Taco Bell asked this Philly chef to reimagine the Crunchwrap Supreme
Reuben Asaram, who runs the Pan Asian pop-up Reuby, is one of three chefs Taco Bell tapped to create limited edition Crunchwraps Supremes. We asked how deep his Taco Bell fandom runs.
The old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” evidently doesn’t apply to the Crunchwrap Supreme.
Taco Bell tapped three up-and-coming chefs to reimagine the Mexican-adjacent fast-food chain’s most iconic menu item as part of its new TBX initiative, a culinary ambassador program and chef incubator.
Philly chef Reuben Asaram is part of the program’s first cohort — which was announced at a flashy iPhone-style reveal in Las Vegas earlier this month — along with San Antonio’s Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin and Phoenix’s Lawrence Smith. Asaram’s Crunchwrap creation will be available at Taco Bells in select, to-be-determined markets later this year.
Asaram, 32, is best known for hosting his Reuby pop-ups, where he mixes Mexican and Pan-Asian flavors to create dishes like butter pork tacos topped with a Thai slaw drenched in Cool Ranch Doritos vinaigrette or a burrito stuffed with biryani, chicken tikka masala, and a beet crema.
“I do flavor combinations that no one has ever thought of before,” said Asaram, whose personal relationship with Taco Bell began after his family immigrated from India to Queens in 1993, when Asaram was a year old.
The fast-food joint and its menu of customizable tacos, quesadillas, and burritos has long been revered by many South Asian immigrants for being vegetarian-friendly, and thus, a staple for post-temple or post-mosque meals. Indian Americans have been credited with resurrecting Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza and are among the chain’s most die-hard fans, something Asaram wished more people knew.
“The huge population that loves Taco Bell is pretty much my people. When I got onstage at [Live Más Live in Las Vegas], I saw so many Indian faces in the crowd light up,” said Asaram. “It means a lot for Indians and — South Asians in general — to get face time with Taco Bell.”
» READ MORE: Philly chefs Reuben Asaram and Cory Powell collaborate on the pop-up circuit
Before Asaram heads back into the test kitchen, The Inquirer asked him about his essential Taco Bell order (which involves stuffing a taco into a quesadilla), the magic of the Crunchwrap Supreme, and how his formula for the perfect third date involves — you guessed it — more Taco Bell.
When did your love affair with Taco Bell begin?
Taco Bell has always been close to my heart. Growing up, going to Taco Bell on the weekends was, like, the cool, fancy thing to do because it would almost transport us back home since Mexican and Indian cuisine both use cumin and a lot of the same spices. Taco Bell was always the more flavorful, well-seasoned fast food.
I also used to take a lot of dates to Taco Bell when I first moved to Philly. I was a VIP at the one [on Chestnut and 11th Streets] — first-name basis, friends with the manager, everything. I’d ask them to do “The Reuby Special,” where they would seal off half the restaurant with caution tape for me, turn it into a sit-down situation, take our orders, and bring the food out to us.
Did ‘The Reuby Special’ always work?
All my dates loved it. The trick was to bring it out on the third hang. I’d be like “Oh let’s do something low-key and get Taco Bell” and then — boom! — I’d pull that out.
Crucial question: What are your go-to drunk — and sober — Taco Bell orders?
My drunk and sober orders are the same thing pretty much, but I’ll add to it when I’m drunk.
My sober order has been something I’ve been doing my entire life, but it’s recently become a TikTok trend. You get a chicken quesadilla uncut, open it, and put the Doritos Locos Taco in it — Supreme it, all-beef, baby — and then add Diablo sauce, spicy ranch, and avocado ranch.
Then you wrap it up and eat it in your car without anyone looking at you. I keep towels in my car to stay ready at all times.
Are there any rules you have to abide by for recreating the Crunchwrap Supreme?
It must have some sort of crunch in the middle. But other than that, we have a wide, wide variety of things we can do.
You can change the shape? (Note: The reporter is incredulous)
Yes. I’m going to keep [the hexagon], though. It’s the shape that holds the most ingredients, so it makes no sense to change it.
How does the process work?
It’s a six-to-nine month process. I can’t talk about them, but I have five Crunchwrap iterations already, and they all pull in Indian and Asian flavors.
Developing the recipes hasn’t been that different from what I already do. If I’m testing a Mexican ingredient and then I’m eating Vietnamese food later, I’ll write down the things I liked about it. And then I just think, “How can I thread those flavor profiles together to make something bigger? What pairs well?”
It happens so quickly that the hardest part has been that I’m developing this for the masses, so I can’t really be adding ingredients that people won’t necessarily recognize. I have to think about how a normal person looks at a fast-food menu, not just me.
And finally, what would you put in a distinctly Philadelphian Crunchwrap Supreme?
Steak, my pepperoncini aioli, and a truffle-long-hot queso. I’d call it the “Jeet Yet? Crunchwrap.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.