In Mongolia, one often has a
driving desire for foods that are not easily attained. My personal most craved food is Mexican. I
often fantasize about the possibility of a Taco Bell opening in our small
town. With the exception of one Mexican
restaurant in UB and the occasional quesadilla appetizer (also in UB), Mexican food is not to be found in this country.
However, never fear PCVs, because sometimes in the darkness, light still
perseveres, and in this Mexican void there is still taco seasoning (sold at Goodprice and Mercury Market…also
only in UB), and where there is taco seasoning there is hope!!!
Sally and I love having taco
bowls. I prefer this to tortillas because while flour tortillas are easy to
make, they can still require a lot of time and work to produce. Our taco bowls
currently involve five layers, Spanish rice, taco meat, salsa, cheese, and sour
cream, but the beauty of a taco bowl lies in very easy alteration to personal
taste, so yours could always include other layers!
1.
Spanish Rice—Combine a can of tomato paste, a
whole onion (chopped), two cups of rice, 4 cups of water, a splash of oil,
dried parsley, chopped cilantro if possible, crushed black pepper, a rinsed can
of corn if desired, salt to taste, and any other pepper seasonings you desire.
a. Cook
in a rice cooker or on a stove top until rice is cooked. The tomato paste in
rice changes the consistency and slows cooking in a rice cooker, be sure to
stir often to avoid burning on the bottom.
b. All
of the above ingredients can be found in most provincial centers in Mongolia.
Cilantro is tricky, but it shows up in places too.
c. Beans
and bell peppers can also be added to this dish, but we usually don’t.
2.
Taco meat—Combine a kilo of either raw chopped
chicken or beef (it is also possible to
have the beef ground in most meat markets), 1-2 chopped onions, 2 chopped
bell peppers, and a splash of oil.
a. Sautee
over a stove top in a frying pan. When meat is cooked, drain juices. Then add
taco seasoning, cilantro if possible, and some water to cook the seasoning into
the meat.
b. Add
more taco seasoning as needed.
c. All
of the above can be found in most provincial centers with the exception of taco
seasoning.
3.
Salsa—Combine an appropriate amount of chopped
tomatoes, yet another chopped onion, a few diced garlic cloves , chopped
cilantro, a splash of low grade vinegar (Beware
the power of super concentrated
Mongolian white vinegar. I usually use apple cider vinegar.), an
appropriate amount of lime or lemon juice depending on what you have.
a. Salsa
is forgiving, and everyone likes it to their own taste and consistency. Add
beans and corn if you want. Use common
sense regarding stronger ingredients like vinegar and lemon juice; you can always
add more if needed.
b. I
also recommend flavoring with red pepper or chopped hot peppers if you have
them.
c. Once
the mixture is at the right consistency and taste for you, refrigerate for a
few hours to blend the flavors. It gets better with age.
d. All
of the above can be found in most provincial centers.
4.
Cheese—shred whatever you can get your hands on.
Our aimag center regularly has a variety of white cheese including Edam, Gouda,
unknown Russian wheel, etc. All of the imported cheeses are expensive ranging
from 17,000-22,000₮ a kilo,
but it is totally worth it. If you don’t have cheese in your town or provincial
center try, making friends with a store owner and then arranging with them to
ship cheese from UB that you will buy.
5.
Sour Cream—The elusive ingredient. Any westerner
living in Mongolia quickly learns to avoid trying unusual creamy dairy products,
but sour cream is still a possibility. We do not always have sour cream in our
provincial center, but when we do it is with the brand Сайхан. This brand offers a variety of
flavored yogurt in kilo size packets. The sour cream flavor is blue with no
extra ingredients in the picture labeled
Зөөхий. Many stores that sell Mongolian dairy
products also sell Mongolian sour cream by the kilo. I have always stuck with
the сайхан brand because it
tastes like American sour cream. I
haven’t had the Mongolian version which is called цөцгий.
Combine all of these items in a
large bowl and treat yourself!
Cooking disclaimer: I do not
usually worry about specific amounts of individual ingredients when I cook,
thus the lack of specific measurements. This works well if you are comfortable
in your ability to use good cooking senses of smell and taste to reach the
appropriate flavor. The exception to this is rice. The ratio of water to rice
must be two to one. In any event, taco
bowls are a forgiving and delicious dish to have.
~Caleb
