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Tandoori Tacos Are A Summer Snack That Belongs In Your Backyard
At first glance, you might wonder where a recipe for something called 'Tandoori Tacos' comes from. In India, a clay oven called a tandoor is used to cook meats marinated in yogurt. Tacos are, of course, one of the most beloved dishes of Mexico. The author of this recipe, Zaynab Issa, grew up in New Jersey, the child of immigrant parents from Tanzania.
But as Issa explains in her recent cookbook, Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes For A New Generation, this recipe for Tandoori Tacos is as American as it gets.
'Most of us have a story of migration— if not you, then maybe your great-great-grandparents, but this reality remains: the culture of your homeland has mixed with the culture of others here, creating an entirely new one,' she writes.
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'As I've grown up and lived here, my perspective on American food has shifted to reflect a new understanding: America itself is a third culture nation.'
The 'third culture' she describes is a combination, one that is informed by the culture of a homeland as much as the new home that it belongs to.
This recipe combines freely in exactly that way. Using the yogurt-marinating technique of Indian tandoori cooking to tenderize the skirt steak, the sweet pop of orange juice from Mexican carne asada and Cuban mojo. Topping it off with a few cherry tomatoes, this is a delicious lunch that belongs in a summertime backyard anywhere in America.
Ingredients
1⁄4 cup (60 ml) plain whole-milk yogurt
1 tablespoon orange juice, optional
1 tablespoon plus 1⁄2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
11⁄2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika
1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 garlic cloves, finely grated
1-inch piece ginger, finely grated
1 1⁄2 pounds (680 g) skirt steak, cut into 4 (4- to 6-inch) segments
1⁄2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 cup (145 g) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
1 cup (40 g) roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems*
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Flaky sea salt
12 to 16 (5-inch) tortillas, for serving
Sour cream, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving
Instuctions
To make the marinade: Combine the yogurt, orange juice, 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt, the garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, garlic, and ginger in a medium bowl. Add the steak and mix well to coat completely. Marinate the meat for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
To assemble: Combine the onion, tomatoes, chili, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl. Chill until ready to serve. Add the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt just before serving.
Heat a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until very hot or smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and working with 2 steak segments at a time, sear until deeply browned on both sides and cooked to your desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium (140°F/60°C on a meat thermometer). Transfer to a cutting board, sprinkle with flaky salt, and let rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 2 steaks.
Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm.
Return to the steak and thinly slice it against the grain and then crosswise into bite-sized pieces. Arrange the steak on the tortillas and top with some of the onion mixture and sour cream. Serve the tacos with lime wedges for squeezing over the remaining onion mixture.
Excerpted from the new book Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa. Photos copyright (c) 2025 by Graydon Herriott. Published by Abrams.
copy writer Wyatt Williams is exploring the relationship between weather, food, agriculture, and the natural world.
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