Ultimate paneer burritos
- Prepare
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4–5
- Dietary
- Egg-freeNut-freeVegetarian
A build-your-own burrito that’s perfect for brunch with friends. Pack the burritos with the spicy paneer, refried black beans, homemade coriander and lime rice, smashed avocado, sweetcorn, crunchy lettuce and cooling soured cream for a vegetarian Indian-Mexican feast.
Ingredients
For the coriander and lime rice
- 100g/3½oz white basmati rice
- 15g/½oz fresh coriander, very finely chopped
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- ⅓ tsp salt
For the black beans
- 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 vegetable stock cube, dissolved in 150ml/5fl oz hot water
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 40g/1½oz mature cheddar, grated
For the paneer
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 250g/9oz paneer, cut into 4x1.5cm/1½x¾in rectangles
- 1 tbsp tandoori masala powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch salt (optional, see Tip)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
For the burritos
- 4–5 extra-large flour tortillas
- 1 large, ripe avocado, peeled, stone removed and flesh smashed
- 165g tin sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
- 150g/5½oz shop-bought tomato salsa
- 150g/5½oz soured cream
- 80g/2¾oz iceberg lettuce, shredded
- lime wedges
- pickled jalapeños (optional)
Method
To make the rice, put the rice in a sieve and wash under cold running water for 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover. Leave to soak for 15 minutes.
Drain the soaked rice well and transfer to a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the coriander, lime zest and juice and salt and pour in 200ml/7fl oz hot water.
Bring to the boil and cook for about 4–5 minutes, or until enough of the water has evaporated that the top of the rice is visible at the surface. Do not stir the rice at any point.
Cover with the lid and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Cook for 5 minutes and then remove from the heat. Leave to stand for at least 20 minutes before removing the lid. Fluff the rice up with a fork and set aside.
Meanwhile, to make the black beans, bring the beans, stock, cumin, coriander and oregano to the boil in a saucepan. Cover and simmer over a medium–low heat for 10 minutes.
Use a potato masher to roughly mash the bean mixture. Continue to cook until thickened.
Add the cheese and stir well until melted. The beans should have a thick, refried beans texture.
Cover and leave to stand while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. (If the beans seem too thick, add a little water and if they are too runny, cook for a little longer, bearing in mind that they will continue to thicken as they stand.)
To make the paneer, heat the oil in a frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add the garlic and fry for 10 seconds, then add the onions, pepper and paneer. Turn the heat up to very high and fry for 1 minute.
Add the tandoori masala, paprika and salt, if using.
Stir well and cook for another 2–3 minutes, letting the paneer and vegetables char in places. Garnish with the coriander and remove from the heat.
Serve the coriander and lime rice, black beans, paneer mixture, tortillas, avocado, sweetcorn, salsa, soured cream, lettuce, lime wedges and pickled jalapeños, if using, at the table and let everyone build their own burritos.
Recipe tips
Not all of the fillings need to be piping hot – room temperature is fine for everything except the paneer.
If the tandoori masala powder has salt already in it, you might not need to season the paneer with salt.
