- Season the bison with the salt and juniper.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat and add the onions.
- Cook until softened and lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the bison and sage, and cook until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the meat.
- Add the stock, bring to a simmer, and cook until the liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 3 minutes. Season with the maple syrup.
- Serve over the corn cakes and drizzle with Wojape.
- Garnish with sorrel and top with corn nuts for a nice crunch.
- Chef’s Note: For vegetarian and vegan tacos, replace the bison with Cedar-Braised Beans.
Tanka Bar
Native American Natural Foods, LLC, Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, produces buffalo-based packaged foods that are delicious, nutritious, healthy, and sustainable. The company's mission is to support the region's natural buffalo herd, employ members of the tribe, and contribute to the local economy. The Tanka Bar, made with buffalo, dried fruit, and natural seasonings, is wildly popular. It contains no artificial ingredients and is low-carbohydrate, sugar-free, and gluten-free. In a pinch, we substitute these products for Wasna.
The mission of the company, founded by Karlene Hunter and Mark Tilsen in 2006, is to produce foods that add to the restoration and preservation of our lands and the ecosystem. Because they are made with natural, healthful ingredients, they may help to reverse chronic food-related illnesses such as obesity and diabetes. These are foods that align with the ways Native Americans lived just a century ago."Tanka" speaks to the ability to 'Live Life Powerfully and to acknowledge 'Mitakuye Oyasin'— we are all related."
More from The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen:
From The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley (University of Minnesota Press, 2017) Copyright 2017 Ghost Dancer, LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission of the University of Minnesota Press.

Indigenous Recipes
Sean Sherman, the Oglala Lakota chef and founder of The Sioux Chef, in his breakout book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, shares his approach to creating boldly seasoned foods that are vibrant, healthful, at once elegant and easy. Sherman dispels outdated notions of Native American fare. There’s no fry bread or Indian tacos here, and no European staples such as wheat flour, dairy products, sugar, or domestic pork and beef. These healthful plates embrace venison and rabbit, river and lake trout, duck and quail, wild turkey, blueberries, sage, sumac, timpsula or wild turnip, plums, purslane, and abundant wildflowers. Contemporary and authentic, his dishes feature cedar-braised bison, griddled wild rice cakes, amaranth crackers with smoked white bean paste, three sisters salad, deviled duck eggs, smoked turkey soup, dried meats, roasted corn sorbet, and hazelnut–maple bites. The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen is a rich education and a delectable introduction to modern indigenous cuisine of the Dakota and Minnesota territories, with a vision and approach to food that travels well beyond those borders. Order from the Heirloom Gardener Store or by calling 800-456-5835.