Taco Rice is a well-liked Okinawan dish and a contemporary fusion of Tex-Mex and Japanese cuisines. As a substitute of placing taco toppings on a corn shell, toppings are placed on a mattress of cooked rice. It sounds slightly bit unusual to have taco toppings on rice, however it’s surprisingly scrumptious. The brilliant color mixture of the toppings is appetising.
My taco toppings encompass beef mince, salsa, shredded lettuce, diced avocado, and shredded cheese. The mixture of spicy meat, wealthy and attractive cheese, crispy lettuce, and the sourness of the salsa creates an beautiful concord in your mouth.
Taco Rice – a Japanese Invention
Taco Rice (タコライス, pronounce it as ‘takoraisu‘) originated within the city known as Kin (金æ¦), Okinawa, which is positioned in the midst of the primary island of Okinawa.
It was within the early Nineteen Eighties when the Japanese yen was sturdy, which hit the US navy folks exhausting and they didn’t have a lot cash to spare.
The proprietor of the cafe close to the US base camp, Matsuzo Gibo, considered serving an affordable however filling tasty meals to the navy folks. Tacos have been standard amongst them, so Matsuzo served taco toppings on rice to extend the amount of the dish. His Taco Rice solely had taco meat on high, just like the photograph beneath.
Taco Rice grew to become standard among the many US navy folks, then unfold throughout Okinawa and the remainder of Japan. The recognition travelled abroad, significantly to the US.
There are lots of mixtures of toppings, and the flavouring of the mince/floor meat can even fluctuate. The meat might be beef, pork, a combination of beef & pork, or hen.
Though the thought got here from the Tex-Mex Tacos, I discover that the taco meat of the Okinawan Taco Rice doesn’t have as many herbs because the Mexican model. It additionally has a touch of genuine Japanese flavour.
What’s in My Okinawan Taco Rice
Not one of the elements are exhausting to get and the seasonings are pantry staples, however there are fairly few elements concerned on this dish.
Rice and Toppings
- Sizzling cooked rice
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced avocado
- Shredded cheese
I used shredded tasty cheese, i.e. cheddar cheese, however you should utilize different cheese reminiscent of Colby, Monterey Jack, or Gouda cheese.
Salsa
- Diced crimson onion
- Diced inexperienced capsicum
- Diced tomatoes
- Grated garlic
- Lemon juice or lime juice
- Tabasco (non-obligatory)
Tabasco is non-obligatory however the salsa will style good in case you add just a few dashes of it.
Taco Meat
- Beef mince
- Finely diced onion
- Finely diced garlic
- Oil
As a substitute of beef, you should utilize pork, hen, or a combination of beef & pork.
Taco Meat Seasoning
- Cooking sake
- Sugar
- Soy sauce
- Tomato ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Chilli powder
- Cumin
The addition of cooking sake, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce makes the Okinawan model of the Taco Meat fairly distinctive. Modify the amount of chilli powder to make the Taco Meat kind of spicy.
Tips on how to Make Okinawan Taco Rice
Salsa
- In the event you don’t like the warmth within the onions, submerge them in chilly/ice water and go away them for 10-Quarter-hour. Drain and squeeze water out of them.
- Put all of the Salsa elements in a bowl and blend nicely.
You may make the salsa the day earlier than.
Taco Meat
- Sauté onion and garlic in a frying pan till the onion items change into brownish.
- Add mince/floor meat to the pan and cook dinner till the meat modifications the color.
- Add all of the Taco Meat Seasoning elements to the pan and blend nicely.
- When liquid evaporates, flip the warmth off.
You may make the Taco Meat forward. You possibly can even freeze it.
Assembling Taco Rice
- Unfold rice on a serving plate.
- Put the Taco Meat over the rice.
- Scatter shredded lettuce and avocado items over the meat.
- Put the salsa on high, then scatter the shredded cheese over the mound.
As you may see within the above directions, it’s fairly a easy course of. It is usually good to have the ability to make Taco Meat and even salsa forward, so that you simply solely must reheat the meat and assemble the Taco Rice.
Some Taco Rice you get at eating places could not have as many toppings as my Taco Rice. Generally used toppings are shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and shredded cheese, along with the Taco Meat (photograph beneath).
Utilizing my Taco Rice Recipe, you may make these easier variations of Taco Rice by eradicating the salsa. However I believe I prefer it with the lot.
Okinawan Taco Rice is a fast and straightforward dish to make. It will possibly scale up with out a lot bother both. It’s visually engaging and fairly filling too. It’s an ideal household meal.
Yumiko
![Hero shot of Okinawan Taco Rice.](https://japan.recipetineats.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Okinawan_Taco_Rice_0105sq-150x150.jpg)
Okinawan Taco Rice
Taco Rice is a well-liked Okinawan dish and a contemporary fusion of Tex-Mex and Japanese cuisines. As a substitute of placing taco toppings on a corn shell, toppings are placed on a mattress of cooked rice. It sounds slightly bit unusual to have taco toppings on rice, however it’s surprisingly scrumptious. The brilliant color mixture of the toppings is appetising.
Do not forget to see the part ‘MEAL IDEAS’ beneath the recipe card! It provides you a listing of dishes that I’ve already posted and this recipe that may make up an entire meal. I hope it’s of assist to you.
Recipe Sort:
Important, Rice
Delicacies:
Japanese
Key phrase:
okinawan recipes, taco rice, taco rice recipes
Serves: 2
:
Components (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)
Salsa
-
90g/3.2oz
tomato
deseeded and diced -
60g/2.1oz
crimson onion
finely chopped (word 2) -
30g/1.1oz
inexperienced capsicum
finely chopped -
½
tsp
garlic
grated -
1
tbsp
lemon juice
(or lime juice) -
¼
tsp
salt -
3-4
dashes Tabasco
(non-obligatory)
Taco Meat
-
200g/7.1oz
beef mince/floor beef
(word 3) -
100g/3.5oz
onion
finely diced -
1
clove
of garlic
finely chopped -
2
tsp
oil
Taco Meat Seasoning
-
1
tbsp
cooking sake -
1
tsp
sugar -
2
tsp
soy sauce -
2
tbsp
tomato ketchup -
2
tbsp
Worcestershire sauce -
½
-1 tsp
chilli powder
(word 4) -
½
tsp
cumin powder
Different Toppings
-
1½
cups
lettuce
finely shredded -
50g/1.8oz
avocado
lower into 1cm cubes -
50g/1.8oz10
shredded cheese
(word 5)
Directions
Salsa (word 6)
-
In the event you don’t like the warmth within the chopped onions, submerge them in chilly/ice water and go away them for 10-Quarter-hour. Drain and squeeze water out of them.
-
Put all of the Salsa elements in a bowl and blend nicely.
Taco Meat (word 7)
-
Sauté onion and garlic in a frying pan till the onion items change into brownish.
-
Add mince/floor meat to the pan and cook dinner till the meat modifications color.
-
Add all of the Taco Meat Seasoning elements to the pan and blend nicely.
-
When liquid evaporates, flip the warmth off.
Assembling Taco Rice
-
Unfold rice on a serving plate.
-
Put the Taco Meat over the rice.
-
Scatter shredded lettuce and avocado items over the meat.
-
Put the salsa on high, then scatter the shredded cheese over the mound.
-
Serve instantly whereas the rice is sizzling.
Recipe Notes
1. A big serving of rice presents steadiness with the Taco Meat. You possibly can lower down the amount of rice in case you like.
2. You possibly can substitute it with brown or white onion.
3. As a substitute of beef you should utilize pork, hen, or a combination of pork & beef.
4. 1 teaspoon of chilli powder makes the Taco Meat noticeable warmth with 1 teaspoon of chilli powder. You possibly can scale back the amount to make the meat much less spicy. However I believe that slightly little bit of spiciness makes a distinction within the style of the meat.
If you’re making Okinawan Taco Rice on your youngsters, you may omit chilli powder.
5. I purchased a bag of shredded tasty cheese for this. You may also use Monterey Jack, Colby, or Gouda.
6. Vitamin per serving. It’s a bit serving and the energy are excessive. You possibly can scale back the amount of rice to chop it again.
serving: 566g energy: 783kcal fats: 38g (49%) saturated fats: 13g (65%) trans fats: 1.4g polyunsaturated fats: 2.5g monounsaturated fats: 17g ldl cholesterol: 96mg (32%) sodium: 1216mg (53%) carbohydrates: 78g (28%) dietary fibre: 5.8g (21%) sugar: 14g protein: 31g vitamin D: 0mcg (1%) calcium: 288mg (22%) iron: 6.7mg (37%) potassium: 1082mg (23%)
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Meal Concepts
A typical Japanese meal consists of a foremost dish, a few facet dishes, a soup and rice. I attempt to provide you with a mixture of dishes with a wide range of flavours, colors, textures, and make-ahead dishes.
Since Taco Rice originated in Okinawa, I picked some Okinawan dishes to make a meal set. Goya Chanpuru is a foremost dish, however on this meal set you may serve a small portion as a facet dish. In the event you want a lighter dish for a facet, I like to recommend a easy tofu dish reminiscent of Chilled Tofu. I believe that clear soup matches higher with Taco Rice, and I added Okinawan Sundae to finish this Okinawan meal.