Indian Style Nachos with Kidney Beans (Naan-Chos)

Blogging Marathon# 59: Week 1/ Day 2

Theme: Bring on the Nachos

Dish: Indian Style Nachos with Kidney Beans

I was raking my mind on what nachos to make for today. I googled quite a bit to find something I liked and then found these vegetable chili nachos on Foodgawker. But instead of topping the nachos with traditional chili, I thought of giving the dish an Indian touch by topping it with Rajma masala (Kidney bean curry).

So I went ahead and Indianized (is that even a word???) all of the components and made it the same way as the regular nachos. This dish turned out so delicious and I was very impressed with my own creation.

My absolute favorite part of the whole dish is the Indian style guacamole I used to top the nachos. I never thought mixing mint/ green chutney with mashed avocado would make it this tasty. You just have to give this a try.

I served the nachos with a dollop of Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and some tamarind chutney for good measure. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish and can't wait to serve it for family and friends.

Indian Style Nachos

Ingredients:

• 4 Wholewheat or Regular Naans
• 2tbsp Oil
• 1 15oz. can Red Kidney Beans or 1cups cooked kidney beans
• 1 Small Onion, finely chopped
• 1cup Tomato puree or 2~3 medium ripe fresh tomatoes chopped
• ½tsp Ginger+garlic paste
• 1tsp Kashmiri Red chili powder or Paprika
• ¼tsp Turmeric
• ½tsp Ground Coriander
• ½tsp Garam Masala
• 1tsp Kasoori Methi, crushed
• To taste Salt
• 1 Ripe Avocado, deseeded and mashed
• 1~3tbsp Green Chutney (Store bought or homemade)
• 1cup Grated Cheese (I used Mexican blend, but grated Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepperjack or Mozzarella would work great)
• As needed Tamarind Chutney
• As needed Red Onion, thinly sliced
• As needed Tomato, seeded and chopped
• As needed Greek Yogurt
• 2tbsp Cilantro

Method:

1. Make Pita Chips: Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the naans with oil and cut into 6 wedges. Place them in a single on the baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake for 10~13 minutes or until they are crispy and crunchy. Turn the sheet halfway through baking for even cooking. Let cool and keep ready. These can be stored in an airtight container for later use as well.
2. Make Kidney Bean topping: Heat 1tbsp oil in a skillet, add onion and cook till they turn translucent, about 2~3 minutes. Stir in ginger+garlic paste and cook for another minute.
3. Add the tomato puree or chopped tomatoes, turmeric, chili powder, ground coriander, crushed kasoori methi and salt. Cover and cook on medium-low flame until oil starts to separate around the edges.
4. If using canned beans, rinse and drain well. Add to the tomato mixture along with cup of water. Simmer for 5~7 minutes or low flame until the mixture is thick. Add garam masala just before turning off the heat.
5. Make Spicy Indian style Guacamole: In a small bowl, mash avocado with the green chutney. Start with 1tbsp green chutney -- taste and add more as needed.
6. Assemble the Nachos: Preheat the broiler. Arrange the naan chips on a baking sheet. Top it with the bean mixture, sprinkle with a lot or little cheese and repeat the layers with more chips, beans and cheese.
7. Broil for 1~2 minutes. Stay close to the oven and when you see that the cheese is melted, take the tray out of the oven. Cool for 2 minutes, then top with the spicy guacamole, Greek yogurt, tamarind chutney, red onion, tomatoes and cilantro. Dig in right away.

 

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 59.