Barbeque chicken to spinach: Indulge in some innovative crispy and creamy nachos with these easy recipes

They say the best of innovative dishes come from leftover foods. According to history, Nachos are a product of just that. From America to India, nachos have made it to the menus of almost every eatery. Dollops of cheese, tangy salsa sauce, and sprinkled veggies on crispy tortilla chips make up for a heavenly combination. A bite of all these layers satiates the taste buds like no other dish. While nothing beats the classic cheesy nachos, the dish has seen innovative variations in toppings as well as the base, that have succeeded in pleasing nachos lovers.

Since November 6 is celebrated as National Nachos Day annually, Mid-day Online decided to dish out some unique nachos recipes to those individuals who are always up for some good nachos.

Sweet Potato Nachos
Sweet Potato Nachos are a perfect balance of flavours and textures. The sweetness of the potatoes, the creaminess of mashed avocado, the heat of jalapenos, and the richness of cheddar cheese come together harmoniously. It's a delightful dish that adds a touch of sophistication to a classic snack.

Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes, sliced thickly with skin - 32 pcs
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Refried beans - 100 gm
Jalapenos in brine, cut into big chunks - 50 gm
Spring onions, chopped - 2 tbsp
Cheddar Cheese, grated 50 - gm
Pico de gallo - 50 gm
Black olives, sliced 1 - tbsp
Green Olives, sliced 1- tbsp
House spice mix - 1tsp
Mashed avocado - 2 tbsp
Sour cream - 2 tbsp

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place sliced sweet potatoes on a baking tray, brush with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes.
2. After baking, let them cool for a couple of minutes, then toss in the spice mix.
3. Spread three tablespoons of hot refried beans in the centre of a platter and arrange sweet potatoes on top.
3. Add grated cheddar cheese and broil until it melts.
4. Finish by sprinkling pico de gallo, mixed olives, jalapenos, and spring onions.
5. Garnish with mmashed avocado and sour cream in the centre of the dish.

Recipe by Chef Vikas Seth, Sanchez, Bangalore

Nachos with Pomelo Salsa and Avocado Onion salsa topping
This gives the dual fun of two different kinds of toppings that when blended together make up for flavourful nachos.

For Pomelo Salsa (a type of grapefruit):
Ingredients:
Pomelo - 60 gms
Lemon - 10 ml
Onions - 30 gms
Palm jaggery (used in asian cuisine) - 10 gms
Light Soya Sauce - 5 ml
Coriander roots - 20 gms
A very small amount of tomato paste or ketchup - 5 gms Ketchup
Fresh red chilli - 5 gms

Method:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and garnish it as per your preference.

Avocado and Onion salsa:
Ingredients:
Sesame oil - 5 ml
Butter - 15 gms
Sliced onions - 100 gm
Rice vinegar - 15 ml
Soya sauce - 10 ml
Sugar - 5 gm
Chopped avocado - 100 gm
Egg mayonnaise - 30 gm

Method:
1. Take sesame oil, and very little butter in a pan. After it is sufficiently heated, add sliced onions. Then add rice vinegar and sauté. Once it becomes translucent, add a few drops of soya sauce and sugar. Your pickled onion is ready.
2. Next, take some chopped avocado and add pickled onion as per your preference.
3. Add some egg mayonnaise to this, and mix it all together. The topping is now ready.

Base: Asian Crackers

Both dips can be served together on the side, with Asian crackers.

Loaded Barbecue Chicken Nachos
Indulge in the goodness of chicken and creamy nachos with this recipe. The warmth of corn, chicken and black beans makes this recipe a comfort food for many. Topped with olives oil and jalapenos, loaded barbeque chicken nachos make for a perfect meal on days when you don't want to go with your regulars.

Ingredients:
Breaded barbecue-flavoured chicken nuggets - 80 gm
Boiled corn kernels - 40 gm
Lemon juice - 5 ml
Lemon wedges - 20 gm
Jalapenos chopped - 10 gm
Olive oil - 5 ml
Chopped tomatoes - 30 gm
Avocado diced -50 gm
Chopped onions - 20 gm
Black beans - 20 gm
Sour cream - 20 gm
Tortilla nacho chips - quantity as per your preference

Method:
1. Bake the chicken nuggets in the oven for 15 minutes at 250°C
2. Meanwhile, make the salsa. Toss together the corn, lime juice, jalapeno, olive oil, tomatoes, avocado, onion and a teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Place nacho chips in a serving bowl, add salsa chopped tomatoes, beans, jalapenos, corn and diced avocado and BBQ chicken cubes.
4. Finish with sour cream drizzle.
5. Serve with lime wedges.

Recipe by Chef Sunil Singh, Blue Bop Cafe

Spinach Nachos with Dal Pakwaan 
Indianising nachos is not a new concept. We have come across nacho recipes that make use of makhani sauces and paneer tikka toppings. However, we bet, you have not come across spinach nachos coupled with dal pakwaan. While the base chips are spinach-flavoured, the topping of dal pakwaan makes this Mexican recipe desi.

For the spinach nachos 
Ingredients:
Spinach Puree - 4 tbsp
Corn flour or makai atta - 1/2 cup
Maida - 1/2 cup
Carom seeds or ajwain - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda  - a pinch
Warm water - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste 
Oil for frying 

Method:
1. Sieve corn flour, maida, salt and baking soda in a plate.  
2. Add the spinach puree, carom seeds and warm water. Prepare a dough.
3. Let the dough rest for 20-25 minutes.  
4. After resting, roll out thin puris from the dough. You can also roll them out in triangular nachos form. Using a fork make holes in the puri/nachos so they don't puff up.
5. Heat the oil and fry them till well done. 
6. Remove the nachos from the frying pan,  remove excess oil with absorbent paper and keep aside. 
7. Store in an airtight container and keep aside.  Use at your convenience.
 
For dal pakwan
Ingredients:
Soaked Chana dal  - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Chopped tomatoes - 2 tbsp
Chopped onions - 2 tbsp
Chopped garlic - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 3-4
Cumin seeds  - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp

Method:
1. Add a cup of water to the chana dal and cook in a pressure cooker till well done.
2. In a pan, heat some oil, hing, cumin seeds and curry leaves.  Saute onions, garlic and tomatoes. 
3. Add the cooked chana dal to this mixture and mix well. 
4. Add water, and salt to the pan and let it boil.  
5. Once cooked, take it off the flame.

For garnishing:
Sweet tamarind chutney - 3 tbsp
Green chutney - 3 tbsp
Sliced onions - 2 tbsp
Sev - 1 tbsp
Coriander - 1 tbsp  
 
For assembling:
1. On the spinach nachos, add a layer of pakwan dal,  tamarind chutney and  green chutney.  
2. Garnish with sliced onions, sev and coriander. 
3. Serve immediately.

Recipe by Chef Renu Dalal, celebrity chef, and cookbook author

Classic homemade nachos from scratch
If you wish to make nachos from scratch instead of buying ready tortilla chips from the market, go ahead. They are not just easy to make but are free from any other added artificial flavours. These nachos can be paired with literally anything you have at your home, be it a chipotle sauce, cheese or some chopped onions and tomatoes.

Ingredients:
Corn flour - 1 cup
Whole Wheat Flour - 1/4 cup
Oil - as required
Water to knead the flour
Salt to taste
Barbeque mix to garnish

Method:
1. To begin making the chips, knead mixing both the flours. Add a tablespoon of oil, a pinch of salt and mix with your fingers. Prepare a dough.
2. Knead for a good five to six minutes to release all air in the flour so that the nachos are crispier.
3. Leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes and knead for a minute to smoothen again.
4. To make tortillas, make medium-sized rotis/tortillas and keep them aside. The thickness should be like rotis.
5. Now, semi-cook them on a flat griddle or pan. Do not cook them brown like rotis.
6. Cut the tortillas into triangular cuts to make nachos and fry them on medium-high flame in a deep fry pan till they turn crisp.
7. Once they are ready, take them out on tissue paper to absorb the extra oil.
8. Sprinkle barbeque masala on freshly fried nachos and your homemade nachos are ready to be served.

You can relish these with melon salsa sauce, spicy Mexican salsa, or any other salsa of your choice. Add in some cheese sauce and beans too. For garnishing, you can use a variety of ingredients for toppings. These include masala beans, shredded chicken, black olives, black beans, corn, chopped onions, jalapenos, sour cream, guacamole, or chopped/mashed avocados.

Don't hesitate to experiment with whatever ingredients you like to add as toppings.

Recipe by Chef Lalit Chunara, Blabber Juhu

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