Mirna’s Yummy Homemade Tacos Recipe

If you can’t go to Spain for Tacos, bring España to your home!!

You have to taste a culture to understand it~Deborah Cater.

 

Hola and Happy Holiday Amigos!! 😀  This week, we take a yummy foodie trip to España and Mexico, the lands of sombreros and piñatas! Can you smell the Tacos? 😀 And who better to take us there, than the lovely Mirna Davis?

 

I met Mirna Davis, through my brother, as she is a solid member of Team Eco Trek, where adventure is the order of the day! I was simply mesmerized by this amazing lady, whose hobby is climbing mountains and hiking the Kenyan trails! 😀

Mirna exudes such energy and positivism that being around her, you can’t help feeling like you are high on happiness!

 

Mirna has lived in Kenya, with her husband and grandchildren, for over 3 years now- she is Kenyan by all rights! Even so, you can still sense her Hispanic roots in her sweet accent and her cooking!

When she invited Wanjiku Thuo and I to her home, you know we had to make a foodie post out of it!! The best part was when she suggested to make a Spanish dish-Tacos!  😀

Mirna explained to us that Tacos is originally a Mexican dish, which is quite common in most Latin American, and Spaniard households. It comprises of fried, wheat or corn tortillas wrapped around various fillings like meat and vegetables…

Mirna’s Homemade Tacos Recipe

It was exciting to watch her cook in her beautiful kitchen. The thing I enjoyed most, was watching her make up the recipe as she went along… You can tell that she loves cooking.

 

She loves trying out different ingredients that will infuse rich, smoky flavors to her food. Her kitchen is indeed a happy place. 😀

 

Tacos Ingredients

• ½ kilo ground beef
• 4 chopped tomatoes
• 1 clove of smashed garlic
• 1 medium chopped onion
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (coriander)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1-2 tablespoon of chili powder
• ½ cup water
• Salt and pepper
• Green chilies for desired hot taste

• Tortillas (You can substitute with thinly made chapattis)
• Avocado
• Lettuce
• Cooked beans
• Cheddar Cheese

 

The dark chili powder (above) is not readily available in Kenya, so you can make your own chili powder, using these ingredients:-

• ½ tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• ½ tablespoon oregano
• ½ tablespoon cumin

 

Procedure

The Tacos’ fillings can be made from different toppings and meats. You are free to get as creative as you wish with the toppings…

Beef Fillings

Mirna is vegetarian, so she made both vegetarian and meat dishes, which was super thoughtful of her. 😀

1. Heat one teaspoon of olive oil on a pan. Add the chopped onions and fry till soft.
2. Add ground beef and stir till it turns to an evenly rich, brown color.
3. Put in the tomatoes and cover with a lid, continue cooking till they become saucier.
4. Add in all the spices, and ½ a cup of water, then stir, as you adjust salt to your taste.
5. Let it cook for about 15 min over low heat, and garnish with chopped coriander.

 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: WANJIKU THUO

Tacos Toppings

While the beef cooks, prepare the next ingredients that will serve as the garnishing for the tacos:-

1. Shred half a lettuce.
2. Grate some sharp cheddar cheese.
3. Chop 4 tomatoes, mix with two finely diced onion and one green pepper. Press in half of a lime’s juice into the mixture and add salt. Add a handful of chopped cilantro and green chilies if you desire. Put the mixture in a small bowl.

 

Vegetarian Fillings

1. For guacamole, smash chopped avocados, mixed with half of a finely diced onion, half a teaspoon of lime juice, and a teaspoon of yogurt. Mix these items together in a bowl.
2. Rinse the cooked beans and divide into two portions. Place the smaller portion in a bowl.
3. Use the second portion of cooked beans to make re-fried beans.
4. Re-fried beans recipe:

• In a blender, add two cups of cooked beans, half of a chopped tomato, onions and green peppers. Blend all the ingredients until you attain a smooth mixture.
• Heat some olive oil in a pan, and add some chopped onions. Fry the onions till they start to brown. Add a teaspoon of cumin seeds and stir for 2-5 seconds.
• Add the bean paste and cook at medium heat, stirring constantly so it doesn’t stick to the pan.
• Next, add a chicken or beef bouillon (broth), and a pinch of sugar and salt to taste.  Garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro.

 

Serving Your Tacos

Once all the ingredients are ready, use tortillas or thin chapattis for wraps. Tacos can be made from either corn or wheat flour.

Tacos Tip:

• Mirna recommends using wheat flour as corn is grainy, which makes the tacos fall apart easily.
• You can purchase ready made tortillas at your nearest supermarket. However it more cost effective to make your own chapattis at home. 😀

 

 

To assemble the tacos place your desired toppings on top of your chapatti.

 

You can also add rice and the whole beans you’d put aside, for the vegetarian taco variation.

 

Once you’re satisfied with the fillings, wrap the taco around the fillings.

 

Last but certainly not least-enjoy your yummy Tacos creation! 😀

Mirna’s sweet granddaughter Summer joined us for lunch, showing us how it’s really done! 😀 The food was simply delectable!

 

Savings Tip:

• You can use the leftover toppings to make a tortilla corn chips salad.
• Bonus Tip>> Look out for more posts with Mirna! 😉 😀

Many thanks to Mirna for this amazingly delicious treat! 😀 This experience taught me to be a little more creative in the kitchen… Like me, you may not be the the biggest ‘kitchen’ fan, but perhaps we can change this by keeping it interesting… No? 😉

 

Travel broadens the mind, and so does foreign cuisine~Anonymous

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Tacos Recipe, and will be trying it out soon! I want to know what you think, and how it goes. 😀 >> Leave a comment, in the Comments’ section below! 🙂

 

Happy Mashujaa Day Amigos!!

Stay Inspired>> Always. 🙂