Okay, I am jumping up there, right on the food porn scale with this post!
It´s no gourmet food. But like the instant spicy ramen, this is something I enjoy. Occasionally, but with immense pleasure.
I remember the first time I heard of taco rice from a Japanese girl dressed in sweet Lolita fashion. She was so cute, sweet and different. If you don’t know about Lolita fashion, take a look here. For me, back then, it was a strange new world. Those girls seemed so unusual with their look. But talking to them, getting to know them, they were just normal girls who expressed themselves through the way they dressed. A big lesson for myself. You know the saying – “don’t judge the book by its cover“. It takes time and effort to know a person. Go beyond the surface and there are so much more to learn and appreciate from each other.
That Japanese girl gave me the first taste of Taco Rice – a dish I would classify as ‘hungry student’s food’. The meat was seasoned simply with the instant taco seasoning, and some other cheap ingredients one could easily pick up from the supermarket. I was skeptical but strangely enough, it was delicious!
Forward to my kitchen, years later. I am no longer an undergrad student, living in shared house. But secretly, when I am by myself, too lazy to cook, taco rice and tuna pasta salad are my friends. Lately, I’ve toyed with a new idea – taco + noodles = taco noodles. Why not, especially for a noodle addict like myself?
The results? We all loved it – from my sister to Mr. B. We even fought for a share of it the next day. The seasoning was mightily spicy, and it went so well with cheese and sour cream.
So here it is – taco noodles. I’d say try it if you like taco and noodles. 
Soba works well here, but I think thin egg noodles or spaghetti can also do the job.
Note: this is a fusion of taco flavours, and bears no resemblance to the actual taco!
Ingredients (s. 4)
Dry soba noodles, about 300-400g, cooked as per instruction
2 tsp oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
500g chicken breast fillet, cut into strips (or use beef/turkey mince)
1 package taco seasoning
extra tsp of cumin and cayenne pepper (optional)
Topping: cherry tomatoes (cut in halves), sour cream, shredded lettuce, pickled jalapenos, shredded cheese etc.
Method
+) Cook soba noodles as per package direction. Rinse well but keep warm
+) Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and slightly golden.
+) Add in the chicken, stir with an wooden spoon until the meat is quite caramelised outside. Now, get your taco seasoning to the mix. Add in extra spices and seasoning as you wish. Mix well. Pour in about a cup of water. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens.
+) Assembling the dish: divide noodles in warm bowls (Put the serving bowls in a low oven for 15 mins). Arrange the topping and laddle the meat and the sauce on top. Serve hot.
This post is prepared for the International Incident Party hosted by Penny of Jeroxie. Our current theme is NOODLE PARTY! Come to her blog for the list of all participants.
- Penny – Jeroxie (Addictive & Consuming) – Homemade ban mian with minced pork and mushrooms
- Christine – Christine´s Recipes – Spicy Pork Mince and Noodles in Crisp Lettuce Cups
- Mardi – Eat, Live, Travel, Write – Ginger scallion & Butter noodles
- Trix – Tasty Trix – Summer `Noodles´ with yellow and green zuchinni with cool basil oil tomato sauce
- Shirley – Enriching your kid – Vermicilli Biryani with Tahini
- Natasha – 5 Star Foodie – Homemade Soba Noodles
- Anges – Off the spork – Handpulled noodles at home
- Joanne – Second Helping
- Cherry – Sweet Cherry Pie – Coconut noodles with honey glazed pork belly
- Tracey – Tangled Noodle
- Evelyne – Cheap Ethnic Eatz – Incidental Noodles
- Ms Baklover – Footscray Food Blog – Zha Jiang Mian
- Casey – Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgari
- Tamar – Koreanfornian Cooking – Tteokbokki
- Billy – Half-Eaten – Pumpkin Miso Noodles in Shitake Dashi Broth
- Nina – Consumed Food Love – Vietnamese Noodle Salad
- Suresh – 3 hungry tummies – Twice cooked pork with rice noodles
- Anh – A food Lover´s Journey – Taco Soba Noodle
Initially, I was like "what?"…and then I saw the beauty of this dish. There are days when you want a "no-brainer" in front of the TV. I could actually make this and add lots of different things! Thanks for the inspiration Anh!
Anh, this is totally fusion! I'm a noodle addict as well. Definitely, I'll love this
OMG. Want some. NOW!!!
A beautiful dish!
When you said naughty, I thought of something else…. duhh! I still love my instant ramen too. Maybe I might get hooked on this taco seasoning… OPPS!
Love soba that cooked by any cooking methods. They are just fabulous and going so well with many ingredients and sauces. Taco, sure, I love it too.
looks so delish and so quick to make. Great post Anh
Hee hee, I am addicted to boxed taco kits, with their little sauce sachets and cheery "Just add…!" instructions on the front. Every foodie has a guilty secret and that is mine. These noodles are right up my alley!
great idea – I think I could enjoy a tofu version of these
That dish looks like pure fun to eat – you can just tell it's one of those "this is so crazy that is TOTALLY works" kind of things. Yum!!
What a cool idea! Definitely a must try!
Interesting combination!
Very creative and no doubt tasty!
What a brilliantly creative dish! I bet it's absolutely fantastic. Your pics are gorgeous, Anh — I especially love that last shot!
Now that's a different sort of soba than my norm! Great idea though, I can imagine it would be fantastic using beans instead of meat too.
Noodle addict ! I am one. It's a major comfort food. If I'm down, I eat noodles. LOL.
What a brilliant twist to the noodle incident!
Sometimes weird combinations just work. I'd eat it! It's just fusion food right?
Taco noodles – awesome! 😀 I like taco rice too, I've eaten that before. Not just when I was a student, either. 😉
Really great fusion dish indeed, an unexpected one. Yeah Lolitas are so damn cute, one has a blog I read sometimes, so awesome.
Wow, nice twist using soba noddles….looks delicious!
i've definitely never heard of taco rice before… this sounds interesting. btw, that link to the lolita site isn't working right.
I had not difficulty imagining how this would taste – I love the flavors of taco seasoning. Yay for fusion cuisine – Mexico meets Japan! 😎
Fabulous idea! Taco seasoning is my guilty pleasure, so having it with soba noodles kind of legitimises it (thanks for that!)
Though I am a big fan of soba, I cannot imagine having taco seasoning with it! I need to eat it to know :p
Taco rice and taco noodles both sound really yummy! I love unsualy food ideas =]
Sounds like an interesting cross cultural dish Anh!
I am both a noodle and taco addict. What a fantastic idea. I love it!
What an awesome idea! Fusion to the extreme but looks like it works well!
I'm a sucker for whack combinations, and both that rice and those noodles sound delicious! Saving this for when I go back to being a starving student in a couple of months ;).
Hi…..,
Yes Hello!!
Dear Anh,
Hi Ximena, thanks so much for your comment! Yes, I understand this! This is NOT taco!
[…] Anh – A food Lover’s Journey – Taco Soba Noodle […]