Sake and Shochu Gumi
After Yoko's post this weekend about taco ricing in Okinawa, I was super intrigued. Have you ever heard of such a thing??? As Yoko mentioned, taco rice origins lie in Okinawa, and is a product of the US occupation of the island. More about taco rice on Wiki- it's fascinating. Leave it up to the Japanese to take a cuisine, pick out what they like about it, put it over sticky white rice, and call it their own. GENIUS. Or wait, is it imperialistic? Lo and behold, come Monday lunchtime, the one and only Yamahomo brought ALL the ingredients to make this unique dish. I truly love this man. Here is how to construct taco rice, step by step, per Yamahomo's strict instructions. Plate white rice: Add shredded cheese: Spoon over taco beef: Top with lettuce: Add tomatoes: Add salsa and avocados. I think I cheated and put the avocados on top, instead of under the lettuce, but it's prettier this way. Sorry Yamahomo. The dish was... like nothing I have ever tasted. As someone who grew up eating Mexican food quite regularly, this is a surreal dish. I can't really pinpoint how to describe it... there's a Japanese word "fushigi", which in direct translation means "magical", but really means more like "otherworldly". That's the only word that came to mind. FUSHIGI. I wonder what the Okinawans would do with the chile relleno.
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7 comments

  • I used to have takoraisu a few times a week when I lived in Okinawa!
    Made it a couple of times at home, but its never as good as in Kin Town!

    Peter on

  • OMGzzz!!! as someone who prides herself on mixing my carbs inappropriately (spaghetti sauce on rice/ramen noodles, italian ravioli in pho, etc) i can’t believe i have never applied the technique to mexican cuisine… THANK YOU for the amazing idea; i have a feeling this will open a whole new door for me, too.

    kayce. on

  • Rice burger is an another brilliant option instead of buns. Squish rice balls into flat, fry it in a bit of oil, buns are ready to be sandwiched with whatever it might be, meat, chicken, tonkatsu. Rice the Genius!

    Yamahomo on

  • @yamahomo: rice, ftw for sure! i will be trying a rice burger sooner rather than later, thanks! _

    kayce. on

  • This looks WAY better than the taco rice I had the other day. It doesn’t have the horrid tomato sauce. Even in Tokyo usually it either comes topped with tomato sauce or ketchup.

    yoko on

  • I have been lurking at your blog for a long time. OMG I have been doing this to my leftover taco mince and vegetables. I didn’t like packing them for lunch the next day cos it would get soggy and too lazy to pack seperately and assemble during lunch so I dumped them onto rice and packed the veggies seperately. Awesome

    Anonymous on

  • yeah it’s so smart, right??? it’s really is an ideal lunch for work, i agree.

    kayoko on

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