Cook Club Meets - Homemade Taco Seasoning

Our Cook Club the "Hot Chilies" meet this Friday. I have been busy preparing for the class that I will teach. Scouring recipes, cooking them, adjusting, and even writing a few from memory as I tend not to follow recipes when cooking for the family, and printing them up.
We will have a Mexican theme for this class. Mexican food is non-existent in our corner of Guangzhou, China. I can think of one restaurant that boasts that it is Mexican, and it does not serve anything, that resembles Mexican food or Tex Mex food. So I make Mexican food at home and when we are in Hong Kong we are lucky enough to know of a Mexican Restaurant that is quite good and worth the trip.

Finding the ingredients for some Mexican food is a lot easier than it used to be in the years of 1996-2001. I carried (smuggled) in from Hong Kong in those years, many a taco shell, flour tortilla, salsa and refried beans. All of those items are available now in the little specialty stores where the expatriates shop. We can even buy avocados more frequently now. However if you are looking for tomatillos and cactus you will have to look in Hong Kong and try smuggling them in, and hopefully, not be caught.

In the old days the Taco Seasoning packets were only to be had in Hong Kong. I scoured many a book to find a seasoning years ago, Ex-pat Daughter then about 8 years old loved tacos and I had to come up with something.  I found this recipe in a Church cookbook. Here it is with a few tweaks that I have given it over the years too.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

2 tsp. Minced dried onion or ¾ tsp or onion powder

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Chili Powder If you have no kids or kids that like it spicier you can add 2-3 tsp.

½ tsp. Cornstarch

½ tsp. Crushed red pepper

½ tsp. Minced dried garlic or 1/8 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp. Oregano

½ tsp. ground cumin

This recipe equals the same as one package of purchased taco seasoning. Enough for 1lb. or 500g of ground beef or chicken.

You can multiply the ingredients and store in a jar. To use in this manner you would use 2 Tbsp (30g) of mix for 1lb. or 500g of meat.

To prepare Taco Meat

Brown ground beef in pan. When browned add ¾ cup of water and the Taco seasoning. Stir and cook until water evaporates.