I’m an irritatingly indecisive person so my nightly battle against what cuisine I crave leaves me consistently in a huff in the confectionary aisle. When I discovered the wonder that is Okinawa Taco Rice, I knew it had to be a blog recipe. The whole Tex-Mex base meets underlying Japanese flavour is a slight mind boggle -but it just works and it’s really freakin good and takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. It may seem like a lot of ingredients but once you’ve stocked up on the basics, you’re set for a weekly go-to that’s really cheap.

So what’s the story? In the 60’s a Chef in Okinawa, Japan wanted to cater to the palate of the American troops stationed there. The result is a fusion bowl of yum that’s now a staple around the country. Generally this is topped with grated cheese and sour cream but I moved past that after the age of ten. Soz.

Note: pleeaaaase don’t skip the salsa – it’s definitely required to balance and freshen the recipe.

Quick & Easy Okinawa Beef Taco Bowls

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

Taco bowls:
500g beef mince
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1tbs finely chopped ginger
1tsp each, chilli powder, cumin, ground coriander, paprika & garlic powder
1tbs miso paste
2tbs soy sauce
Chopped cos lettuce
1 1/2 cups of white or brown rice

Salsa:
Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
Half a red onion, diced
Half a red chilli, diced
1tsp each soy sauce, mirin & rice wine vinegar

Method

(Start by getting your rice on as the beef takes no time.)

In a large non stick pan or wok, heat a little oil over a high heat and add the mince, garlic and ginger. Fry until all the beef has browned and broken up then add all the spices. Stir through and continue to fry while you get your miso ready. To do this, put the paste in a mug and fill it up half way with boiling water and stir through until dissolved. Pour this into the beef along with the soy sauce. Reduce the heat then leave to simmer.

For the salsa, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl then leave aside.

Now all the liquid should be cooked out of your beef and your rice should be done so just serve up in a bowl with the chopped lettuce. Doneso!