Bean medley Pakora Inspired Tacos

Bean medley Pakora Inspired Tacos, fusing culture is a great way to build flavor and texture. Today I  have created a wonderful union of Indian cuisine meets Mexican. The end result, a play on our tongue of exotic spicy dancing with bright freshness!

Song of the day: "Yummy" by Justin Bieber.

[This post is sponsored by Ontario Bean Growers. We've been compensated but -as always- all opinions are our own.]

Bean medley Pakora Inspired Tacos. If you like Indian food and adore Mexican food then this is a dish you will definitely try. The crispness and exuberant flavor of the pakoras marry beautifully with the luxuriousness of the slaw, avocado, all wonderfully wrapped in a warm soft tortilla.

Taco, Taco.............

It has become a phenomenon, Taco Tuesday that is, but I say why wait for Tuesday when you can have tacos any day of the week. Nicoletta is pescatarian and loves fish tacos, however, I wanted to really capture her love for vegetarian cuisine and tacos, and want to create something that she will adore. 

Actually, I did this recipe when she was in Rome and I promised that I would make these again really soon.  We were asked by Ontario Bean growers to develop a recipe featuring the wonderful beans that are available. So without further ado let's get into the kitchen and make some delicious Bean medley Pakora Inspired Tacos! 

Time to go shopping.............

In the first place, we need to get the ingredients which means shopping spree. However, if you have a super pantry you may have all these ingredients, lol.  Realistically, we need to go shopping, but you know what, if you came shopping with me it is a lot of fun! I like to categorize the list so we can shop according to the area in the store. So here's the list:

Produce:

• yellow onions
• garlic
• green cabbage
• purple cabbage
• purple onion
• red potatoes
• carrots
• peas
• green onion
• avocado
• cilantro

Canned  goods & condiments:

• one can of  mixed medley beans
• jar of mild or picante salsa
• Sriracha sauce
• olive oil mayo
• olive oil

Dairy:

• smoked cheddar
• butter

Dry goods and spices:

• soft tortillas
• Panko crumbs
• chickpea flour
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• paprika
• coriander seeds
• turmeric
• green curry powder
• fine sea salt
• black peppercorns

Shopping's done, time to cook!...............

1. First things first, let's boil the potatoes that have been peeled, washed, and diced. Similarly, we need to cook the peas and drain. Next, time to build the spice paste. How do we do that, you ask? Well, we need some olive oil, butter, onion, garlic, and all the spices. Get ready because you are going to be taken away by the aromas coming off the cast iron skillet as you stir the base with the spices. Furthermore, be careful, control the heat. You don't want to burn the spice paste!
2. Secondly, time to get the beans into the mix. After a nice wash in a colander drain them into the pan, because we want to get them acquainted with all those lovely flavors and aromatics!

   3. Thirdly, get a potato masher and let's get those beans mashed a bit to form a dichotomy of texture. Consequently,  a delight to the tongue. Now in goes the boiled potatoes that have been drained, along with the peas. A quick stir and likewise, we are ready to form pakoras.

   4. Let's form these pakoras. Get a nice tablespoon of the mixture in your hand. Form it into an oval patty but not too smooth as you want that rough texture visually. Into a bowl of panko crumbs to get all coated up and onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. At this time, before finishing the forming of the pakoras, you will want to get that oven to temperature: 385 degrees Fahrenheit is what you want.

Into the oven, you go!

   5. Lastly, into the oven these babies go and baking them for about 20 minutes till nice and surface crispy and golden brown. Oh, one thing, turn them over at the halfway mark. This will ensure even cooking and also an end result that will be tantalizing to our tongue!  After they are done, keep them in a warm heat until ready to use.

The slaw and avocado and cheese...................

While the pakoras are baking, you have time to put together the dressing, slaw, and avocado. Really easy: shred up the carrots, cabbage, onion, and mix. In a bowl, whisk the ingredients for the dressing. Pour over the veggies and toss, then set aside.

For the avocado, cut it in half and separate, then remove the pit. With a spoon, scoop out the rich avocado from its peel and dice. Mix with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and set aside.

Final touches................................

Finally, grate the cheese and now we are ready to assemble and eat! Oh, wait! One more thing, we have to heat up the tortillas. Two ways you can do this. One way is to steam them, and another is simply to put them in the cast pan, heat one side, turn them over, and heat the other.

Now we are done and I am so excited to get my teeth into one of these!

The assembly.................................

These are so easy to assemble. I like to put some cheese first, then the pakoras. Next, some more cheese, followed by the slaw. Finally, some of the avocado, and for some acidic spice, the salsa! How does that look? Looks like a colossal taco to me! Better do some mouth stretching!

Get some napkins, it's going to get messy.....................

Definitely, eating tacos is a messy affair, however, it doesn't really matter because the end result of flavor and texture will make you not even notice. Furthermore, not one crumb is wasted as the stragglers that fell on the plate will not go to waste. That's why we have fingers to scoop up all that wonderful foodie love.

Without delay, I am ready to bite in! Oh wow, the warm tortilla nicely nestles that crispy surfaced pakora and all that melted cheese at the bottom. The earthiness and richness of the beans, potato, peas, with the spices, just float into my taste buds beautifully! The slaw offers an awakening to the senses with crispness, freshness, and plenty of creaminess from the dressing. That salsa has just enough kick to provide a bit of acidity and heat! Just plain fantastico, these Bean medley Pakora Inspired Tacos! 

I  created this recipe for Ontario Bean Growers and if you go on their recipe library, you will find some pretty amazing bean recipes that will make you crave all kinds of beans!

Final thoughts................

In the end, tacos are a fun and great meal idea for the family. The messiness of them provides plenty of space for laughter and playfulness, and the flavors and textures sublimely unforgettable. The best part of fusion cuisine is that it brings our cultural world together. Traditional recipes, I believe, should be respected, however, there is some space for uniting our worlds, being creative, making our life experience one of warmth, love, and hospitality. You can't ask for any more than that. Or maybe you can! .....................................

Gather the family and make tonight taco night!

Bean medley Pakora Inspired Tacos

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Bean medley Pakora Inspired Tacos, fusing culture is a great way to build flavor and texture. Today I  have created a wonderful union of Indian cuisine meets Mexican. The end result, a play on our tongue of exotic spicy dancing with bright freshness!

• Author: Loreto
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Vegetarian
• Cuisine: Fusion
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Tacos:

• 8 small soft corn tortillas
• ¾ cup of applewood smoked cheddar, shredded
• ½ cup mild or hot salsa

Pakora:

• 540 ml bean medley canned beans
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp green curry
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, paprika
• 1 red potato peeled, boiled and diced
• ½ cup cooked peas
• 2 Tbsp chickpea flour
• 1 cup Panko crumbs
• Salt and pepper

Coleslaw:

• ½ cup each of green cabbage, purple cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 small purple onion, minced
• 1 green onion, chopped

Dressing:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil mayo
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp tomato salsa
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Guacamole:

• 1 avocado
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

Pakoras:

1. In a cast-iron pan drizzle in olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter, bring to medium heat and toss in onions. Sauté for 2 minutes.
2. Sprinkle in cumin, turmeric, coriander, onion and garlic powder, paprika, and curry. Stir well.
3. Toss in beans and stir. Using a potato masher mash up beans. Toss in diced cooked potato, and peas stir gently. Add 1 tablespoon melted butter and 2 tablespoon chickpea flour, stir again. Set aside.

Coleslaw:

1. In a large bowl combine cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, purple onion, and green onion.

Dressing:

1. In a small bowl combine mayo, olive oil, salsa, and sriracha, whisk and pour into bowl with cabbage mixture and toss well. Set aside.

Guacamole:

1. Cut avocado in half, remove pit. Scoop out avocado with spoon and dice. Place in a bowl.
2. Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss and taste for seasoning. Add seasoning if needed. Set aside.

Pakoras:

1. Pre-heat oven to 385 degrees F.
2. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and form a rough oval in your hand. Press firmly to form then place into panko and coat. Put on a baking sheet. Repeat until mixture is all gone.
3. Place baking sheet of pakoras into oven and cook for about 20 minutes turning them at the 10minute mark. Take out of oven.

Assembly:

1. Heat up a cast or sauté pan. Place tortillas onto pan and let heat for 1 minute then flip over and heat through for another minute. Place on a plate and cover until all tortillas are warm.
2. Take a tortilla, sprinkle some shredded cheddar, place a couple of the pakoras and break them up a bit onto tortilla.
3. Top with some slaw and guacamole, some more shredded cheddar, and a nice dollop of salsa. Add a couple of slices of fresh lemon.
4. Ready to serve.
   Enjoy!

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Loreto

When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.