THE TACO FAMILY

What’s a taco? “A Mexican dish consisting of a folded or rolled tortilla filled with various mixtures, such as seasoned mince, chicken, or beans,” says the Oxford Dictionaries. Traditionally, these are palm-sized tortillas filled with anything yummy you can lay your hands on at the kitchen. It is one of the many tortilla-based dishes of Mexican origin. The taco shell can be soft or hard. The food trucks popular in the Mexican and Texas regions all sell soft-shell tacos. There’s one meat and a few basic top-ups like pico de gallo (chopped Mexican salsa). 

What are tortillas? They are the Mexican equivalent of the Indian roti, made of flour (whole wheat or corn) but a lot softer. 

Quesadilla: A tortilla filled with cheese and any other filling, and then grilled or cooked on a griddle. Usually comes in a flat, quarter-moon shape.

Fajitas: Essentially it means grilled meat or fish that is cut into strips and served with tortillas, dips and salad on the side, so that one can enjoy the meat as a full meal. The Oxford Dictionaries says it’s a “dish of Mexican origin consisting of strips of spiced beef or chicken, chopped vegetables, and grated cheese, wrapped in a soft tortilla and often served with sour cream.”

Burrito: According to the dictionary, it’s a “Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla rolled round a savoury filling, typically of minced beef or beans.” We realised it’s the Mexican equivalent of the Calcutta kati roll.

(Compiled with inputs from city chefs)

BODEGA CANTINA-Y-BAR

The taco shells here are small and soft tortillas made of Masa Harina (a sort of cornflour made of fermented corn and imported from Dubai). “Tacos are a one-ingredient hero,” says Urvika Kanoi of Bodega Cantina-Y-Bar on Park Street, which serves three varieties. 

1. Charred Veggie Taco (Rs 295), which has roast broccoli, pico de gallo, sour cream and slaw. 

2. Laal Maas Taco (Rs 345) is an Indian twist to the taco. The meat is red chilli braised lamb (similar to the Rajasthani favourite laal maas) and it comes with mint chutney and sirka pyaaz (smoked, pickled onions). 

3. Chicken Taco (Rs 325) has crispy fried chicken, pico de gallo, sour cream and slaw. 
 

MONKEY BAR

Here, the tacos have got a desi makeover, with phulkas replacing the soft corn shells. The star is Laal Maas Phulka Tacos (Rs 320) which has a filling of Rajasthani laal maas,  ker sangri (a spicy vegetable made with ker berries and sangri beans), coriander chutney and tamarind. “It is a meat lover’s delight. I wanted to present a wholesome Indian snack in a modern avatar. Tacos are an experiment being tried by restaurants in India and abroad, and this is our version with a twist,” said Manu Chandra, chef partner at Monkey Bar on Camac Street.

Its vegetarian version (Rs 250) is Baingan Pakoda Phulka Tacos, which is served with nimboo achaar (lemon pickle), ker sangri, gongura and coriander chutney. 
 

WHATS IN D NAME

The soft shells are actually very soft here and there’s a reason, says executive chef Sukanta Mondal. “We mix regular flour and yellow corn pulp in a 60-40 ratio, add salt, sugar and butter before baking it in the oven at 180° Celsius. It’s always double-layered to ensure that it retains moisture and thus remain soft,” he adds. The shells are first layered with a spread of Queso cheese and then grilled. 

t2 loved the Paneer Taco (Rs 139), which has tandoori paneer, Jack cheese, salsa, onion, sour cream and guacamole and garnished with lettuce, bell pepper and tomato salsa (salsa Fresca). A plate at this Camac Street chill zone comes with three tacos served on a wooden platter with a tomato salsa dip and guacamole (avocado dip). Try the Chicken Taco 
(Rs 169) too. 
 

TGI FRIDAYS

Of the three tacos here, t2 loved the Outrageous BBQ Tenderloin Tacos (Rs 399). 

These are basically soft flour tortillas stuffed with a zippy Cajun Jack and Cheddar cheese melted over tender, sliced barbecue tenderloin, served with frizzled onions and a chipotle ranch sauce. 

You can also try Tortilla Crusted Fish Tacos (Rs 350) and Roasted Vegetable Tacos (Rs 290) at this Forum mall dine den.
 

MAMAGOTO

The fun dining den on Park Street calls their version “Asian tacos”. t2 loved the Smoky Chicken Taco (Rs 409), in which the shell is first lined with strips of crispy, smoked chicken and then topped with Mama-special salsa, sweet mango sauce, green chilli mayo and a special taco sauce. The other options are prawn, duck, crab, pork and mushroom-and-tofu tacos. Prices start Rs 400 onwards.
 

GABBAR’S BAR & KITCHEN

In keeping with the quirky and funny names on the menu at Gabbar’s on Ho Chi Minh Sarani, the tacos on their anniversary special menu are called Babumoshai From Mexico! You get tandoori paneer or fish wrapped in soft taco shells, sprinkled with a spicy tikka seasoning. The paneer taco costs Rs 325 and the fish Rs 395, with three dips —  guacamole, sour cream and salsa.
 

M BAR KITCHEN

Four pieces of home-made soft-shell tacos come with a choice of filling — spiced potato or grilled chicken. 

1. Veg Tacos (Rs 300) have peppers, onion, spiced potato filling, marinated red cabbage and cheese — grilled together in the taco shell and served. 

2. Non-veg Tacos (Rs 325) are the same as the veg ones, with grilled chicken filling instead of potato. 

“Tacos are more DIY than fajitas. They are more Mexican than fajitas, which is from the Texas part of the area. They are originally meant to be bite-sized grubs and come ready with the stuffed filling and one or two toppings,” said Tania Ghosh, executive chef at M Bar Kitchen on Park Street. 
 

CHILI’S

The tacos here are made with large tortillas and come with a portion of Mexican chipotle rice and blanched black beans on the side. The Chili’s menu at South City Mall, Quest and Acropolis boasts of six varieties — Veggie (Rs 275), Crispy Chicken 
(Rs 335), Ranchero Chicken (Rs 350), Imported Pulled Pork Carnitas (Rs 375), Spicy Shrimp (Rs 450) and Grilled Fish 
(Rs 335). 

t2 loved the Imported Pulled Pork Carnitas Tacos, which have tender, smoky pork (Australian pork, they say) half wrapped by a tortilla and garnished with shredded Jack cheese, a citrus-chilli sauce, pico de gallo, chopped cilantro and crumbled queso fresco. 

Text: Sibendu Das
Pictures: B. Halder