Why This Recipe Works?
Seasoning the taco meat with ketchup, sake, and soy sauce creates a savory-sweet balance that pairs well with plain white rice. Leaving the taco meat a little saucy allows the juices to percolate down into the rice. Layering the meat on the rice seasons the rice, and layering the cheese on the meat allows the cheese to melt. Putting the lettuce around the edges of the plate keeps it from wilting.
Ingredients for Taco Rice
How to Make Taco Rice
Because making the taco meat goes so quickly, I usually like to whisk the ketchup, sake, soy sauce, and salt together in a small bowl first. Then you want to saute the onions and garlic in a frying pan until they are tender and starting to brown. If you are making this plant-based, I recommend spending a little more time getting the onions fully caramelized to maximize their flavor. Next, add the ground meat and use a spatula or wooden paddle to crumble it up. I like to add the chili powder when the meat is halfway cooked, so it has a chance to toast, releasing its aromatic oils. When the meat is almost fully cooked, you can pour in the sauce mixture you made earlier and cook it with the meat until it’s your desired consistency. I like my taco meat a little on the saucy side so the sauce can season the rice underneath. To assemble the Taco rice, put down a layer of rice on a plate and surround it with a ring of lettuce. Then you want to layer the hot taco meat and cheese on top of the rice. To finish it off, you can garnish the plate with tomatoes, cilantro, and crumbled tortilla chips.
Other Rice Bowl Recipes
Chicken Katsudon Gyudon (beef bowl) Oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl) Butadon (pork bowl)
📖 Recipe
