What happens when you fuse the punchy flavors of bánh mì with the smash burger—then cook it entirely off-grid in a Jabiru J2 AWD? You get a road trip classic in the making: Smash Mi Tacos.
These aren't by any means traditional recipes and that’s the point. We're all about quick, adaptable meals that pack bold flavor, come together fast, and work with whatever you’ve got in the van fridge!
This cook-up went down inside the Jabiru J2 AWD, powered by a muscular 48V electrical system and a 240V dual induction cooktop. No flame. No fuss. Just clean, efficient power at your fingertips—perfect for back-of-beyond breakfasts or wild weekend dinners.
Ingredients (Swap-Friendly & Camper-Ready)
- 6x mini flour tortillas (Pita bread also works well) - I could comfortably smash 3 of these myself
- Coconut oil for frying
-
Meat mix
- 500g chicken mince (Tofu or pork also delicious)
- 1x egg
- 1x stalk lemongrass
- 1cm piece garlic
- 2x cloves garlic
- 2x shallot stalks
- 1 tbs fish sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- Juice from half a lime (also great as a garnish)
- 1 tsp sugar (we used coconut sugar but brown or white also work)
-
Garnish - this is really personal and depends what you have access to
- thinly sliced cucumber
- fresh coriander leaves (mint also great)
- Kewpie mayo
- Frank's hot sauce
- Other ideas: Sriracha hot sauce, crunchy chilli oil, peanut sauce, sesame seeds, corn kernels, avocado, kimchi, crispy onion
- Pickled julienne carrot (for garnish) - we pre-made it, similar to this recipe and keep them refrigerated in small mason jar
Method:
- To a bowl add the mince, finely chopped meat mix ingredients and mix together. We used the Ninja portable blender to finely chop before adding to the meat.
- Heat a tbs of oil into a pan
- Smear heaped tbs of mince to one side of tortilla and fry meat side down for a couple minutes until browned/cooked through
- Flip tortilla to brown other side (only needs 30 seconds or so
- Take off heat and layer garnishes and sauce
- Add squeeze of lime for an extra punch of flavour
- Roll or fold and enjoy!
While these are van tacos are not fine dining—adapt to survive (and eat well)!
A few small setup choices made a big difference in how smoothly this cook-up went:
- The composite chopping board that stows in the sink (under the lid) was a winner — not only did it give us a portable scratch resistant surface but we could still store dishes or ingredients underneath without cluttering the bench.
- The passenger side fold-down shelf next to the kitchen bench came in clutch for clearing up working space. Great for staging ingredients, holding utensils, or just giving yourself room to move.
- The induction cooktop was super quick to heat up and really easy to adjust wattage depending on what we were cooking — big plus when you’re managing power on the go.
- We positioned the cooktop nearest the sliding door for maximum ventilation, and the rear 240V fan worked brilliantly to draw out any cooking smells. It kept the cabin fresh even while searing and sizzling.
We’re just getting started! We’re looking forward to bringing you plenty more recipes using the induction cooktop, convection microwave, and electric BBQ — not just from us here at HQ, but from the amazing TRAKKA Family out on the road.
We’ll also be sharing practical guides on stocking your pantry and fridge with road-friendly staples, prepping food before trips to save time and tips to keep ingredients fresher for longer while travelling.
And of course — we’d love to hear from you! Got a recipe idea, a clever kitchen hack, or a road snack you swear by? Drop us an email connect@trakka.com.au and we might feature it in an upcoming episode.