Nourish your body and mind through food with these 60 recipes celebrating Navajo culinary traditions.

The Modern Navajo Kitchen​ takes you on an exhilarating journey for your taste buds. This beautifully photographed cookbook ties together traditional Navajo recipes as well as global recipes with a Navajo spin, creating a truly unique culinary experience! Choose from a plethora of drinks, breads, breakfasts, soups, mains, sides, and desserts—the sky’s the limit.

Incorporating traditional and modern ingredients, some of the deliciously nourishing and comforting recipes include:

• Navajo Boba Milk Tea (Abe’ Boba Dééhk’azí)
• Fry Bread (Dah Díníilghaazh)
• Navajo Burgers (Atsį’ Yik’ą́ Náneeskadí Bił Ałch’į’ Át’éhí)
• Sumac and Strawberry Greek Yogurt Ice Pops (Chiiłchin Yogurt Tiní)
• and more!

This comprehensive cookbook also includes instructions for how to make such things as juniper ash, roasted cornmeal, and roasted chiles that will bring your Navajo cooking skills to the next level. A short history of Navajo culinary traditions is provided to provide cultural context behind your new culinary experiences, and sample meal plans will help you put together the perfect menus for the week ahead or for those special occasions with family and friends.

Reconnect to your cultural heritage or treat your palate (or both!) with The Modern Navajo Kitchen.

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Chili Beans

Naa’ołí Azeedích’íí’

Growing up we didn’t eat a lot of beans, but when we did it was always when shimá made chili beans for Navajo Tacos (See below). She would slow cook them all day and the house would smell amazing! This recipe uses dried pinto beans, a Navajo pantry staple, together with ground beef and red chile. It’s the perfect recipe for chili beans and can be eaten alone as a soup or used as a topping for Navajo Tacos.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings 

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus overnight soaking of beans 

Cook time: 6 to 8 hours

 

2 cups (390 g) dried pinto beans

4 cups (960 ml) vegetable broth or water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons New Mexico red chile powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

¼ cup (65 g) tomato paste

1 can (14.5 ounces, or 411 g) diced tomatoes

 

1. Prepare the beans by rinsing them in cold water for 2 minutes to remove any debris. Add the beans to a medium bowl and cover completely with water so that there are 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) of water above the beans. Cover and let sit on the counter overnight.
2. The next day, drain and rinse the beans with cold water.
3. In a 7- to 10-quart (6 to 9 L) slow cooker, stir together the beans, vegetable broth, salt, chile powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the beans are tender.
4. Thirty minutes before the beans are done, prepare the meat. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the beef for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Drain any grease and add the beef to the slow cooker along with the tomato paste and canned tomatoes. Stir and slow cook for an additional 30 minutes on high, until the broth starts to thicken.
5. Ladle into soup bowls or use to make Navajo tacos.

 

Navajo Tacos

Dah Díníilghaazh Bikáá ’ Ashjaa’í

Navajo tacos are a modern staple in Navajo cuisine. It is not a traditional food, but an Indigenous dish that is referred to as an Indian taco. Each tribe has their own version of it. A Navajo taco is usually made on a thin, large fry bread topped with ground beef, chili beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese. Navajo tacos are usually served at large family gatherings and public events like powwows and Native markets. I like to serve Navajo tacos with fresh spinach instead of lettuce. Most Navajo tacos are eaten like an open-faced taco with a fork and a knife. However, some like to fold it in half, like a traditional taco. My preferred way is to tear the fry bread into bite-size pieces before adding the toppings. This makes it easier to eat.

Yield: 4 servings 

Prep time: 15 minutes 

Cook time: 8 hours 30 minutes

4 Navajo Fry Bread (page 34)

4 cups (513 g) Chili Beans (page 74)

½ cup to 1 cup (55 to 115 g) shredded cheddar or other sharp cheese

½ cup (65 g) diced (about

¼ inch, or 6 mm) red onion

2 cups (60 g) chopped fresh spinach

1/2 cup (90 g) diced (about ¼ inch, or 6 mm) tomatoes

Place each fry bread on a plate. To each fry bread, add 1 cup (171 g) chili beans, 2 to 4 tablespoons shredded cheese, 1 tablespoon diced onions, ½ cup (15 g) spinach, and 2 tablespoons tomatoes. Repeat for each taco. Serve warm.

Recipe published with permission from The Quarto Group.