Taco itself never really gained much popularity in Japan.
I remember many years ago a chain taco fast food store opened up in major cities in Japan, but they disappeared pretty quickly.
However, they did leave some trail in Okinawa, where the largest U.S. military base is located, and taco “rice” was created.
Everything you find in tacos is there, but they are served over rice instead of tortillas.
I love taco rice, and whenever I eat it, it reminds me the obvious that I am Japanese.
I was in the mood for taco rice today, but I didn’t have cooked rice on hand, so I decided to make taco “pasta”.
This has been my recent favorite trick.
I use lasagna sheets.
I cook them first, and then cut them into thin strips.
This gives nice chewiness and reminds me of homemade pasta.
The freshly cooked pasta was combined with a mixture of avocado mash, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and then served with taco-flavored tofu (I used extra firm tofu from Trader Joe’s; it’s REALLY firm and provides great texture), tomato, red onion, scallion, cilantro, jalapeno, cheesy crema, and tortilla chip crumbles.
Pasta (or any noodle) is one of my favorite carbs, so I was pretty sure I would like it.
But I ended up absolutely loving it!!
