The love of food the four of us shares is quite intense.
We all love to try different things, quite tough critics, and we might enjoy one more than the other. We enjoy a good hearty Lamb chop meal as much as we enjoy a loaded salad with some dressing.
Trying to balance out the carnivore loving boys with a lighter fare which suits our taste is a challenge I take on happily and love. I try not to fall into the routine of recipes and when variety is there, it makes it so much more fun.
This was one such thing.
The little kiddo can be a bit challenging, but his food bracket is way better than what mine will ever be.
So, this was no different. While I was trying to juggle dinner and taking pictures, he was quite curious about whats going on. The moment I said, Cauliflower Tacos, his enthusiasm went down few notches, understandable just because they also came home with some chicken and he was expecting that. He got ‘whatever’ emoji look from me.
An hour later, we sat to eat and he among all of us who talks after every bite, ate one taco and said, “It’s the perfect balance of crunch, sweetness from the mango, spiciness from the jalapeno, the fresh vegetables, perfect. The cauliflower is not bad at all, perfect sized taco.” He does watch the show CHOPPED a lot. You can tell.
So here’s my take on veggie taco.
It is easy, and makes for a lovely starter for parties and everything can be made ahead. So cheers to this and a great week ahead.
Love,
Asha
- ½ head of Cauliflower
- chickpea flour - 1 cup
- rice flour - 2 tbsps
- ½ red chilli powder
- ⅓ tsp turmeric powder
- ⅓ tsp toasted cumin powder
- ⅓ tsp garam masala
- pinch of baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ cup cup of water or a little bit more.
- ½ cup sweetened or plain mango puree
- ½ jalapeno
- small quarter onion(2 inches)
- 2 whole garlic
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ head of cabbage very thinly sliced
- 1 carrot cut to ¼ and thinly lengthwise sliced
- ½ english cucumber or the mini cucumber cut thinly lengthwise with peel
- ½ tsp nigella seeds
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Small Tortillas or cut the large tortillas to small ones
- cilantro
- jalapeno
- crumbled feta cheese or crumbled goat or paneer
- Cut the cauliflower lenghthwise to about 2 inches in length and 2 inches in width, not too small or large. Wash well and pat completely dry in a kitchen towel or paper towel and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl add 1 cup of chickpea flour, ⅓ cup of rice flour, chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, garam masala, baking soda and oil. Mix ½ cup of water and make it to a thick paste. When you dip the cauliflower and lift it up, the batter should not drip a lot. All the batter should be stuck to the cauli.
- Preaheat oven to 425 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Line a baking tray with aluminium wrap, top it with a rack or if you don't have it, it's totally OK to put the cauli directly on the tray. Oil the aluminium wrap a bit or the rack if you are using that.
- Now dip the cauliflower carefully and arrange it on the rack leaving a tiny bit of space in between each. Bake for 25 minutes or until completely done and it is golden brown.
- While that is baking, finely mince the jalapeno, onion, garlic, cilantro with some salt and add it to the mango puree. Mix well and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the cabbage, carrot, cucumber and all the ingredients. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Toast and brown the tortillas only when you are ready to serve.
- Take each tortilla, top with some slaw, top it with cauliflower, a slice of jalapeno, tear up some cilantro and add some Mango sauce. Top with some cheese or omit it to keep it completely vegan.
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Oh Asha, love your take on veggie taco. I feel inspired to try it one of these days. Your kiddo surely knows his stuff and getting his approval means this is a winner dish!
Asha, I adore your cauliflower fritters! And I agree with your little one , these tacos sure are “the perfect balance of crunch, sweetness from the mango, spiciness from the jalapeno, the fresh vegetables, perfect” – they are so colorful too! And I also adore your young ones choice of TV shows – am a big Chopped fan! Has he or you watched The Great British Bak Off?
wow I NEED these tacos in my life!! They look so good filled with cauliflower fritters.
These tacos look perfect!! We love going out for tacos, and cauliflower is one of our faves. I love that you’ve given your Indian flair to it! Jim will love these. Will make soon! Thanks Asha!
I just fell in love with these on insta Ash! My little one is also quite picky and has such an opinion!!! It’s getting better though! These tacos are so colorful and look so delicious. The mango sauce looks too good!! Love it all around and will definitely be making it soon! ❤️❤️❤️
Tacos look amazing!! I’m quite excited about making the fritters in the oven. I didn’t know that was possible. Not a fan of deep frying so this will be perfect.
These look so perfect, Asha! And, Pictures are as always so inviting n colorful! Baked Fritters n spicy-mango salsa sounds so good together. Love our Indian pakoras in wraps…yummm! Heheee… I’m looking forward to watch that show.
Look delicious !
I love cauliflowers !!
xo
You can do so much with tacos, can’t you? We go to a taco joint where one of their best tacos is mapo tofu. This would be right up there! Very inventive, tons of flavor. And did I say this looks really good? 🙂 Very nice — thanks.
Your son is adorable! I love how your kids are budding chefs and foodies. It’s so fun watching them in the kitchen on your snaps too 🙂 These veggie tacos are right up my alley. We made some black bean tacos the other day and my meat-loving family devoured them. It’s difficult to get them excited about vegetarian meals because they are big carnivores, but I’m always on the lookout for recipes like this—veggie meals that please regular palates, not vegans. That’s when you know you have a winner in my book! Can’t wait to give this one a try, Asha!
Lordy Lord! When did veganism become so sexy, tasty and yum?! 🙂
A million-dollar, five star recipe indeed!
Thanks for making me drool profusely with your precious pictures 🙂
Dear Asha,
As a mother we are constantly evolving. I wouldn’t know at all whether I am good or bad. I am a carnivore myself and don’t blame the boys. I suddenly need to endorse a new avatar of thoughtful thinking for my cherub. I loved your take on the humble Gobhi Pakora. Silently I wished they were lamb Koftas. This is what I tried doing with the Spicy Mirchi Bhajji from Hyderabad for our dinner last night.
Cheers to many more experiments!!
Love, Roy
baked pakoda, yes! it means a I can a plate full! looks so good Asha!
LOL – ‘he got the whatever emoji look from me’ – I love that, Ash! And it turned out that he had to eat his lack of enthusiasm! LOL These tacos look so tasty. A perfect blend of sweet, and spicy with delicious flavor. That mango? Perfection!
Haha…Thanks my dear. He is a fire cracker, love it.
xoxo
The moment you said, Cauliflower Tacos, my enthusiasm would go UP a few notches. GREG
Thanks so much Greg, mine too. xx