May 5 is not only Children’s Day, it’s also Cinco de Mayo. Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo more than they do in Mexico as it is a great excuse to have a Mexican meal.
May 5 is not only Children’s Day, it’s also Cinco de Mayo. Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo more than they do in Mexico as it is a great excuse to have a Mexican meal.
Here in Hilo, our selection in Mexican foods grew from Reubens’s to Lucy’s Taqueria, La Ray’s Taco Plus, and Casa de Luna in just the year. If you drive to Pahoa, there is also Luquin’s.
Two easy dishes to make for May 5 would be fish tacos, or flautas.
Fish Tacos
(Serves 6-8)
In a bowl, mix together:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Slowly add:
1 cup dark Mexican beer
Set aside and let batter rest for 15 minutes.
Add in a small bowl:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup Mexican crema or sour cream (or crème fraiche if available)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
Check taste, season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
In a pot used for deep frying, fill to 1-inch high with canola oil. Heat till temperature reaches 350 degrees.
On a large plate, combine:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
Season 2 pounds skinned ono, mahimahi or other tender white fleshed fish with salt and pepper, and cut into 5-by-½ inch strips. Dip fish strips into beer batter and coat all sides. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
If making soft tacos (they are easier to eat):
Heat in dry pan on both sides eight to 10 6- to 8-inch corn tortillas
Have ready:
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups tomatillo salsa
Pickled jalapeno slices
Shredded mexican cheese
Place fish on top of tortilla, top with cream, shredded lettuce, tomatillo salsa, jalapeno, and cheese.
Chile and
Cheese Flautas
(Makes 16 flautas)
In a bowl, mix together:
1/2 cup canned green chiles, seeded and chopped
1 cup jack cheese
1 cup corn, canned or frozen and thawed
1/2 cup green chile sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Have ready: 16 small (6-8 inch) flour tortillas. Place two tablespoons filling in center of tortilla and roll tightly. Secure with toothpick. Heat a fry pan to 350 degrees with 2 teaspoons canola oil. Fry all sides till golden brown. Remove toothpicks and drain on paper towels.
To end your Mexican meal, how about mochi to celebrate Children’s Day? Here is an easy tri-colored mochi to make. I used to make it all the time for the boys when they were young.
Tri-Colored Mochi
(Makes 20 1-1/2 by 3 inch pieces)
Mix together in large bowl:
1 (one pound) box mochiko
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Gradually add:
2 cups water
1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Divide the mixture equally into three parts, about 1-1/2 cups each. In the first bowl, add 12 drops of green food coloring. Leave the second bowl white and add 12 drops of red food coloring to the third bowl.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13 baking pan with cooking spray. Carefully place green colored mochi in pan. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil, add white portion, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, add red colored portion, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and allow to cool thoroughly. Cut with plastic knife and roll in potato starch or kinako. Cut 20 pieces of waxed paper into 5-by-8 inch rectangles. Place mochi pieces on diagonal of paper, bring ends up and twist to close.
Small Bites
General Ignacio Zaragoza is credited with defeating the French Army in a small village of Puebla on May 5, 1862, and Cinco de Mayo was created to celebrate the event. As early at 1879, San Antonio canners won contracts with the War Department to feed our soldiers chili con carne.
Buffalo Bill Cody in 1886 set up a “genuine Mexican restaurant” next to his traveling road show. He sold enchiladas, chile rellenos, chili, mescal and tamales.
Doritos were invented at Disneyland in the 1960’s when the Mexican restaurant at the park, Casa de Fritos, fried discarded tortillas. The Frito-Lay CEO just happened to be visiting Disneyland, and the rest is history!
Nachos were invented in 1943 by Ignacio Anaya, a chef in Piedra Negras, Mexico, when he whipped up a quick snack for military housewives. In 1976 Frank Liberto created ballpark nachos to sell at Arlington Stadium, home of the Texas Rangers. Today, nachos outsell hot dogs at concession stands of pro baseball and football games.
The first fajitas were made in Houston at Ninfa’s Restaurant by Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo.
The first tacos into the United States came with refugees from the Mexican Revolution, but Taco Bell made it a craze in 1962.
The first taco truck was run by two New York housewives in 1966, called Tic-Taco.
Before 1948, May 5 was called Boy’s Day, and March 3 was Girl’s Day. However May 5 became a national holiday to honor all children and is now called “Kodomono Hi” or Children’s Day.
Foodie Bites
For food lovers, this weekend is a busy one: The Ka‘u Coffee Festival is being held on May 5-6 and May 12-13. Call Chris Manfredi at 929-9550 for more information.
This Sunday is the Rotary Club of South Hilo’s Hilo Huli at Coconut Island. The event starts at 11:30 a.m.