The first Mexican meal I ever had was at Rodeo at Connaught Place, Delhi. It was a varied spread with a plethora of rich flavours. I took to the cuisine easily and couldn’t help but notice its close similarity to the Indian cuisine. The tortillas, for instance, are akin to the ‘makkai ki roti’ made in North India.

It was quite a breeze making tortillas from scratch and assembling these quesadillas. They made for a hearty and healthy meal with a tall tumbler of apple shake.

Tortillas are traditionally made with masa or masa harina. The closest thing to that and easily available in India is makkai ka aata or maize flour (not the fine corn flour) and I used that to make tortillas.

This recipe makes 10 tortillas
Maize flour/makkai ka aata- 1 cup
All purpose flour/maida- ½ cup
Salt- ¾ tsp
Olive oil/vegetable oil- 1 Tbsp
Water- as needed to knead the dough

Mix all the ingredients and slowly add water to get a smooth dough.
Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Prepare the filling while the dough is resting.
After 20 minutes, divide the dough into 10 and make balls. Roll each out like a chapati/roti and cook on a hot griddle flipping every two minutes till done. Keep aside.


For the filling use any vegetables of your choice. Shredded chicken on any other meat may also be used.
I made the filling with
Onion, chopped fine- 1
Garlic, minced- 1 tsp
Peppers, cubed small- 1 each of red, green and yellow
Mushrooms, sliced- 200 gms
Salt- 1 tsp (adjust as per taste)
Chili flakes- ½ tsp
Ground pepper- ¼ tsp
Oregano or mixed herbs- ½ tsp
Grated cheese (Cheddar or mozzarella)- ½ cup
Olive oil- 1 Tbsp

Heat the oil and sauté the garlic. Add onions and let them brown. Add the chopped vegetables and cook them for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chili flakes and the oregano (or mixed herbs). Keep the vegetables crunchy and do not overcook them.

To assemble
Heat your electric grill. In case you don’t have one, quesadillas can also be made on the griddle.
Take a tortilla. Spread the filling generously, keeping some margin around the edges. Top with some grated cheese.




Cover with another tortilla and grill it in the electric grill. If using a griddle/tawa, oil it lightly and place the quesadilla on it and toast it from both sides till crisp.
Serve hot.

* The quesadillas can be made with only maize flour but I find it easier to roll them out when Maida/APF has been added to the dough.