Taco Tuesday Can be Japanese

October 15, 2019

How does a Japanese tea company celebrate everyone's favorite-foodie-day of the week? By making Japanese tacos, of course!!

It's a beautiful time to be alive when some of the world's best offerings can be enjoyed at the same time. Say, for example, Japanese flavors in a taco...! And we're not talking cheesy or kitsch, smoosh every global influence together and make it work. We're talking about delicious, easy-to-prep flavors that celebrate Japanese food heritage in one of the best ways to consume food - as a taco.

Our BFFs at Topo Chico gave us the idea for this taco party after they saw our Matcha Soda recipe featuring their sparkling water. What's better than Topo & tacos? Matcha Topo sodas and Japanese tacos!! 

We asked our chef/foodie friends in Japan what they would want to see in a Japanese taco, and our BFF Proportional Plate came along to make all our dreams a reality! We styled out three recipes (two of which are vegan!) for you to try. They each taste delicious with a matcha soda in hand! 

1) Chicken Katsu with quick-pickled cucumber or radish

2) Japanese sweet potato with miso glaze

3) Grilled trumpet mushroom with nori and tomatillo salsa 

Grab your Mizuba matcha soda and get cookin'! You'll have a taco party in no time! 

 

Take a #MatchaMoment – Mizuba Matcha Sodas + Japanese-styled Tacos! 

 Brought to you by Mizuba Tea Co. and recipe developed in partnership with Candice Walker of Proportional Plate. Focusing on self-care & healthy recipes, Proportional Plate is where she shares tips, meal plans, & recipes to inspire small changes in your life that make big impacts.

 

Ingredients + instructions to prep tacos: 

For the Japanese sweet potato & mushroom glaze:

• 1 tablespoon miso
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon avocado oil
• Pinch of salt
• teaspoon minced ginger

Method: Whisk to emulsify.

 

For the sweet potatoes:

• 1 lb. Japanese sweet potatoes

Method: Bring a pot of water to boil with sweet potatoes in it. Cook until fork-tender. Strain.

Char on the grill for 2 minutes per side, lightly basting with glaze.

 

For the mushrooms:

• 1 lb. trumpet mushrooms

Method: Slice trumpet mushrooms ¼-½” thick.

Cook for 3 minutes per side lightly basting with glaze.

 

For the quick-pickled cucumbers & radishes:

• 5 radishes
• 2 Persian cucumbers
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Method: Mix the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and oil in a bowl. Thinly slice the cucumbers and radishes on a mandoline and add them to separate bowls. Split the pickling liquid between the two bowls. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes minimum.

 

For the chicken:

• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1” strips.
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups Panko
• oil for frying
• 1-2 tablespoon Japanese curry per taco

Method: Set up a breading station: set 1 bowl with the eggs scrambled, one bowl with the panko. Season both with salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken into the egg, then coat in panko, dip into the egg again, and dip into the panko for the second time.

Heat a cast-iron pan with ½” flavorless oil like canola or avocado.

Cook chicken strips 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.

Drain oil from fried chicken on a paper bag or paper towels.

 

For the salsa: Head to Proportional Plate for an easy tomatillo salsa recipe to top your tacos with!

 

 Now that you have all your ingredients prepped…

 

Assemble the tacos:

Heat your corn tortillas.

 

Chicken Katsu Tacos

• Top corn tortillas with a piece of panko chicken, 1-2 tbsp Japanese curry, then some pickled cucumber, tomatillo salsa, and black sesame seeds.

Japanese Sweet Potato Tacos

• Top corn tortillas with a few pieces of Japanese sweet potato, tomatillo salsa, then some pickled radishes.

Grilled Trumpet Mushroom Umami Tacos

• Top corn tortillas with a few pieces of trumpet mushroom, tomatillo salsa, and finely chopped nori.

Itadakimasu! どもありがとうございます! 

Wash them down with a Mizuba Matcha Soda! Recipe Here. 

 

For more fun recipes like these, head over to Proportional Plate and Mizuba Tea Co. 

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