Ro-Tel Tacos on Indian Fry Bread

Have you ever eaten at a Taco Bell? Have you ever tried their Chalupa Taco? If so, this is a lot like the Chalupa Taco. If you search for copy-cat Taco Bell Chalupa recipes, you’ll find them to be nearly identical to Fry Bread.

The biggest difference between the two is what you do with the bread after it has been fried. For the Chalupa, the shell is thinner, and draped over a rolling pin while it is still hot for that Taco Curve we’ve come to know. Fry Bread Tacos are open faced, although most of us do fold them while eating to keep the filling where it belongs.

This is also very similar to my Navajo Tacos. The only real different are the canned tomatoes and chopped peppers. I used peppers from last year’s garden. We keep some in the freezer so we can have home-grown pepper all winter long. Peppers that have been frozen whole are super hot because the oils that give them their heat have crystallized. It works much the way a late harvest wine is sweeter naturally do to the sugar crystals that form in the grapes after the first freeze.

Ro-Tel Tacos on Indian Fry Bread
Taco Garnish
2 Cups Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
1 large Tomato, diced
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Mexican Cheese Blend

To Prepare Garnishing
Stack the lettuce, shred and put aside. Dice tomato and put aside. Have sour cream and shredded cheese at the ready. You can put everything in small bowls around the taco bar or table. Or have everything EXCEPT the sour cream in bags to pass around as desired.

Note: If you don’t have a fresh tomato on hand, there is plenty of tomato goodness in the meat filling, so go with what you have.

Fry Bread
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Vegetable Shortening
1/2 to 3/4 cup Milk, warmed
Vegetable Oil as needed for frying

To Prepare the Fry Bread
Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening; then add milk, beginning with a half a cup. If the dough seems too dry, add remaining 1/4 cup of warm milk.

Mix with a wooden spoon, the dump out onto a floured board. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, working in some of the flour from the board.

Shape dough into a long cylinder; brush with oil, cover with plastic and let rest for at least 20 minutes.

While the dough is resting, cook up the taco fillings.

To Fry the Bread
When ready, fry up the bread. Cut dough into 8 equal parts.

Roll a piece of dough into a ball. Flatten the dough by hand, with a rolling-pin or tortilla press to create about a 4-inch tortilla. Don’t worry if your fry bread isn’t perfectly round. Mine rarely are – some are oblong, some a bit more square. It really doesn’t matter.

Heat about 1/2-inch or so of vegetable oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet. Once hot, begin frying the bread one round at a time.

Fry bread in the hot oil until golden brown, swirling as it cooks to prevent burning. Use the end of a wooden spoon to swirl bread as it cooks, flip and continue to brown until done.

Place the fry bread on a a rack over a rimmed baking sheet, blot off excess grease and set aside in a warm oven. Repeat until all the bread has been fried.

Taco Fillings
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Ground Chorizo
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel Tomatoes
1 whole Jalapeno Pepper, diced
2 whole Cayenne Peppers, diced
1 (16 oz) can Refried Beans

To Make Filling
In a large skillet, brown the ground meats. Drain well, add Ro-Tel Tomatoes.

Chop the peppers, retaining seeds for added heat. Scatter the peppers over the meat mixture, stir to blend. Let the meat filling simmer over low heat until ready to build the tacos.

To Finish and Assemble
Empty the beans in a microwave safe bowl, cover with a paper towel or parchment paper. Warm on HIGH for 3 minutes. Stir and bring to the table.

Spread warm beans on fry bread. Top with meat, garnish as desired and enjoy.