These viral smashed tacos are trending hard at the moment- specifically the Big Mac version but I had to add my own twist to this so I went with a chapli kabob flavor for the smashed taco then added an afghan twist to it by adding salata and chutney as a topping. Let me tell you it’s a 10/10! I was shocked at how delicious these were. My only regret is why I haven’t tried this sooner.
BREAD
For this recipe I used the Middle Eastern Flat Breads from Trader joes. Which in my opinion turned out great! its thicker than a flour tortilla which really allows for a great meat to bread ratio. Also when flipping the smashed taco over to cook on the bread side down- you can let it cook longer without it burning since it isn’t as thin. But please feel free to use flour tortilla’s for these- they clearly do work since that’s what 99% of this trending recipe uses anyway. Just make sure to get the meat SUPER THIN on there.
DOES IT COOK ALL THE WAY THROUGH?
100% it does. Remember- you’re spreading the mixture PAPER THIN onto the bread. Cooking it meat side down for 2-3 minutes until golden then flipping it bread side down for another minute. I’ll share detailed videos below of me actually eating into them and showing as much as I can for you to see they’re not raw!
TIPS + TRICKS
-for 1 pound of ground beef you should get about 6 large round forms
-spread each one VERY THINLY onto 6 flatbreads
****if you’re using flour tortilla’s I would make 8 forms and make 8 of these to get even thinner pieces
-spread as thin as you can go and as wide as you can go because the meat does shrink quite a bit. The longer you have it cooking meat side down- the more it’ll shrink (heads up!). I like to stop right when I see it perfectly charred ( and not burned ). Same thing for the flip side
-if your meat is not spread thin and you feel like it’s on the thicker side- then increase your cooking time!
-use VERY little sprays or drizzles of oil PER each smashed taco you cook. You don’t want to drown these in oil- just searing. I love using my avocado oil spray for these.
-let them rest on a cooling rack if you can to help get rid of excess oil
-if you’re adding salata and chutney like I did…it will be JUICYYYYYY so wrap in parchment paper if you’d like to avoid the mess.
SALATA
I could add this afghan chopped salad to almost anything I eat. I’ll change it up from adding cucumbers or leaving them out AND how I chop. Sometimes I want it thinly sliced and sometimes I want cubes. For this recipe I went thinly sliced because its easier to eat
-Thinly sliced tomatoes ( I highly recommend Campari tomatoes), Thinly sliced red onions, chopped fresh cilantro, 1/2 lemon juiced, dried mint, and SPRINKLE of salt. Mix well
GREEN CHUTNEY
I change this one up from time to time to. Either ill add vinegar or skip the vinegar and add greek yogurt. For this one I went WITH the vinegar since the acid would help cut through all the oil we cooked the smashed taco’s in.
-In a small processor/blender combine: 1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, drizzle of oil, sprinkle of salt, and a splash of white vinegar (no more than 2 TBSP for this quantity) . BLEND.
INSTAGRAM VIDEO FOR REFERENCE
TIKTOK VIDEO TASTE TEST
SMASHED TACOS afghan style
Ingredients
GROUND BEEF MIXTURE
- 1 lb ground beef I used 80/20
- 1 grated white onion
- 1 pepper thinly sliced I used a red pepper. You can use jalapeño or Serrano
- 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic or garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
FLAT BREADS OR TORTILLA
- 6 flatbread the trader joes one I used
- 8 flour tortilla or 8 flour tortilla if using this
SALATA + CHUTNEY info can be found up top in BLOG POST
Instructions
GROUND BEEF
- combine all ground beef ingredients and mix well. set aside
SALATA + CHUTNEY
- if you're using these as a topping- make them now and set aside. You don't want the smashed tacos to get cold while you make these
PREPARE
- lay out flat breads. form 6 even meatball forms (8 if using tortilla)
- place each "meat ball" onto a flatbread
- spread each one as thin and as wide as you can go
COOK
- in a hot pan that's been sprayed with a little oil begin to cook meat side down (2-3 minutes) making sure it's not burning and flip onto bread side and cook some more (1 minute) until everything is cooked through.
- increase cooking time per side if your mixture is not spread thin and is on the thicker side!
- lay out on wire rack or paper towel to drain excess oil as you cook
ASSEMBLE
- top each one with salata + chutney