This Mexican tacos recipe builds everything from scratch, including the shells. The shells are rolled thin from a mix of maize flour and plain flour, deep fried until just golden, and shaped into the familiar U form while still hot and pliable. The filling is pressure-cooked rajma mashed coarsely and cooked down with butter, ketchup, red chilli powder, cumin and clove-cinnamon powder until thick and well blended. A fresh vegetable topping of onion, tomato, cucumber, capsicum, cabbage, spring onion, boiled potato and salad leaves goes on top, along with salsa, ketchup and plenty of grated cheese. It works well for a weekend meal or a casual gathering.
About the Recipe
The recipe produces 18 to 20 tacos and takes roughly two hours in total, with most of that time split between the shells and the filling. The shells need to be fried one at a time and shaped immediately, so it helps to have tongs or a folded cloth ready before you start.
The rajma filling must be thick enough to hold inside the shell without running. Keep the heat on until the excess moisture cooks off. The vegetable topping is simply tossed with salt and pepper and used fresh, which keeps it crunchy against the warm filling.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Making the shells from scratch is worth the effort. A homemade maize and plain flour shell fried to a light golden colour has a crispness and a slight chew that a packaged shell does not.
The rajma filling is the other highlight. Pressure-cooked rajma mashed coarsely and cooked with cumin, clove-cinnamon and chilli powder becomes thick and deeply flavoured. Together with the cool, crunchy vegetable topping and melted cheese, each taco has a clear contrast between hot and cool, soft and crisp.
Cooking Tips
The most common beginner mistake is frying the shells too dark before shaping. Pull each one out when it is only lightly golden as it firms up as it cools. Shape it immediately while hot or it will crack.
For the rajma filling, do not skip cooking it down after mashing. A watery filling will make the shell soggy within seconds of assembling.
Roll the chapattis as thin as possible, around 4 to 5 inches across, so the shell stays light rather than doughy after frying.
Top Tips
- Soak the rajma overnight without fail. Under-soaked beans will not cook through evenly even after 7 pressure cooker whistles.
- Roll each chapatti as thin as you can manage. A thick chapatti produces a heavy, doughy shell after frying.
- Shape the fried shell into a U while it is still hot. Have a folded cloth or tongs ready before you lower the next one into the oil.
- Cook the mashed rajma filling until it holds its shape on a spoon. If it slides off easily, it is still too wet for the shell.
- Assemble the tacos just before serving. The shell softens quickly once the filling and topping go in, so do not build them ahead of time.
- Keep the vegetable topping at room temperature rather than chilling it, so the contrast with the hot filling is about texture rather than temperature.
Serving and Storing Suggestions
Serve the tacos immediately after assembling. The shell begins to soften within a few minutes once the filling and topping are added.
If you are making these for a group, keep the shells, filling and topping in separate bowls and let everyone assemble their own. Leftover shells can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a day. The rajma filling keeps well in the refrigerator for up to two days and reheats easily on the stove with a splash of water.
Similar Recipes
Nutrient Benefits
Rajma is a good source of plant protein and dietary fibre, which makes the filling genuinely substantial. The vegetable topping, which includes onion, tomato, cucumber, capsicum, cabbage, spring onion and salad leaves, contributes vitamins C and K along with some folate. Boiled potato adds carbohydrate and potassium. Grated cheese brings calcium and additional protein.
Mexican Tacos
Ingredients
- For taco shells:
- 1 cup fine maize flour
- 1 cup plain flour
- salt to taste
- oil to deep fry
- For bean filling:
- 2 cups beans (rajma) washed and soaked overnight
- 1 tbsp . butter
- 3 tbsp . tomato ketchup
- 2 tsp . red chilli powder
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp . ground fresh cumin
- 1/2 tsp . clove-cinnamon powder
- For topping:
- 2 onions chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 cucumber chopped
- 1 small capsicum chopped
- 2 tbsp . cabbage chopped
- 1 sprig spring onion chopped
- 1 potato boiled, peeled, chopped
- 4-5 salad leaves chopped
- 1/2 cup salsa dip (refer dips & dressings)
- 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
- 1 cup grated cheese
Instructions
- For shells:
- Mix flours and salt. Add some water knead to a pliable dough.
- Divide and roll into 4-5" very thin chappatis. Prick both sides with fork.
- Arrange on a large cloth to air out.
- Deepfry one at a time till lightly golden.
- Fold into a 'U' or taco shape while hot, drain and cool. Repeat for all.
- For bean filling:
- Pressure cook rajma till well cooked. (approx. 7 whistles).
- Drain and mash coarsely while hot. Keep aside 1 cup of the water.
- Return mashed rajma to cooker directly.
- Add drained water, all other ingredients and cooked till well blended.
- Add some more water if required. Do not make watery.
- Keep aside and use hot or warm.
- For topping:
- Mix all vegetables, add salt and pepper and toss lightly.
- To serve:
- Put a tbsp. of bean filling inside the taco.
- Spread a tbsp. of topping.
- Dot topping with a tsp. each of tomato ketchup and salsa dip.
- Top with plenty of grated cheese.
- Serve immediately.
- Making time:
- Tacos - 1 hour
- Filling, salad - 45 minutes
- Finishing - 10 minutes Makes: 18-20 tacos
Sign up for our newsletter
Add Awesome Cuisine as a Preferred Source
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use canned rajma instead of soaking dried beans overnight?
Yes. Drain and rinse canned rajma thoroughly, then mash it coarsely and proceed directly to the cooking step with butter, ketchup and spices. Skip the pressure cooking entirely. The texture will be slightly softer than pressure-cooked dried beans, but the filling will work well. You will need roughly two standard 400 g cans to match the two cups of dried beans called for in the recipe.
My taco shells cracked when I tried to fold them. What went wrong?
The shell was most likely left to cool even slightly before shaping. Once the fried chapatti loses its heat it becomes brittle and will crack when bent. You need to fold it into the U shape within a few seconds of lifting it from the oil. Have your folding tool or cloth ready before you fry each one so there is no delay between draining and shaping.
Is there a way to make the shells without deep frying?
The recipe is designed for deep frying, which gives the shell its crispness and the rigidity needed to hold the filling. Shallow frying or dry roasting will produce a softer result that is more like a chapatti than a taco shell. If you want to avoid deep frying, you can use the dough to make soft tacos instead by rolling and dry roasting them on a tawa, but the texture and structure will be quite different.
The rajma filling turned out too watery. How do I fix it?
Return the filling to the pan over medium heat and cook it uncovered, stirring regularly, until the excess moisture evaporates. This can take 10 to 15 minutes depending on how much liquid is present. The filling is ready when a spoonful holds its shape without spreading. The recipe notes that you should not make it watery, so it is better to add the reserved cooking water gradually rather than all at once.
Can I prepare any part of this Mexican tacos recipe ahead of time?
Yes. The rajma filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat it on the stove with a small splash of water before serving. The taco shells can be fried and shaped a few hours in advance and stored uncovered at room temperature so they stay crisp. The vegetable topping is best chopped fresh on the day. Avoid assembling the tacos ahead of time as the shell softens quickly once the filling is added.
this dish is excell.