First off, this dish is so simple and so good you won’t be able to stop. Obsession alert. Make this in a one person serving or enough to feed a crew.
Anthony Bourdain introduced us to this dish when he travelled to Okinawa Japan and Sayuri Shimabukuro served him. The granddaughter of Matsuzo Gibo, who is credited with inventing taco rice in 1984. She operates King Tacos, a restaurant chain founded by Gibo in Kin Town, Okinawa.
As manyy of your know, the US has a large military base on Okinawa and has since 1962. One day on 1984 Matsuzo Gibo had the idea to cater to the local serviceman after asking them what they missed the most. The hard shell taco we grew up with was substituted for rice.
The dish is simple ground beef taco meat served over rice with shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar and chopped tomotes.
When I put this on the menu at my former Izakaya, Bar Otaku, I took it a step further and made it Pimento Cheese. I mean I am from the south.
INGREDIENTS
Sushi Rice
Ground Beef
Taco Seasoning packet
Iceberg Lettuce
Pimento Cheese