Indian Tacos

Friends, I’m taking a break from all the Paleo- and Whole30-friendly posts to bring you something naughty. If you’re from the western half of the U.S., you probably already know about these babies. Until I met my sister-in-law, Stephanie, E’s brother Josh’s wife, who is from South Dakota, I was unaware of their existence. So this post is for all of you non-westerners, or you westerners who live outside the realm of Indian tacos.

The first time I ate an Indian taco was the week I first met E’s whole family in 2009. It was probably the most overwhelming week in the history of dating relationships. His brother’s family had just returned home to the States after a two-year stint overseas, and there was some kind of get-together every night that week. E is the fourth of five kids, and I was the first (and the last) girl he ever brought home to meet the whole gang. I remember that most of the adults were the taciturn type (they’re Dutch, and some stereotypes do apply), the passel of kids were loud and raucous as kids are when they’re cousins getting together in a big group, his mom was trying as hard as she could to make me feel welcome and hardly able to contain her excitement that her ever-single son had brought a girl home, and I was just trying to remember everyone’s names and to smile. Overwhelming, yes, to be the newbie at a week of family reunion-ing. Obviously I lived to tell the tale, and stuck around in spite of the sink-or-swim sensation of the whole experience.

Stephanie made Indian tacos for dinner one of those nights, explaining to me that “Indian” meant Native American, not from India (in our current world of overcompensation, which goes so far as to label people “Native Americans” who still call themselves “Indians,” I wasn’t sure) and that the bread is actually called “squaw bread.” I stood in the kitchen at E’s parents’ house with his sister-in-law Jennifer, watching Stephanie make fry bread. As she stirred the loose dough, stretched and pressed it into flat, roundish pieces roughly the size of pancakes, then dropped them into a skillet of hot oil, where they bubbled and hissed and turned a dark golden color, I knew I was about to get my socks knocked off, in the way you do when you’re about to eat anything involving fried dough.

As the fry bread rounds came out of the pan, she drained them on paper towels, and handed them off on plates. On a side table a smorgasbord of taco toppings was spread out: a mixture of seasoned meat and beans, lettuce, chopped tomato, sliced green onions and black olives, shredded cheese, sour cream and taco sauce. I watched as others went through the line and heaped their flat fry bread loaves with all these good things, then cut into them with fork and knife.

We usually only have Indian tacos when we’re at Josh and Stephanie’s for dinner, but I’ve long been meaning to make them myself. A couple of weeks ago, as I was reading Louise Erdrich’s The Round House, which is set on an Ojibwe reservation, I came across a vivid description of the main character’s grandmother making Indian tacos, and I was inspired to finally get on the ball. So I invited Ted and Jen over for dinner, and we had Indian tacos together.

The nice thing about these is that even though you’re eating deep fried flour, you only need one to be satisfied (you will be full, I guarantee it), and it’s piled with a bunch of wholesome stuff to offset the fried element. Not something you want to eat every night of the week, obviously, but these are a dynamite occasional treat. Total yum.

Indian Tacos

For the meat topping:
1-1/2 pounds ground lean beef, venison, or turkey
1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
4 heaping tablespoons taco seasoning
1 or 2 cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

For the fry bread:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 heaping teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup milk
oil for frying

For topping, any or all of the following:
chopped or shredded lettuce
diced tomato
diced sweet onion or sliced green onion
sliced black olives
shredded cheese
sour cream
salsa, pico de gallo, or taco sauce (we like Ortega taco sauce on our Indian tacos)
guacamole (for the simplest guacamole, which is my favorite kind, mash up two ripe avocados and mix them with a little salt, lime juice, and minced garlic – let your taste buds guide you)

First, make the fry bread dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly pour in the milk in a thin stream as you are stirring with a fork. Mix until everything comes together, adding a little more milk if needed. Cover with a dish towel and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes.

In a large skillet or pot (I use my Dutch oven), brown the meat with the onion over medium-high heat. Drain off any fat. Add the taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water. Cook, stirring, until the taco seasoning is dissolved. Stir in the beans, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and everything is hot.

While the meat and beans are simmering, start on the fry bread. Heat about one inch of oil in a deep skillet or pot. Spread a little flour on the counter next to the stove, and flour your hands lightly. Take a chunk of dough about two and a half inches in diameter – roughly the size of a clementine – and press it into a flat round between your palms. Get it as thin and flat as possible, then lay it out on the floured surface, and continue to work it into an even flatter round, tripling its diameter, using your fingers to press the dough outward from the center.

Carefully lift the dough and slide it into the hot oil. It will bubble and hiss at first; you may need to lower the heat a bit. Cook for about a minute, using a pair of tongs to lift one edge of the bread and check the underside for golden brown color.

When it’s ready, carefully lift the dough and turn it over. Again cook for about a minute, lifting with the tongs to check for doneness. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Repeat.

You should get six or seven loaves of fry bread out of one batch of dough.

Top with the meat and beans and the rest of the good stuff. Enjoy!

Here’s the printable recipe!