Fusion food is nothing new. It;s basically how Cajun and Creole food were born. Even Mexican recipes can be fused with another ones.This may seem novel but it;'s actually an old idea brought to light.
Regular contributor and chef, Tejal Rao wrote about the unique blend of Mexican and Indian cuisine in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. This is not some new fangled idea brought about by a fast food chain.It has to do with restrictive immigration laws a century ago.In 1917 Punjabi-Sikh and Muslim men immigrated to Sacramento to find work as farmers and loggers out side Califormia's capital beginning in the late 1800's After the Immigration Act of 1917 which made it near impossible for Indian women to migrate to the US, hundreds of men married Mexican women,New kinds of cooking and recipes emerged from their home kitchens and even a handful of restaurants sprung up.One couple GUlam and Inez Aguirre Rasul left farming to open ElRanchero in Yuba City, California Since Mr Rasul was a Muslim pork dishes were e off the table.Instead there were roti quesadillas with cheese,onions and shredded beef.It was a hit until the restaurant closed in the 1990s.
Mexican Indian cuisine isn;t codified. so there are really no classic dishes.There could be a series of different ones taken from one or two recipes.This is how is ts in the Mexican Indian restaurant Mirra in Chicago.Slices of yellowtail snapper are drenched in a lime spiked buttermilk ,hot and tangy with a garlic and Serrano pepper acha a South Asian pickle.It;s tucked under a delicate crunch of nopales ginger and curry leaves. They also celebrate Mr. Rasul's roti by having it on the menu along side shrimp Chaat and lamb tacos or taco Arabe. Their biryani tends to go with local produce than the more traditional ingredients.There is also Saucy Chick in Pasadena, Califnronia run by Mexican Marcel Michel and his wife Rhea Patel Marcel.They call their cuisine Indi-Mex and feature rotisserie chicken marinated in echo jeera spectacular curry that is based on one of the backbone spices of Indian cuisine, Another marinade mimicked Mr. Michels' favorite pibil, a marinade made from orange juice and achiote There's also going to be a spicy sweet dal as well as fish pakora to the taco menu.
Mexican Indian food or Indi-Mex may be the next big food trend. Two cultures come together to create a cuisine that's both flavorful and interesting. It's may change up the way Mexican food is thought about.
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