How about fluffy white rice topped with "Japanese style" taco meat, tomato, avocado and crushed tortilla chips then drizzled with mayonnaise? Okay, maybe it sounds kinda crazy, but this fun summer recipe is the ultimate fusion dish!
What is Taco Rice?
The confusing name of "Taco" Rice
So you might be wondering what is "Taco rice"?
Yes, Taco/Tako (タコ) usually means octopus in Japanese, but this dish does not contain any octopus... I'm sorry for anyone who expects a dish with octopus though.
When I was a kid, I saw Taco Rice on TV drama. And I thought..."Why does it not have octopus!?!?"
Now, it's obvious that taco does not mean octopus here. So what is it then?
This taco refers to Mexican Tacos. In Japanese we call tacos, "takosu" (タコス) but for some reason this dish is called "taco rice" not "takosu rice" so hopefully you understand the confusion I went through as a kid!
Origin and history of Taco Rice
Taco rice was born in tropical Okinawa in 1984 (quite recent right?) combining Mexican-American-style tacos with Japanese flavours.
It's popular enough to be used for school lunch in Okinawa apparently!
Then it travelled to other parts of Japan and has become a stylish street food-ish, lunchy, cafe-like dish.
Yeah, stylish! Look at this vibrant dish! It's sure to give you joy with the look and the taste! 🙂
Check out our video for How to Make Cafe Style Okinawan Taco Rice (タコライス)
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Okinawa Style Taco Rice (沖縄タコライス)
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 Servings 1x
Description
How to make delicious, refreshing Okinawan Style Taco Rice. Delicious seasoned meat that has been fried with onion and garlic, loaded on top of rice and salad, then sprinkled with cheese and tortilla chips and drizzled with mayonnaise. Every bite is packed with flavour! It's the ultimate Japanese/Mexican fusion dish!
Ingredients
Tomato Seasoning
- 1 Medium tomato
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- ¼ tsp Chilli sauce (any that you like)
Japanese Style Taco Mince
- 1 tsp Vegetable oil
- 1 Garlic clove
- ½ White onion
- 150g Minced beef (Preferably lean meat)
- 1 tbsp Sake
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp Chilli powder
Taco Rice
- 300g Cooked white rice (see here for how to cook Japanese style rice)
- 3 leaves of Lettuce of your choice
- ½ Avocado
- 1 tbsp Grated cheese
- 4 Tortilla chips
- 1 tsp Mayonnaise (Optional)
Instructions
- First, cut the tomato and avocado into about 1cm cubes.
- Add the tomato to a small bowl and mix with 1 tsp lemon juice and ¼ tsp of your favourite chilli sauce. Set aside for later.
- Dice the onion and finely dice the garlic.
- Heat the pan on medium high and add about 1 tsp vegetable oil.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the onion becomes soft and transparent.
- Add the mince to the pan and fry until it's browned.
- Once cooked, add 1 tbsp sake, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp chilli powder and mix. Cook until the sauce is reduced by half. (See note)
- Cut the lettuce into strips and lay it around the edge of the plate, leaving the middle empty.
- Add the rice to the middle of the lettuce leaves.
- Put between ⅓ and ½ of the mince mix on top (depending on if you're making 2 or 3 servings)
- Place the tomato and avocado decoratively on the top.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese and crushed tortilla chips.
- Drizzle with mayo (optional) and serve!
Notes
If you can't get all the ingredients for the seasoning or you want a short cut, you can use ready made taco spice (but it won't have a Japanese flavour).
If you don't like spicy food, you can leave out the chilli powder and chilli sauce. Without those ingredients it will be very mild and sweet.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: Fusion
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