turn your kitchen into a tasty taco truck
It may seem like street tacos are simple, yet they are deceptively simplistic. There are a myriad of components that go into the perfect taco: corn tortillas, salsa , cilantro, lime, and of course, the non-meat filling. You could really buy all the components from the store, but what makes street tacos street tacos is their freshness. Even still, you might think, the only things you really need to make are the tortillas, salsa, and filling — that’s only three things! But what you don’t have is the multi-tasking skills, the practiced assembly-line production that the street taco makers have.
To be the most efficient, you’ll be needing to chop and cook and fry all at the same time! Street tacos are a great project to do with at least one other person in the kitchen, so you can be as efficient as possible. To keep everything fresh or warm, you can keep your cold veggies in the fridge and your warm tortillas and filling in a low-set oven.
There are endless taco filling options that are vegetarian. My favorite is tofu, as long as you cook it down enough so it becomes brittle instead of soft. Tofu stir fried with a healthy amount of taco seasoning? Perfect! I have also seen many taco recipes that use lentils, quinoa, or beans instead of tofu, all of which will work as well. Lentils will give you a heavier, meaty flavor, but I like the tofu because it is nice and light. Just make sure you choose an ingredient that is pretty tasteless on its own, like lentils or tofu, or even cauliflower, so that it will easily take on the flavoring of your spices.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups masa harina (cooked corn flour)
- up to 2 cups of very warm water
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 Serrano pepper, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp cumin, toasted and ground
- 1/2 lime’s worth of juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 brick tofu, rinsed and pressed
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning mix
Directions:
- For the tortillas, mix masa with as little water as possible, until a cohesive dough forms, then rest for 1 hour in a covered bowl.
- Form the dough into balls, then use a cut and reused Ziplock bag to encase it as you roll it out, preventing it from sticking to the roller. Carefully pull apart the plastic and remove the tortilla.
- Fry on cast iron on a medium-high heat, about 30 seconds per side, depending on the size of your tortilla.
- For the pico de gallo, toss tomatoes, onion, Serrano pepper, salt, cumin, lime, and cilantro.
- For the tofu, crush the tofu in a bowl with a fork, then stir-fry with olive over medium-high heat in a skillet. Drain water as needed.
- After 7 minutes, add seasoning and continue cooking until desired texture is reached.
- Serve with additional chopped cilantro, lime juice, and optionally sour cream and guacamole. (Try a vegan not-avocado with green peas and chickpeas!) Enjoy!
