International Incident Party: Navajo Tacos

posted on July 18th, 2010

During my vacation I did a quick detour via Washington DC to visit a friend I had not seen in 7 years…and I met her husband for the first time ever! It was also my first time in DC. I LOVED this place a lot and wish I had more time to visit. I ran like a mad woman trying to see as much as possible in the sweltering heat Now most touristy stuff is along the Mall where all the famous monuments and Smithsonian museums are. Not a restaurant hub area at all. But I asked the cashier in the American Art History to recommend a place. She suggested the cafeteria in the National Museum of the American Indian.

The Mitsitam Native Foods Café was a great discovery portal into the indigenous cuisines of the Americas. It’s set up like a food court with 5 counters representing the different cuisines: Northern Woodlands, South America, the Northwest Coast, Meso America and the Great Plains. I ended up having an Indian Taco which was made with Buffalo Chili and a fried bread.

Museum's version

When I then saw the theme, International Incident Tacos Party, it was pretty much a no brainer as far as choosing a recipe! After some online research I found out this is actually a navajo thang! The very adapted recipe comes from a great web page which describes the history of Navajo Fry Bread, seeing its birth from a very sad story and a need for survival.

The fried bread I made versus the one at the museum do not even compare. Mine was TO DIE FOR. It is the easiest bread I have ever made in my life, so fast and so so good. I hate frying but it is so fats to make I can see this bread becoming a staple in my cooking routine.

Indian Taco Recipe

1 pound ground meat (beef, lamb, venison or pork)
1 1/2 medium coarsely chopped onions
3 cloves minced garlic
19 oz can kidney beans, drained
8 ounces beef broth
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp oregano (I used Epazote)
1 tbsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 cooked Navajo Fry Breads
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
3 tomatoes, diced
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (left over Tex Mex mix for me)
diced green chili

Directions:

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown ground meat, onions and garlic until you see no pink meat.

Add beans, broth, diced tomatoes, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 20  min.

Place Fry Bread, cupped side up, on separate plates.

Layer ground meat, lettuce, tomatoes, Cheddar cheese, and green chili onto top of each Fry Brad.

Here it is MY version!

Navajo Fry Bread

1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Vegetable oil for frying

Sift together the flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder into a large bowl. Pour the water over the flour mixture all at once and stir the dough with a fork until it starts to form one big clump.

Flour your hands. Using your hands, begin to mix the dough, trying to get all the flour into the mixture to form a ball. NOTE: do NOT knead otherwise you will have a heavy Fry Bread.

Cut the dough into four (4) pieces. Using your floured hands, form a disk of about 6 inches in diameter.

Heat the vegetable oil to about 375 degrees F. Your oil should be about 1-inch deep in a large cast-iron skillet or other large fryer.

Take the formed dough and gently place it into the oil, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. Press down on the dough as it fries so the top is submersed into the hot oil. Fry until brown, and then flip to fry the other side. Each side will take about 1 to 2 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

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July 18th, 2010 | Tags: , , , , | Category: International Incident Party, Recipes, Traditions, World Ethnic Food | 19 comments - (Comments are closed)
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