It took a month for the team at Chimichanga – a chain of Mexican restaurants and bars in Singapore co-founded by Aaghir Yadav – to perfect the South Indian-inspired dishes on their Deepavali special menu.
The festive set, intentionally developed to be all-vegetarian, features a quesadilla filled with a jackfruit masala that was convincingly meaty and full-bodied, alongside a black bean salsa keema dip served with nacho chips.
“We’ve been seeing increasing demand from vegans and vegetarians. We figured that Indian food is one of the best for vegetarians, so we might as well enter that space,” said Mr Aaghir, 43, a fourth-generation Singaporean whose family roots trace back to Uttar Pradesh.
In terms of texture, the black bean dip resembled a black-eyed pea or karamani kootu (a semi-thick legume-based stew), but tasted unexpectedly savoury like a mutton curry that has been slow-cooked for hours.
The creaminess of the dip made it easy to scoop up with the deep-fried, crunchy chips made from cut-up corn tortillas. The garnish of chopped-up coriander leaves then added a touch of freshness to balance out the bold flavours.
In an embrace of meat alternatives, Chimichanga’s jackfruit masala quesadilla is part of a collaboration with Jungle Kitchen – a Singapore-based business that specialises in farm-to-fork vegan products like the Jungle Jack, which uses seasoned jackfruit to substitute mince.
“We work with local enterprises often because they better understand the local taste preferences,” Mr Aaghir explained.
The cooked jackfruit provided a hearty, substantial bite and the masala was umami-packed. In combination with the melted cheese, an essential element of the quesadilla, the dish was an absolute home run. It also comes with a side of sour cream, which helps to cut through the richness.
The collaboration also resulted in a new cobra chilli hot sauce, aptly titled Jungle Fuego or Fire in Spanish. Although the cobra chilli is in the same range as habaneros and ghost peppers on the Scoville scale, the hot sauce prioritises a depth of flavour over pure heat.
A desi-Mexican feast is not complete without drinks, and Chimichanga’s team concocted two festive cocktails for the Deepavali special menu – namely, the Boozy Mango Lassi and the Mumbai Mule.
The latter includes a cardamom-infused vodka and housemade honey-ginger for an Indian twist on the classic Moscow Mule, which has a ginger beer base for a carbonated mouthfeel.
“The mango lassi was the hardest thing to do,” Mr Aaghir noted. “We had to find a yoghurt with a high enough fat content. If not, it will separate when we add the alcohol.”
The team landed with natural set yoghurt from Alvas, a local dairy company.
Each glass of Chimichanga’s lassi uses half of a small mango and four generous scoops of yoghurt – to the extent that a 500ml tub of yoghurt is emptied every three glasses. Dark rum lends a subtle sweetness, which peeks through the yoghurt’s dominant tartness.
The Deepavali special menu will be available until Nov 29, and the festive set (quesadilla, nachos and one alcoholic drink) is priced at S$35, subject to service charge and tax.
