California happy tacos: Ah yes, FISH TACOS !!

My passion for fish tacos started after eating fish tacos in California. I was skeptical about everything in California being the BEST. But now I can say that the fish tacos were definitely the best. I just loved the simplicity of those tacos. The flavor of the fish was fresh with lots of onion, cilantro, and lime. The tortilla was warm and fresh made from corn and not white flour. Just makes you feel happy. After moving back to Oklahoma, I craved for those tacos. The Cheesecake factory had tasty fish tacos on their menu, which I have tried to recreate according to our taste buds. Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the fish and tacos: 

Yellow/White Corn tortilla for tacos

2 Fish Fillets- Any fresh fish without bones (I have tried Cod, Tilapia, Salmon)

2 tablespoons Panko

1 egg white

Juice of 1 Lemon

1/2 tspn Fresh Ground Pepper

1tspn Garlic Powder

3-4 sprigs of Cilantro

Salt

For the Edamame- Mango Salsa

1 cup Edamame (fresh/frozen)

1/2 cup mangoes (fresh/frozen)

1/2 cup Jicama

1/2 cup boiled corn kernels

1/4 the cup lettuce

1/4 cup onions

1-2 tspns Thai sweet red chili sauce (I use the Trader Joes brand)

1. Cut fish into chunksize pieces. Marinate with lemon, salt, pepper, cilantro, and garlic powder.

2. Beat 1 egg white and keep aside

3. Dip the fish pieces in egg whites and then coat them with Panko. 

4. Preheat oven to 400degrees F and bake the fish pieces coated with panko in a greased pan for about 15-20 minutes.

5. Mix the edamame, corn, chopped jicama, corn, chopped mangoes and onions. 

6. Mix in the sweet red chili sauce. 

7. Assemble the tacos. Take a tortilla, place the baked fish, and put some salsa. 

8. If you like more zing like me, then add the red chili sauce over the tacos. 

Umm..Ummm..Umm...You are sure to lick your fingers clean. 

Variations:

-You could try them with any bread crumbs, but the panko gives it the crunchy texture.

- You could try Edamame-pineapple salsa or edamame orange salsa. Those would taste good too. Its the sweet and tangy taste that makes this taco so delicious.

My favorite taco places so far:

Also, if you are in Los Angeles,CA, definitely try these tacos:
http://www.wahoos.com/menu.php


If you are visiting Austin,TX, don't miss this awesome taco place. Thanks Shruti and Karthik for introducing us to these tacos:
http://torchystacos.com/


If you are in Atlanta, GA, of course you can stop by at our house to have my fish tacos, but definitely try:
http://www.taqueriatsunami.com/menu

Oh So Tasteee Chickpea Burgers !

Rohit's passion for meaty burgers is known to all. However, it was the first week of our "eating healthy food" mission. So I decided to try this chickpea burger recipe that I had discovered some days ago in a magazine that I was reading while on the treadmill at the "Y." I added some interesting twists. It turned out so tasty. Ruhi ate one too. Here goes the recipe:

Burger patty:

2 tbspn extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion chopped

6-7 garlic cloves - chopped

2 tspn cumin seeds

3/4 cup bulgur wheat (soaked in 3/4 cup boiling water for 10 minutes)

3 tbspn chopped parsley

1 can garbanzo beans

1 tspn garam masala

2 tbspn grated cheddar cheese

2 tbspn grated parmesan cheese

1 tbspn toasted almonds/any nuts

Salt to taste

Fresh ground pepper

For frying:

1 egg white

1/2 cup panko (Japanese style bread crumbs found in any grocery store in the Asian food isle)

Ingredients for assembling the burger:

Wheat Tandoori Naan (I bought this at Super Target)/any other flatbread like Lavaash or Pita bread

Sliced Jarlsberg cheese/any other cheese

Roasted red pepper and tomato spread (recipe below)

Crispy onion rings

How to make the burger patty:

1. Heat EVOO in a pan and add cumin seeds, chopped garlic, and onions.

2. Add Bulgur wheat and parsley to the above mixture.

3. Transfer this mixture to a food processor and add rest of the ingredients except the egg white and panko.

4. Once the mixture is ready, make sure they are not sticky. If they feel sticky to your hands, add some bread crumbs.

5. Beat the egg white.

6. Dip the burger patty in the egg white and then the panko.

7. Heat a frying pan and then add 1-2 tspns of EVOO. Then place the patty in the pan and fry each side for about 2-3 mins.

Roasted red pepper spread

Store bought roasted red pepper in a jar - about 2 tbspn

2 Roma tomatoes

6-7 Garlic cloves

1 half red onion

1 tspn feta cheese

1 tspn Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 tspn Brown sugar

A dash of Thai Chili sauce (Sriracha)

Freshly ground pepper

Salt to taste

Heat up the oven/grill. Roast tomatoes, garlic, red peppers, and onion. Transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse 1-2 times.

Crispy onion rings

Half onion

Salt

Panko

1 egg white

Cut the onion into rings. Dip them in the egg whites and dip them in panko. Put them in a broiler (400-450 degrees F) for 15 mins or until they brown up.

Finally....How to assemble the Burgers?

Take the Naan and cut it into four quarters. We will be making two burgers out of one naan. Put the red pepper spread on all 4 quarters. Place a slice of cheese on two of the quarters. Place the burger patty. Put some crispy onion rings and top it off with the other naan quarter. Put this burger in the broiler (400 degrees F) for bout 5 minutes. And oooh..la..la...the burger is ready for a guiltfree consumption !

Substitutes: Egg whites are not necessary. For my vegetarian friends, you can omit the egg whites and will not change the taste. You can add vegetables to the patty. You can vary the spreads that you use with this recipe. You can change the amount of hot sauce in the recipe or make it more sweeter according to your taste. You can totally experiment with different fun ingredients as well. That is what makes this recipe hip..healthy...and yet delicious !