Mexican cuisine is as much about taste as it is about health. Its dishes have an interesting blend of chicken and meat and red and yellow capsicums and zuchini to not only give right flavours but also keep a healthy balance for foodies ensuring that their cholesterol level does not shoot up.
For the uninitiated it might sound far fetched but Mexican food has striking similarities with the kind of food people in mainland China take. Never mind the geographical distance, it too gives special importance to vegetables in its starters and main dishes. Like the Chinese spring roll, it has similar looking tacos even though the taste differs.
At The All American Diner of India Habitat Centre, where a Mexican food festival is on, dishes have been prepared with vegetables like yellow and red capsicum, asparagus and avocados, procured from the INA Market, a favourite haunt of expatriates, to give authentic Latin American flavours.
Historical background
Interestingly, Mexican cuisine has been influenced and enriched by Spanish conquistadors. Spanish expanded and innovated the cuisine by introducing dairy products, garlic, divergent herbs and spices. Main contributions of the Spanish were meat and cheese which was introduced to Aztec, original inhabitants of Mexico.
Coming to the festival, one started off with tacos, most sought after starter, in the menu. Not only did it look aesthetic in presentation but also scored on taste. Diced chicken was commensurate to cabbage. Chicken was slightly on the spicier side but overall the taste was excellent as the combination of chillies and chicken provided a unique taste. For convenience of customers, the quantity of chillies can be altered.
To give authentic flavours, cardamom and red chilly powder have been imported from Mexico.
Grilled to perfection
For me, Grilled Chilli River Sole was certainly dish of the day. It was all about smoothness, fine texture and, of course, taste. There was not a tinge of spice. It came in two fatty pieces with refried beans, corn rice and a dash of lime sauce topped over it.
Mashed garlic potato complemented white meat. Marination was perfectly done as all the flavours came from virtually every corner of the fish. The best part was that seasoning was done in an unobtrusive manner so you couldn’t trace what was stuffed inside it. It was a hearty yet healthy dish as it contained not only omega-3 fatty acids but also basil leaves, a culinary herb used primarily in Italian cuisine.
Explaining how authenticity of dishes have been maintained, Pawan Uppal, Executive Chef at Habitat World, says: “Lot of research was done in order to ensure that flavours are true to the region. I even travelled to Mexico. Salt has been deliberately kept less as it has become the new fad among health conscious clientèle.”
Tequila Lime Cheese cake in desserts was heavenly. It was an excellent sweet dish to round off a well balanced, tasty and nutritious meal.
