Bison Indian Taco

In honor of National Native American Heritage Day, here is a traditional fry bread recipe with a delicious bison mixture and topped off with lots of great fresh ingredients. Fry Bread became a staple in tribes due to government rationing of lard, salt, flour and baking powder and with the addition of meat and beans the Indian Taco was born.

This is a great recipe for anyone looking for a simple, easy recipe that anyone will love, especially those that love chili, beans, bison and tacos! Indian Tacos became a staple in tribes due to government rationing of lard, salt, flour and baking powder.  

Ingredients:

Fry Bread

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 ½ baking powder
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 cup room temperature or warmed milk
• 3 cups of oil or shortening for frying

Indian Taco

• 1-pound of ground bison
• 1 small to medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 can (15oz) kidney beans
• 1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (4oz) can diced green chili
• Salt & pepper

Taco Toppings

• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Diced tomatoes
• Diced red onions
• Shredded lettuce
• Sliced black olives
• Avocado
• Pico de gallo
• Cilantro
• Salsa

Instructions:

Fry Bread

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Add the milk and mix until dough forms, with hands or fork
3. Flour a surface and transfer dough to surface
4. Knead dough for 5 minutes and place into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap
5. Allow dough to rest for up to 10 minutes
6. Remove dough and divide dough into golf ball sizes balls
7. Flatten and roll out balls to circles around 5-6 inches in diameter
8. Put back into bowl and keep covered until frying
9. Heat 3 cups of oil or shortening in a large skillet over medium heat until temperature reaches 350 degrees
10. Fry each piece until golden brown and then flip to brown the other side
11. Remove and set on paper towels
12. Continue until all dough is fried
13. Set fry bread aside or store in a warmed oven on paper towels until ready to use

Indian Taco

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat
2. Add onions and cook until softened, around 2-3 minutes
3. Add bison to onions and brown
4. One browned, add spices, canned tomatoes, chilis and kidney beans
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine
6. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes
7. Remove meat mixture from heat
8. On a piece of fry bread, add several scoops of meat mixture to cover and fill up bread
9. Top with any (or all per my recommendation) of the taco toppings