Mexican Omelette. I think one of the most frustrating things about Mexican food in South Africa is the stereotype that Mexican food is all about refried beans and stodgy stews. This simple recipe is one of our family favorites and will hopefully give you a different perspective on Mexican cuisine. Healthy ingredients, totally vegetarian and makes the simple omelette sparkle and shine.

So as our first recipes go, we are going to start off with this really simple Omelette with a Mexican twist. It does require one very special ingredient - "Chipotle"... but lucky for you we have this for purchase online :)

Prep Time: 15 mins Cooking Time: 5 mins Culinary Level: Simple Portions: 1

Ingredients/Shopping List:

• Eggs: 2
• Milk: 50ml
• Oil (your preference): 5ml
• Onions (preferably red onions): 1/2 cup finely chopped
• Tomatoes: 1/2 cup chopped
• Cheese: 50g - 80g Grated (but adjust to suit your preference). A cheddar - mature cheddar even better.
• Coriander: 1 cup coarsely chopped
• Chipotle: 1tsp (but adjust to suit your preferance)
• Salt: Pinch
• Pepper: Pinch
• Baking Powder (optional but recommended): 1/2 Tsp
• Your favorite chilli sauce. We recommend a Tabasco sauce or an authentic Mexican Hot Sauce: Tapatio or Cholula Hot Sauce (which can be found at Spar). This is not necessary, but does add another dimension to the omelette that is just a great touch. Please bear in mind that this is not one of those dishes that is about killer heat. Eggs have a delicate flavor and adding habanero sauce (for example) to this recipe would just simply be in bad taste. We love our super hot food, but there is a chilli and sauce for every application!

We are going to give ingredients to make one omelette. Tastes vary, so adjust the fresh ingredients as you like. The Chipotle is a non negotiable, as this is the key ingredients in this recipe. Chipotle is made from dried Jalapeño's that have been smoked - which gives this dish it's satisfyingly simple, yet unusual & rustic appeal.

Instructions:

This recipe does require some preparation, so lets get the preparation done first. This way, when it comes to cooking everything is really simple and straight forward. 

Prep

1. Peel the onion and chop finely. If you are doing more than one omelette, make sure you chop more and set aside in a bowl.
2. Chop the tomatoes. Choose nice ripe tomatoes. These should also be chopped into cubes. Again if you are doing more than one omelet, rather chop more tomatoes and set aside in a bowl.
3. Chop the fresh Coriander. Coriander is a very strong herb that is not for everyone's taste buds. Use at your discretion. We like to suggest being liberal with the Coriander. Chop coarsely and try to discard the stems - these can be a little off putting. Again, chop more if you are doing several Omelettes and set aside in a bowl.
4. Get yourself a bowl for whisking the Omelette in. You will require 2 medium sized eggs (yolks and egg whites), 50ml milk & baking powder (1/2 tsp). (The baking powder does help to make the omelet nice and fluffy). Add all these ingredients into the bowl and give the ingredients a gentle whisk with a whisk or a fork until the ingredients are well mixed. Set aside until needed. PS: We will not be adding pepper at this stage as it will make the omelet look grey.
5. Grate the cheese. Again, if you like cheese add more if you prefer. Place in a bowl and set aside.

So, you should have within reach of your frying pan, 1x bowl with onions, 1x bowl with tomatoes, 1x bowl with coriander, 1x bowl with cheese. Some salt, pepper and chipotle. Have these nearby, because when it comes to cooking the omlette you will want these ingredients within reach to add onto your omelette.

Cooking

1. Heat your non-stick frying pan on medium heat and add 5ml of your favorite oil. So many theories out there as to what is the best oil to use... olive, sunflower, grape, rape seed, canola, coconut... whatever suits you! We don't want the pan to be too hot here as eggs can burn really fast if the pan is too hot!
2. Give your omelette mixture another brief whisk before emptying one portion of the omelette mixture into the frying pan. You don't want the pan to be too hot as it can burn easily... so medium heat will give you more time to assemble your omelette.
3. Your omelette will start bubbling in the pan. Use your spatula to nudge the mixture around the pan. Fill any gaps with remaining liquid omelette mixture by tilting the pan. The intention here by scrunching up the omelet mixture with the spatula is to fluff up the omelette.
4. As the mixture in the pan starts to boil off and you get to an almost dry consistency (possibly just a wet sheen on the surface of the omelet), it is time to start adding the other ingredients.
5. First thing first lets add a pinch of salt and pepper.
6. Add a pinch of Chipotle. Quantity will determine the heat and smokiness of the omelet. Sprinkle liberally over the entire surface of the omelette.
7. Add your tomatoes liberally to one half of the omelette. (Remember that this omelette is going to be folded in half - so no ingredients in the middle of the omelette. Ingredients have to be layered on one half of the omelette only - otherwise it will be very tricky to fold the omelette).
8. Add your onions and adjust to suit your preference.
9. Add the coriander and adjust to your preference.
10. Add the grated cheese. Again, adjust to suit your preference. Do remember not to put to many ingredients in your omelette - it still has to fold in half!
11. Add your hot sauce. Again, as you like it.
12. Slide your spatula under the half of the omelet that has no ingredients on it and once loose, flip this half of the omelette over the side with the ingredients on it. This can be a little tricky and may need a little practice. Easy does it!
13. Leave this to heat through for a few minutes on the pan. You don't want the underside of the omelette to burn. We want the cheese to melt in the omelette, but do not want the fresh ingredients (coriander, onions, tomatoes) to cook through. These should be fresh.
14. Once the cheese has started to melt, run your spatula under the omelette to ensure it is not sticking to the pan and slide off the pan onto a plate.
15. Garnish as desired. Some coriander leaves, a pinch of chipotle and a few dashes/splashes of Hot Sauce to finish the omelette off.

Serve and eat while hot/warm. Eggs cool rapidly, so it is important guests start eating when served.

Having done the prep work before hand and having all ingredients within reach, it should be relatively easy to get a production line going and whip out several omelettes in brief succession.

Enjoy :)