuisine in monolithic terms such as just Indian or Mexican, and I’ve started to appreciate how it truly is a beautiful culmination of several cultures.

In Indian cultures, community is key in the food culture, and food is the key that opens the door to explore any culture. On Saturday nights, when we prepare our indo-enchilada’s, we usually come home to a hefty stockpot on the stove simmering with my grandma’s special sauce. The aroma reaches our nose even before the food reaches our mouth, and we can already taste it. But the sauce my grandma prepares never ends up being the same taste as the sauce that tops our enchiladas in the end—the reason lies in the seven different flavors of taste-buds I live with. Once my grandma makes her sauce, she asks someone to try it, and that person usually adds whatever spice he or she may think is missing. And we all know once my mom gets a spoonful of the sauce, she will be adding plentiful onion, chilies, and turmeric, always giving the sauce that extra Indian kick we were all looking for. Everyone visits the pot, one person after the next, adding whatever they think the sauce could use. And usually, the familial process only stops when someone complains about being starving (which is admittedly usually me). I believe this practice of cooking not only creates strong bonds within my family, but also creates an immense sense of trust in one another (especially when my brother goes in for a taste). Moreover, the family style of eating this dish just makes the memories all the more joyful and warm. Most families prepare enchiladas by baking them in single serving dish. However, we never serve the indo-enchiladas on a single portioned and plated dish, but we all chose to share from a large communal baking pan. 

My grandma shared her love for cooking with me and taught me her secret indo-enchilada recipe. Below is a picture of the dish I prepared for my roommates at Emory last semester using my grandma’s beloved recipe. (My roommates loved the dish, and said they had never tasted anything like it before!) The next image is a picture of my grandmother and I, and the third image is a recent photo of my grandma enjoying indo-enchilada leftovers for dinner the next night!

But, the significance of this dish for me goes as far as the meaning it has to my grandmother and my father. My grandmother comes from a very traditional Indian family in Mumbai, India, where she was born and brought up. Being the oldest sibling of three with busy parents, Mota was forced to learn her way around the kitchen at a very young age. She began cooking intricate, yet classically traditional Indian meals, such as Chole Bhature and Malai Kofta, for her parents, siblings, and even friends when she was only eleven years old. Since then, her unwavering passion for cooking grew and grew, and everyone in town was encouraging her to open up her own catering business. And so she did— and her catering became a local smash hit. When her kids were in high school, she and her husband decided to immigrate to the United States in search of bigger opportunities. My grandmother found immense pleasure and warmth from sharing her cooking with others, so she decided to continue her catering business from the comforts of her home in the wonderfully diverse city of Houston, Texas. Not only was this her first time in the United States, but it was also her first time leaving her own country. Unsurprisingly, she struggled at first given the language barrier and hired a culinarily talented assistant named Rosa, an immigrant from Mexico. While Rosa helped and learned how to prepare heavenly Indian dishes, she also shared her passion for cooking Mexican food with my grandmother. Rosa and Mota didn’t speak each other’s languages, yet food still powerfully connected them— it was a common language they both understood. The first dish Rosa taught my grandmother was her enchiladas— a recipe that had been passed down in Rosa’s family for generations. Rosa, of course, altered the original recipe, which included beef, to meet Mota’s religious dietary restrictions. A beautiful friendship unfolded between my grandmother and Rosa— all based on the premise of food and culture. As Rosa and my grandmother exchanged their recipes, their two cultures began to merge. 

The enchilada was the first recipe my grandmother had tried from culture that was not her own. She was amazed and intrigued by Rosa’s classic preparation of the enchilada, and appreciated Rosa vegatarianizing the dish for her. In celebration, my grandmother began to add her traditional Indian aromatic spices such as turmeric and coriander to Rosa’s Tex-Mex enchilada recipe, dubbing the “indo-enchilada”. Not only was this my grandmother’s first classic Tex-Mex dish, but it was also my father’s (her son) first non-Indian dish. The indo-enchilada quickly became my father’s favorite dish, which was a new and exotic dish for him at the time, and had evolved to become the dish that represents his new home.

Like many would predict, enchiladas originated in Mexico. The dish was first associated with the region of Mexico by the Yucatan in pre-Columbian days. Corn tortillas were a staple of the Mayan people and there is strong evidence that the first enchiladas were tortillas that had fish rolled in it. Back then, the dish was primarily food for the nobles and was said to be served for special occasions. Today, the culture of enchiladas has expanded and the food has since gone international, with most places hosting a variety of different types. Moreover, enchiladas today are not only available at Mexican establishments, but can also be found at most Tex-Mex restaurants, diners and even many supermarkets, which sell either frozen enchiladas or ready-made ingredients for quick preparation. But the true joy in enchiladas comes not only from the taste itself, but also the memories you make while you prepare the dish, which is something my grandma taught me. In Mexico, enchiladas have always held connotations of a familial meal. And over the years, many Mexicans have immigrated to the US, bringing with them their culture that included their delicious foods. Today, the enchilada and other great Mexican foods are continuing to grow in popularity. Due to its easy to make ingredients and plenty of ways to prepare it and add your own culture’s twist, you might even see enchiladas merging with your culture soon.