Devour. {Indian Tacos by kyle} |

Today I’m adding a section to the blog and I’m not quite sure what to call it yet. Originally I had thought of something like “Man Food” or “Cooking for Dummies”, but our friend Collyn would think the first one is sexist and the second one just lacks any sort of creativity. But the idea of this new portion of the blog is that it will be recipes for people {like myself} who don’t know their way around the kitchen. Simple things for guys {or gals} who are alone in life {or just for the evening}. If you have any creative ideas, let me know in the comments section!

{While I was writing I decided to call the section “Devour,” but I’m still open for suggestions.}

Today’s recipe is {American} Indian Tacos. The first time I ever had one of these it was on Hopi land in Arizona. I’ve since had them in Tahlequah, OK and Cherokee, NC. Last fall Sarajane and I headed out to Cherokee to check out the Festival of Native Peoples and one of the vendors was selling frybread mix. Curious to try making it myself, I picked up a couple of packs.

Now the first time Sarajane and I ever tried to fry something we nearly burnt down the apartment building we were living in at the time. So, I was a little nervous to try this again, but you people need to be entertained, so I went for it.

Here’s what happened:

Now, the first thing you need to do is make sure you have all your ingredients together. For this you are going to need:

-3/4 cup water
-fry bread mix {if you can’t buy it you can make it from scratch or use Naan for an easier, less delicious version}
-lots of Crisco
-shredded lettuce
-1 can of Rotel
-1 can of chili
-Mexican cheese
-anything else you would want to put on a taco

Now you are going to want to dump the fry bread mix into a mixing bowl. Slowly add warm water and stir until it is well mixed. Once it is mixed, let it sit for 30-40 minutes.

The next step is to divide the dough into 4 evenly sized portions {if you use more than one bag or make it yourself you may have more or less portions}. Place them on a flour covered surface and knead until they are about 1/4 inche thick. Make sure they keep a circular form. Once they are flattened, make sure to make two small slits in the center of each one.

Next, scoop a significant amount of Crisco into your frying pan and turn on high. You’ll need to oil to be about 1 1/2 inches deep. Keep scooping.

It’s best if you have a cooking thermometer so that you can make sure the oil is between 350 and 375 degrees. If you don’t {like me} you can just flick tiny bits of dough into the pan and see how quickly they cook. If they are crispy in under a second then you are good to go. You can now dip the fry bread in using a metal spatula. Give it about 10 to 20 seconds and flip it, making sure that the dough is a crispy, golden brown.

{I’ll add that the first time Sarajane and I fried anything we did not think about using metal utensils. Our plastic spoon melting in a second and the smoke nearly poisoned the entire neighborhood.}

After the dough is fried, scoop it out and place it on a plate covered in a paper towel. This will absorb some of the oil so that you don’t immediately die of a heart attack. Repeat the process with the other pieces of bread.

{At this point I need to mention that it is very important not to let any small pieces of dough keep floating around in the oil. If they do, they will continue to cook and subsequently to burn, therefore smoking up your entire house. When this happened we opened all the doors and I went to put the pan on the porch until it stopped smoking. I did not realize, however, that it had begun to rain a little. When the rain hit the pain it splattered on my arm and I threw the oil all over the deck. It was pretty dark out, but I don’t think I did any damage and no one was injured. Except for Sarajane’s toe a little.}

Ok. The smart plan would be to put your chili on the stove while you are frying the bread, so that they will finish at the same time. I didn’t think that far ahead, so at this point I put the chili on to warm {I just bought the canned stuff and it only takes a minute}.

Once the chili is warm you are almost ready to eat. Just place the fry bread on a plate, cover in lettuce, a little Rotel {or any other vegetables that you like}, chili next, and finally your cheese.