One of my go-to recipes, which is popular among old and young, and I include this in my weekly rotations, especially during summer, is kabob smash tacos. I like this recipe because it’s versatile and you can easily adjust it to your taste, as I did for my desi palate. Instead of making the popular smash burger tacos, I added some extra ingredients to the minced beef to make kabob tacos. I had to literally hide these from my kids to take a photo because they devoured them all.
What goes into kabob smash tacos
Minced meat
I used minced beef, but you can make it with goat, lamb, or even chicken. Ideally, if your mince has fat in it, it cooks better and tastes better. I, however, opted for lean beef but quickly realized I needed to add some fat while cooking. So I used a drizzle of oil for cooking each taco.
Onion, cilantro, and green chili mix
For the kabob mixture, you’ll need 1 small onion, a green chili, and some cilantro leaves. Add them all to a mini food processor and pulse several times to make a paste. Then use a kitchen towel to squeeze out all the water and add this mixture to the minced beef.
Spices
Feel free to add whatever your heart desires. I used salt, red chili powder, cumin, and coriander powder; I usually add garlic powder as well.
Tortillas
You’ll need 6-8 small flour tortillas, depending on how much of the minced beef you want to apply on each tortilla. I tried the corn and the flour tortillas but I recommend the flour tortillas for this recipe.
Must Try Recipes
- Crispy Puri ready in 2 minutes
- Kabob Masla
- Cilantro Mint Yogurt Sauce
- Chicken Malai Kabobs
- Pakistani Seekh Kabobs
Ingredients for salsa
I made salsa or a simple salad to go along, for which I used cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, salt, cumin powder, and lime juice. I opted to use a food processor, but you can also chop these veggies by hand. Then mix the rest of the ingredients and set it aside to use once the tacos are ready.
Ingredients for cilantro mint sauce
As my salad was not spicy, I made a cilantro mint and jalapeño spicy yogurt sauce to go along. In a food processor or blender, add jalapeño, cilantro, mint, salt, cumin powder, and half of the yogurt and blend. Take the blended mixture out in a bowl and mix the rest of the yogurt, then taste test for salt.
How long to cook kabob smash tacos
Smash tacos take two to two and a half minutes to cook. I used a pan to cook the tacos; if you have a Blackstone or a griddle, use that so you can make multiple tacos at once. Start by putting the minced beef side down and cook for one to one and a half minutes or until you see the color of the beef turning white, then flip it and cook it from the other side.
How to serve kabob smash tacos
Once your taco is done cooking, serve it right away with a little bit of spicy green sauce and lots of salsa. You can choose to omit the salsa or sauce altogether and use some cheese or sour cream as well. Even avocado tastes amazing as a topping for this recipe.
How to store leftover
I don’t recommend cooking the smash tacos in advance, as they get soggy over time and don’t taste good. You can make the kebab mixture and all of the other toppings and cook them when you are ready to eat; that way, you can have the crunchy tortillas with the deliciously cooked fresh kebab.
Kabob smash tacos
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs minced beef
- 6 small flour tortillas or 8
- 1 small onion
- 1 green chili
- Few leaves of cilantro
Spices for tacos
- 1.25 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
Ingredients for salsa
- 1 Persian cucumber
- 1 small red onion
- 1 tomato
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Ingredients for cilantro mint sauce
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 1 green chili
- Few leaves of cilantro
- Few leaves of fresh mint
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder or cumin seeds
other ingredient
- 2 tbsp oil if your beef has fat in it then you don't need any oil for cooking the tacos
Instructions
- In a food processor, add onion, cilantro, and green chili to shred these vegetables. Then use a kitchen towel to remove all the excess water.
- Add this mixture to the minced beef and all the spices mentioned for the beef, mix it well, and set aside.
- Make salsa:
- Chop cucumber, onion, and tomato by hand or use a food processor on pulse mode, then add lime juice, salt, and cumin powder. Mix and set aside.
- Make yogurt sauce:
- Add cilantro, fresh mint leaves, green chili, salt, 2 tbsp of yogurt, and cumin powder in a blender. Mix until well combined. Now transfer to a bowl and mix in the remaining yogurt. Taste test for salt.
- Fry smash tacos:
- Divide the minced mixture into 6 or 8 sections. Depending on how many you are making.
- Now, with the help of your hand, spread the mixture evenly over each tortilla. I made six tacos with this mixture, but you can also make 8 if you do a thinner layer.
- Meat will shrink as it cooks, so flatten it out all the way to the edges.
- Now, cook each taco on a hot pan or griddle by placing the beef side down. I cooked it over medium-high heat.
- Once you see the meat change color completely, flip it to the other side and cook for another minute. (It’ll take 2-2.5 minutes in total)
- Add a thin layer of yogurt sauce and a generous layer of salsa.Serve immediately!