This Costa Rican Taco is filled with shredded beef and then deep-fried to golden perfection. It is a popular street food that you can enjoy in your own home in whatever country you live.
We are traveling to Costa Rica this month as we Eat the World.......
Each month Evelyne of CulturEatz invites us to join her in visiting a different country to learn of their culture through food. This month we are in Costa Rica.
- Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Costa Rican Garbanzo Bean and Chicken Soup
- A Day in the Life on the Farm: Taco Ticos
- Sneha’s Recipe: Mango Avocado Salsa
- Culinary Cam: Ceviche De Tiquicia
- Kitchen Frau: Tamal de Maicena (Sweet Cornstarch Tamale Cake)
I have had the pleasure of a day trip to Costa Rica where I enjoyed lunch with the monkeys in the rain forest after floating through caves on innertubes. I don't remember what I ate for lunch that day but I do remember enjoying the visit and wishing I had time to zipline through the jungle.
I think I would have remembered had I enjoyed Taco Ticos there but I was not in an area with street vendors but at a lovely sit-down restaurant.
I found many recipes for this iconic street food. They all contain shredded meat, usually beef. They are all served with a sauce made from tomato sauce (usually ketchup) and mayonnaise, however sometimes they are served with both individually. Some of them are served with cabbage or lettuce and some are even topped with french fries. They are all wrapped in tortillas, either corn or flour, depending on the recipe, and deep fried.
I tried using corn tortillas without much success. They kept crumbling when I would try to roll them so I ended up using flour tortillas. I made the shredded beef in my instant pot and have included this in the recipe. I used sirloin steak as that was what I had on hand, but flank steak is traditional.
I also used Thousand Island Dressing as the sauce instead of combining the ketchup and mayo. It was scrumptious!!
Yield: 6 servings
Taco Ticos
This Costa Rican Taco is filled with shredded beef and then deep-fried to golden perfection. It is a popular street food that you can enjoy in your own home in whatever country you live.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min
Ingredients
- 1 (2.5 lb) sirloin steak
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 T. soy sauce
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- handful of Cilantro, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 T. Worcestershire Sauce
- 6 c. water
- 6 flour tortillas
- Shredded Cabbage, if desired
- Thousand Island Dressing, if desired
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Season the steak with salt and pepper. Place into an Instant Pot with the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, onion, cilantro, and garlic.
- Add the water, seal the pot and cook on meat/stew setting. Allow pressure to release naturally or carefully release pressure 10 minutes after cooking time.
- Remove beef from pot and allow to cool enough to shred using 2 forks.
- Place an ounce or two of the shredded beef onto the top edge of a tortilla and tightly roll it up, securing with a toothpick. Repeat until all tortillas and meat are used.
- Heat a deep fryer to 350* and fry each taco until golden brown. Tilt the taco so that any oil inside drips out and place onto a plate lined with paper towel.
- When all tacos are fried, place onto a bed of shredded cabbage, if desired and serve with condiments of choice.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
281.14Fat (grams)
14.99 gSat. Fat (grams)
4.72 gCarbs (grams)
20.92 gFiber (grams)
2.18 gNet carbs
18.72 gSugar (grams)
4.48 gProtein (grams)
15.22 gSodium (milligrams)
589.06 mgCholesterol (grams)
33.03 mg
Property of A Day in the Life on the Farm
I don't remember eating anything like this when we were in Costa Rica. But now I can make them for myself. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Cam.
DeleteA wonderful recipe, will definitely be making this soon!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it Sneha.
ReplyDeleteThese sound so good!
ReplyDeleteThey are very tasty Amy.
DeleteHow would you cook the steak if no instant pot?
ReplyDeleteYou could braise them in the oven or on the stove in a Dutch oven until the meat is fall-apart tender or use a slow cooker for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
Delete