In the Kitchen with Wyoming Buffalo Company
Written By: Sarah Reish
Lisa, from Wyoming Buffalo Company, shared a ton of cook books with us last month, So we decided this month we needed to cook up something fun. We found a fantastic recipe to share it with you all! We also took advantage of her ground Bison and Elk, hot sauces, and other fantastic items. Oh and we talk dessert!
History of Indian Fry Bread
We choose to make the Indian Fry Bread found in the cook book, A Taste of Wyoming by, Pamela Sinclair. The history of Indian Fry Bread is quite interesting. Over 150 years ago Navajo Frybread was born. It happened after the Arizona Navajo Nation was force by the United States Cavalry make a 300 mile journey into New Mexico from Arizona and the journey was later known as “The Long Walk”. When their staple gardening was no longer feasible the United States provided canned goods, flour, sugar, and other much needed cooking items. With those unfamiliar ingredients the Navajo Nation was able to create what was later known as fry bread. While many may think the fry bread would be considered a reminder of horrible times, it is a very-much celebrated food as it is served at powwows, intertribal fairs, and other gatherings and events. Leonard Ghee who grew up on the Arizona Navajo reservation shared, “Fry Bread connects tribes”, thus making it a staple and much loved food across American tribes.
What is fry bread?
Fry bread is a simple dough that is divided into small dough balls and then stretched into a frisbee shape. Once stretched (not flat like a tortilla) it is placed in a skillet of hot oil to shallow fry. The result is delicious and a dish that everyone should try. It can be eaten plain, dusted with sugar, or as we have done for this article, used as a shell for tacos, which is how I have enjoyed it over the years.
Fry Bread Mix
Since we cannot share Pamela’s recipe due to copyrights, we decided to share a link to the fry bread mix Lisa carries in her store. This mix makes cooking the fry bread simple. Once divided into balls, stretched, shallow fry and then allow the fry bread to cool before moving on.
The Filling
If you really want to make this a Wyoming dinner affair grab game meat. Many don’t know this, but Lisa does sell frozen ground bison and elk in her store, but ground beef also works. Once seasoned to your liking start building your Indian Fry Bread Taco! We choose to add sour cream, lettuce, tomato and hot sauce. It is super delicious and filling.
Make it Dessert
Craving something sweet? While hot, coat the fry bread in cinnamon and sugar! Here are are our top picks of fillings for a sweet fry bread taco:
Whipped cream with huckleberry jam
Peanut butter or Nutella and peach jalapeño jam
Nutella and fresh fruit
Banana
Strawberry
Mixed wild berries
Start cooking!
We want to see how you get creative with your Indian Fry Bread and so does Lisa! Post your creations on social media and tag us both, @LiveWYldMag & @WyoBuffaloCo and remember to use #LiveWYld