With their luscious roasted vegetable sauce and flavourful cabbage and carrot filling, these enchiladas are deceptively light. A thin layer of cheese coats the top, just enough to provide a browned, brittle crust. They are creamy, spicy, sweet and crisp, a welcome change from the classic, heavy preparation. Another notable feature of these enchiladas is that they are a great make-ahead meal: they can be assembled and frozen for up to three months.

The Warm Roasted Pepper Salsa that goes into it was born of a craving for something warm and comforting to snack on, on a cold, snowy afternoon and has since become one of my favourite party dips. The Indian Coleslaw in it is bright and festive – it is cooked just enough to eliminate the raw sharpness of the carrots, while the cabbage remains al dente, with a nice, toothsome snap.

There are two things to bear in mind. For shredded cheese, you can use any combination of cheddar, mozzarella, queso blanco or Monterey Jack. And if you are using an 8-inch instead of 6-inch tortilla, add 1/3 cup of coleslaw.

  • Serves

    5

  • Cook Time

    01 h 30 m

    Plus 90 minutes to make salsa and coleslaw

Ingredients

For Enchiladas

  • 8 6-inch whole-wheat tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves and tender stems
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 recipe Warm Roasted Pepper Salsa
  • 1/2 recipe Indian Coleslaw
  • Sour cream for serving (optional)

For Warm Roasted Pepper Salsa

  • 4 large red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3-4 medium tomatoes, cored and sliced into thick wedges
  • 2-3 small red onions, roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno (or 2-3 green chillies)
  • 110 gm mozzarella or queso fresco, cut into small cubes
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra for greasing pan)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh cracked peppercorns
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream (or more if you like a thin salsa), optional

For Indian Coleslaw

  • 1 head cabbage, cored and shredded
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp sea salt or to taste
  • 1 tsp toasted cumin seed powder (bhuna jeera)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 10 medium carrots, grated
  • 1 jalapeno (or 2-3 green chillies), finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves and tender stems
  • Juice of 1.5 limes or to taste

Preparation

For Warm Roasted Pepper Salsa

  1. Heat your oven to 450°F (approx 230°C). Grease a large glass baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  2. Add the onions, red peppers, tomatoes, garlic and jalapeno (or green chillies) to the baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with remaining olive oil, and toss to coat.
  3. Roast the vegetables for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until they are soft and brown.
  4. Transfer the vegetables to a blender along with the cream and process until smooth.
  5. Pour the purée into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
  6. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cheese and cook for a minute or two until it starts to melt.
  7. Turn off the heat. Taste and adjust the salt, if necessary.

For Indian Coleslaw

  1. Heat the olive oil with the jalapeno (or green chillies), cumin seeds and pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cooking for about 2 minutes until the cumin is fragrant and browned.
  2. Add the coriander and cook for 15 seconds, and then toss in the carrots and cabbage.
  3. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted yet is still al dente.
  4. Stir in the coriander, red chilli powder, sugar, toasted cumin and salt.
  5. Cook for 30 seconds and then remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the lime juice and taste for seasoning.

For Enchiladas

  1. Heat your oven to 450°F (approx 230°C). Grease the bottom of an 11 X 9-inch baking dish with butter, add 1/2 cup salsa, shaking the dish to spread it evenly. Set aside.
  2. Warm a griddle or medium nonstick skillet for 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and warm each tortilla for 15-20 seconds on each side until it is pliable and smells toasty.
  3. Roll a heaping 1/4 cup of coleslaw in each tortilla and place seam-side down in the baking dish.
  4. Cover with remaining salsa and top with an even layer of cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden-brown. It should take about 20 minutes.
  5. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with sour cream.
Written by

Suvir Saran

Suvir Saran, the Chef-Owner of The House of Celeste in Gurgaon, is Scroll Food’s Chef of the Month for August. A legend in New York’s food circles, Chef Suvir garnered a Michelin star at Devi, a first for Indian cuisine restaurants in North America. He is the chairman of Asian Culinary Studies for the Culinary Institute of America and has written three cookbooks: ‘Indian Home Cooking: A Fresh Introduction to Indian Food’, ‘American Masala: 125 New Classics from My Home Kitchen’ and ‘Masala Farm: Stories and Recipes from an Uncommon Life in the Country’. His fourth book, ‘Instamatic: A Chef’s Deeper More Thoughful Look into Today’s Instaworld’, released earlier this year. Chef Saran’s approachable style helped demystify Indian cuisine in the US and ultimately formed American Masala, his culinary philosophy that celebrates the best of Indian and American cooking.

See more by Suvir Saran