Fusion at Fusionopolis: Try guacamole thosai tacos from Yung Raja at The Maha Co
Thosai is a staple in South Indian households. Guacamole is popular across Mexico. The two have been combined to make a dish which its Singaporean creators believe is the first of its kind in the world.
Local rapper Yung Raja, 26, whose real name is Rajid Ahamed, and his long-time friend Ong Weiquan, 40, owner of superfood concept store Gorilla Press, are the brains behind this fusion item.
Their thosai-tacos are available in different forms at The Maha Co, the Indian-Mexican cafe they opened at the start of this year at 1 Fusionopolis Link.
Raja said he wanted to showcase his identity as an Indian to the world and thosai, a breakfast staple which his mother makes, felt most appropriate.
They refined it over months of research and development.
“Quan and I tried my mother’s thosai with different sweet and savoury fillings in my house,” said Raja. “We were blown away when we paired nutella and peanut butter with thosai. It was an incredible experience and that’s when we decided to share what we loved with the world.”
Raja added that Mexican and Indian cuisines are similar and complement each other well.
The name Maha comes from the word maharaja, meaning emperor.
“The logo of our cafe is an elephant which represents royalty and love,” he said.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the duo worked hard for eight months to launch The Maha Co.
“Covid-19 was a silver lining for us,” said Mr Ong. “It gave us time to thoroughly plan and execute our ideas in the most authentic way.”
Raja, an avid fan of Tamil film superstar Rajnikanth, said the cafe is an extension of his soul as an artist.
The Maha Co’s walls are plastered with Indian and Mexican posters which reflect Raja’s dream of opening a restaurant, which he has had since childhood.
The menu includes guacamole thosai-tacos with salsa, grilled cheese thosai-tacos with tomato and crispy chicken thosai-tacos with cucumber yogurt.
Desserts include coconut gelato and mango ice cream. One can also grab a craft beer or two and choose from a range of freshly pressed juices.
For those who enjoy thosai the traditional way, there is also the plain thosai with vegetable curry option.
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