Taco Rice is a popular Japanese meal.  I hope you can follow this.  Americans love Mexican food.  The people of Okinawa took this Americanized Mexican dish and made it Japanese……Following so far, good.  I have taken this Japanese American Mexican dish and put my own American twist on it.  So I present my interpretation of Okinawan Taco Rice.

Cookingyo.com’s Okinawan Taco Rice

Serves:  4
Prep Time:  15 minutes
Cook Time:  25 minutes

This recipe may seem like it has a boat load of ingredients.  In it’s simplistic form it is taco meat over a bed of sticky rice with tomato, lettuce, onion.  Then topped with cheese, salsa, and sour cream.  Got it!

Question:  I don’t have all the spices, can I just go buy packet of taco mix from the grocery store?

Answer:  Sure, I give the close to scratch recipe and as always, please feel free to tweak the recipe to suite your needs.

Ingredients:

Taco Mix:

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon of coriander
1/4- to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (add more or less to control the amount of heat in the mix)

Main Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of 80 or 85% ground beef
1 1/2 cups of Nishiki or similar  medium grain white rice
2 cups of taco blended cheese (Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla & Asadero) or a Fiesta blend of Pepper Jack, Colby and Muenster
Iceberg Lettuce – fine chop or shredded
1 Sweet Onion – small dice
1 Tomato-  small dice
1 Jar of Salsa
Sour Cream
Dried cilantro flakes or finely chopped fresh
Optional – Tostada Bowl
Water
Olive Oil

Method:

Start by preparing the rice, follow the directions on the package, or take 1  1/2 cups of rice and place it in to a pan along with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and and cover.  Cook for 20-25 minutes remove from heat and leave covered till it’s time to  assemble.

Prepare the spice mix and give a quick mix with a fork or whisk  to fully blend the spices.

Grab a skillet and wet with olive oil and brown the ground beef, drain the grease.  Then add the spice mix and a 2/3 cup of water.  Bring to a quick boil and then reduce to simmer. Mix well till the meat is well blended with the spices and the liquid is fully absorbed.

• Optional preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, when up to temperature bake the tostada shells for 4-5 minutes.

Assemble:

Take 1/4 or so of the rice and place it in the tostada shell or on a plate
Next comes the ground beef, place a quarter of the meat on top of the rice.
Followed by the cheese, then the lettuce onion and tomato.
Grab some sour cream and place a dollop or two on top of the salad ingredients.
Spoon some salsa on top and I like to sprinkle on some cilantro flakes or finely chopped fresh if available.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Print

Okinawan Taco Rice

A twist on a modern Japanese recipe with a little bit of American flair. Quick easy and really delish!

Course Main

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Author Ken

Ingredients

Taco Mix:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon of coriander
• 1/4- to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper add more or less to control the amount of heat in the mix

Main Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of 80 or 85% ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups of Nishiki or similar medium grain white rice
• 2 cups of taco blended cheese Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla & Asadero or a Fiesta blend of Pepper Jack, Colby and Muenster
• Iceberg Lettuce – fine chop or shredded
• 1 Sweet Onion – small dice
• 1 Tomato- small dice
• 1 Jar of Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Dried cilantro flakes or finely chopped fresh
• Optional – Tostada Bowl
• Water
• Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Start by preparing the rice, follow the directions on the package, or take 1 1/2 cups of rice and place it in to a pan along with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes remove from heat and leave covered till time to serve.
2. Prepare the spice mix and give a quick mix with a fork or whisk to fully blend the spices.
3. Grab a skillet and wet with olive oil and brown the ground beef, drain the grease. Then add the spice mix and a 2/3 cup of water. Bring to a quick boil and then reduce to simmer. Mix well till the meat is well blended with the spices and the liquid is fully absorbed.
4. Optional: preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, when up to temperature bake the tostada shells for 4-5 minutes.

Assemble:

1. Take 1/4 or so of the rice and place it in the tostada shell or on a plate
2. Next comes the ground beef, place a quarter of the meat on top of the rice.
3. Followed by the cheese, then the lettuce onion and tomato.
4. Grab some sour cream and place a dollop or two on top of the salad ingredients
5. Spoon some salsa on top and then some cilantro flakes or fresh finely chopped.
6. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.