The power couple behind one of Texas’ most lauded Mexican restaurants are putting their unique cultural fusion flavors out there in a whole new way. Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi, the husband-and-wife duo behind Austin’s acclaimed Nixta Taqueria, have announced a new cookbook out October 6: Nixta Taqueria Presents: From Tacos to Tahdig: Recipes and Stories from Mexico, Iran, and the In-Between.<\/p>\n
Although the taquer\u00eda is known for Mexican cuisine stemming from James Beard Award-winning<\/a> chef Edgar Rico’s nixtamalization<\/a> obsession, regular pop-ups make space for Persian recipes from Mardanbigi’s heritage. An introductory video<\/a> ties everything back to corn and rice \u2014 and tells us this is going to be an epic period of book promotion at Nixta.<\/p>\n Rico and Mardanbigi are co-authors, with help from JJ Goode, who co-wrote Pok Pok with Andy Ricker, State Bird Provisions with Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, and Eat a Little Better with Sam Kass, former senior policy advisor for nutrition policy during President Barack Obama’s administration.<\/p>\n The book takes a similar format to the restaurant, showing off each Nixta owner’s recipes in turns. First it goes back to Rico’s childhood in California, then Mardanbigi’s in the Ozarks and trips to Iran. Recipes listed in a preview<\/a> on the Nixta website include tortas de Milanesa de pollo, Maman’s Fish with kuku sabzi, smashburgers al pastor, saffron tres leches, duck carnitas tacos, Where authenticity is concerned, this book’s loyalties are to immigrants and their descendants, as the authors consider themselves “proud hyphenated Americans.” That does mean the recipes will “bastardize the hell out of Mexican, Iranian, and American classics.”<\/p>\n “If you’ve ever felt caught between worlds, welcome to our table,” says Mardanbigi in the teaser video.<\/p>\n Readers can preorder From Tacos to Tahdig ($38) via Amazon<\/a> or Penguin Random House<\/a>.<\/p>\n