By Flavor & The Menu
May 6, 2021

Photo credit: Irena Stein

Enrique Limardo

Imagine the challenge facing a Mexican man who parachutes into the middle of India wanting to recreate his native cuisine, but is limited to Indian spices. That’s the creative story Executive Chef Enrique Limardo tells to explain his inspiration for the Mumbai Mariachi Bowl at Immigrant Food, a self-described “cause casual” located one block from the White House that serves up fusion bowls and sandwiches celebrating the gastronomies of America’s immigrant cultures.

“This bowl is a fiery combination of flavors from Mexico and the Indian subcontinent, and a wonderful example of an intricate and tantalizing flavor duo,” says Limardo. It features a bed of spinach topped with roasted potatoes and peppers, corn, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, coleslaw and spice-rubbed steak (onion and garlic powder, oregano, cumin, pepper, Worcestershire, white vinegar and coriander). A tangle of spiralized carrots sits on top.

The bowl is served with a side of smoky mango-chipotle sauce, which Limardo credits as the secret to the dish’s popularity and its “Sinus Cleaner” nickname. “With the first bite, you immediately taste the smokiness of the sauce,” he says. “With the second, you taste the sweetness of the mango. Then, the feta cheese and roasted corn add a cooling relief. All the ingredients come together in a harmonizing combination of flavors.”