Taco Rice (タコライス) is one of my son’s favorite dishes and he requests this recipe from time to time. It’s so easy to make and it’s a perfect weeknight meal. You can prepare taco meat and toppings ahead of time and assemble them right before you are ready to eat.
What’s Taco Rice?
Taco Rice is an Okinawan dish in which the ingredients of a Tex-Mex taco—ground beef, lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes – are served on a bed of steamed rice and served with fresh salsa on top. This fusion dish was first created in 1984 by a Japanese restaurant owner, Matsuzo Gibo, who wanted to create an affordable yet fulfilling meal that can be made quickly and enjoyed by the young American military. His restaurant, King Tacos, was nearby the American military base and he thought combining tacos, which were already popular among the American military, and a Japanese staple dish, steamed rice would be a winning team. True enough, a simple twist to something familiar not only opened the door of his restaurant to more American customers, but it had also created quite a sensation on the island that the locals quickly embraced. It may not be a classic Okinawan dish like Rafute, Sata Andagi, or Okinawa Soba, but Taco Rice encapsulates the spirit of the island where cultures are constantly evolving and influencing each other. Now a new Okinawa specialty food, you can find taco rice being served on family dinner tables throughout the prefecture.
How To Make Taco Rice
The Ingredients You’ll Need
Ground beef (or your choice of protein) – ground beef is the original meat for taco rice. Garlic Red onion Iceberg lettuce Mexican-style shredded cheese Cooked Japanese short-grain rice Taco seasonings: Chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper, dried oregano, paprika, ground cumin, kosher salt, black pepper Simple salsa: Tomato, cilantro, and lemon
The Cooking Process
Homemade Taco Seasonings
If you look up a Taco Rice recipe in Japanese online, you will notice that a lot of recipes use soy sauce, Tonkatsu sauce, curry powder, or ketchup. In Okinawa, you can get a packet of taco seasoning easily since the American military base is there. But on mainland Japan, taco seasoning is not easy to find. I think that’s why taco meat is always seasoned with some common Japanese condiments that are available in a Japanese kitchen. For my recipe, I followed this taco seasoning recipe online to make my taco meat as I have all the seasonings at home. If you don’t want to get individual bottles of spices just to make this recipe, consider getting a packet of taco seasoning for a quick fix. But these spices are fairly common and you either already have them or will be using them in other recipes. So it is a good investment too!
Taco Rice Variations
I keep my toppings fairly simple, but this fusion rice bowl dish is open for customization. Feel free to dress them up with whatever you have in hand, such as avocado slices, crumbled feta, or pickled jalapeno. Just don’t forget to finish it off with plenty of bright, fresh cilantro and tomatoes! Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 6, 2018, and republished with additional content on July 19, 2023.
