I love going to fairs. We look forward to the fair time every year and speaking of fairs, the Oklahoma State Fair happens in the month of August. I love the fair for not just the fun and rides but for the amazing food. Fair food is something that cannot be compensated for and we start devouring it the minute we enter the fairgrounds. Navajo Taco made with Indian Fry Bread is something that we ate for the first time after we moved to Oklahoma. The best part is any fair stall that sells this, will happily make it as a vegetarian meal with just the beans instead of the meat. The bread itself is the star of the Navajo Taco and its texture is something that cannot be swapped with anything else. I love watching the stalls making these giant Fry bread and always wondered if I would be able to make this at home anytime.
History of Navajo Taco
Thanks to the A to Z International Flatbread theme, I was able to research the recipe and make this beautiful Indian Fry Bread at home. Based on what I read, the Navajo who are the Native American people created this bread in the 1800s. They were living in Arizona at that time and were asked to relocate to New Mexico. This was about a 300-mile journey that they had to take and the US government provided them with just flour, sugar, salt, and lard. The Navajos made this bread with the supplies that were given to them for their journey.
How to serve the fry bread?
The Navajo Fry Bread needs just the basic ingredient and is so simple to make. Once I make the bread, the toppings for this taco are unlimited. We can make it sweet or savory. I used the Indian Fry Bread to make the Navajo Tacos topped with beans, vegetables, and cheese, which I often eat at the fair. The sweet version can be as simple as the bread drizzled with honey or sprinkled with powdered sugar. If you want to keep the tacos vegan and use a different topping instead of the beans and cheese, then make this tofu tacos recipe. This is a great recipe to use tofus as taco filling and it is so flavorful.
Ingredients needed
All Purpose Flour - 2 cups Baking powder - 2 tsp Salt - 1 tsp Oil - 2 tablespoon Plus more to fry the bread Water - as needed to make the dough Lettuce, beans, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream - to assemble the Navajo Taco
Step-by-step process
To make the Fry Bread -
In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine.
Slowly add warm water to the flour and mix to combine. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil and knead to form a very soft dough. The dough will be a little sticky. We don’t have to knead it too much. Just knead enough to make a soft dough.
Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over the dough and spread it around the surface.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for at least an hour. It is alright to rest the dough longer.
Heat about 2 inches of oil in a pan to deep fry the bread.
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them into a ball.
Using your hands, stretch the dough to form a thin circle. I used my rolling pin to slightly roll it and then pulled it from all sides to stretch it thinner.
Stretch the dough as thin as you can get without tearing it too much.
Drop a tiny piece of dough into the oil to see if it rises up immediately. If it comes up right away, the oil is ready. If it takes a little time to rise, then wait a few minutes for the oil to heat up.
Carefully slide the stretched dough into the hot oil and fry on both sides until golden brown. The dough will retract a bit when dropped into the oil.
Drain the Fry Bread on a tray lined with paper towels.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.
To assemble the Navajo Taco -
When ready to assemble, place the prepared bread on a plate.
Top with beans, then lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream and serve.
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