What is Taco Rice?
Taco Rice, known as “Takoraisu” (タコライス) in Japanese, is one of the most famous regional dishes to come from Okinawa.
This dish, made with sticky Japanese-style rice and topped with typical taco ingredients seasoned with Japanese condiments, creates a surprisingly delicious fusion dish that combines the best flavors and textures from Tex-mex and Japanese cuisine.
How I Developed This Recipe
When I was putting this taco rice recipe together, I was going for simplicity, ease, and a really tasty end result, the kind of dish you’d be happy to find in a Japanese café.
I believe that a dish’s visual appeal is just as important as its taste, and taco rice is perfect for a vibrant, colorful presentation.
The result is a taco rice dish that’s not only delicious but also looks great. It’s the perfect lunch option for a tasty and satisfying meal!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Cooked white rice – since this is an Okinawan dish, it’s only natural to use Japanese-style white rice. You can learn more about cooking Japanese rice here.
- Lettuce – Frilly lettuce is great for presentation and adds a nice crunch.
- Avocado – ripe and slightly soft is best!
- Grated cheese – I recommend a mild and meltable cheese such as Cheddar or Gouda.
- Tortilla chips – Lightly salted or flavored, depending on your preference.
- Japanese Mayonnaise – For drizzling at the end, adds a creamy taste.
- Soft-boiled eggs (or onsen tamago) – adding an egg is typical for “cafe-style” taco rice.
- Seasonings – I used soy sauce, sake, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup, and chili powder.
- Spicy tomato – Mixture of tomato, lemon juice, and chili sauce.
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Jump to Full Recipe Measurements
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Taco Rice at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
To make the shortcut salsa, cut the tomatoes and add them to a bowl with lemon juice and chili sauce. Mix well and rest in the fridge until it’s time to serve.
I used mini tomatoes cut into halves, but feel free to use a large tomato cut into cubes to make it more salsa-like.
Heat a large frying pan on medium and once hot, add a drizzle of oil. Add the onion and garlic and fry until the onion becomes slightly soft and transparent.
Next, add the ground meat and fry until browned.
Once the meat is cooked, season with soy sauce, sake, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and chili powder. Mix well and continue to cook until the sauce is reduced by half.
Once the taco style meat is cooked, you’re already ready to assemble!
Rip the lettuce by hand and arrange it around the edge of each plate, then place a portion of rice in the middle.
I usually use and strongly recommend Japanese rice for most of my recipes, but for this taco rice, you can use a different type of rice and it will still turn out great.
Next add the Japanese style “taco meat”.
Scatter the easy “salsa” and cubed avocado over the top.
Finally, top with crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese, a drizzle of mayonnaise, and a soft-boiled egg.
And enjoy this ultimate Okinawan comfort dish!
FAQ
Taco rice originates from the southwestern prefecture of Okinawa. Okinawa is made up of a group of subtropical islands called “Ryukyu Islands,” which are located southwest of Kyushu, lying between Japan and Taiwan.
Since WW2, Okinawa became home to the largest U.S. military base in Japan, which greatly impacted the culture and food. The Americans brought their love for tacos, and using local ingredients, taco rice was born!
The first taco rice was created by a chef named Matsuzo Gibo in 1984. He owned a restaurant near the U.S. military base and wanted to create a dish that would be popular among the American military. Combining their love for tacos with Japanese rice was a simple genius on his part, and taco rice became a well-loved dish in Okinawa and across all of Japan!
In Japan, Mexican tacos are known as “takosu” (タコス). We use the plural form even if it’s just one “taco.” However, for some reason, this dish is called “taco rice,” not “takosu rice.” This can cause some confusion since the word “tako” (タコ) sounds exactly the same and means “octopus” in Japanese.
When I was a kid, I saw Okinawan taco rice on a TV drama, and my immediate thought was…”If it’s called “tako” rice, why does it not have octopus!?” Now that I’m older, it’s obvious that taco does not mean octopus here. But hopefully, you understand the confusion I went through as a kid!
Famous Okinawan dishes include Goya Chanpuru (bitter melon stir-fry), Soki Soba (Okinawan-style noodles), Rafute (stewed pork cubes), Mimiga (stewed pig ears), Jushi (rice cooked with pork), and Sata Andagi (Okinawan doughnuts). These dishes, made with unique ingredients and cooking techniques, are loved by locals and tourists alike.
I hope you enjoy this Okinawan Taco Rice recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Quick Lunch Recipes
- Sukiya Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)
- Quick & Easy Yakiniku Don (Japanese BBQ Style Beef Bowl)
- Easy and Delicious Ponzu Chicken
- Tamago Sando (Japanese-Style Egg Sandwich)
Want more inspiration? Explore my Japanese Lunch Recipe Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Okinawa Taco Rice And Cheese (Cafe Style)
Ingredients
Easy “salsa”
- 150 g tomato or mini tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp chili sauce of your choice
Japanese Style Taco Mince
- 1 tsp cooking oil neutural oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 100 g onion finely diced
- 150 g ground beef or beef/pork mix
- 1 tbsp sake or dry white wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp chili powder cayenne pepper powder
Taco Rice
- 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- 100 g lettuce leaves
- 50 g avocado cubed
- 2 tbsp preferred shredded melting cheese cheddar or gauda
- 30 g tortilla chips crushed
- 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise optional
- 2 soft-boiled egg optional
My recommended brands of ingredients and seasonings can be found in my Japanese pantry guide.
Can’t find certain Japanese ingredients? See my substitution guide here.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix 150 g tomato, 1 tsp lemon juice and ¼ tsp chili sauce of your choice. Rest in the fridge until serving time.
- Heat the pan on medium and once hot, add a drizzle of 1 tsp cooking oil. Add 100 g onion and 1 garlic clove to the pan and cook until the onion becomes slightly soft and transparent.
- Next, add 150 g ground beef to the pan and fry until browned.
- Once the mince is cooked through, add 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tbsp sake, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup and 1 tsp chili powder. Mix thoroughly and cook until the sauce is reduced by half.
- Rip 100 g lettuce leaves by hand and arrange them around the edge of each plate and place 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice in the middle.
- Top the rice with the seasoned meat and scatter the tomato "salsa" and 50 g avocado decoratively over the top.
- Sprinkle with 2 tbsp preferred shredded melting cheese and 30 g tortilla chips, then drizzle with 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise and top with 2 soft-boiled egg.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Japanese rice is recommended but other rice varieties work well for this taco rice dish.
- Recommended dessert: Serve matcha ice cream as a refreshing dessert after rich taco rice.
Loved the taco rice omelette idea! Taco rice is one our family’s favorites. We add a bit of five spice and cinnamon into the meat as well.
Thank you Jessica! There are so many things you can do with taco rice. Us too! I love your idea of adding five spice and cinnamon, I’ll have to try that next time!
Hallo 🙂
Wiedermal befülle ich deine Kommentarspalte mit deiner / meiner Kreation.
Es war außerordendlich lecker und wird es gerne wieder geben.
Einfach zubereitet mit leckeren Zutaten haut es einen um. 😀
Danke für das Rezept.
Auf wiedersehen.
Hi Kathleen,
Thank you for making this recipe and sharing your picture! I love seeing your photos! 🙂
I’m so happy that you like the recipe!
I hope to see more of your pictures soon too! 🙂
Yuto