Spicy Archives | National Dish

Zimbabwean and African Oxtail Stew | National Dish Recipe

Wayne @NationalDish — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 14:09:43 +0000

Oxtail Stew, especially when coming from Africa, is insane.

Some people get a little weird about cooking with oxtail – which I sort of get, sort of (I’m being a little polite), but they wouldn’t have an issue with oxtail soup from a can, and it tastes way better when you make it fresh.

Everyone knows, anything you cook low and slow, on the bone, is gonna be awesome, this African oxtail stew recipe is no different.

In terms of the country of origin for this oxtail stew recipe, I could have gone British, it’s very traditional. Oxtail is a fascinating ingredient, used all over the world and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular is a massive consumer and I love African cuisine, which is only going to get more popular, plus it has some spice, which = winner. I’ve tried a few and this one is from Zimbabwe.

I’ve said it’s really easy and it is. 30 mins prep and then let is sit in the oven for 3 hours. Before we get going, whack the oven on full and pop a cast iron casserole dish in there – do this first, put the kettle on too for beef stock.

Oxtail Stew Recipe

Oven is on and the casserole dish should be in there getting nice and hot - we'll roast of the oxtails for 20 minutes before adding the stew ingredients and then you can go to the pub for a couple of hours.

CourseMain Dish
CuisineAfrican, Zimbabwean
KeywordAfrica, Oxtail, Stew

Servings4 people

Prep Time30 minutes

Cook Time3 hours

Ingredients

650grams oxtailcut into chunks - as they come is fine
2whole white onionroughly chopped
2whole bay leaves
3 birdseye chilliessliced
2tbls plain flourto dust the oxtail
500ml beef stockboil the kettle up front and get this ready
3cloves garliccrushed or finely chopped
1tin chopped tomatoes400g tin will do it
2 green pepperde-seeded and chopped into handy chunks
1tsp curry powderyup, gives it a slightly different angle - this one is rather important
1tsp thymefresh is ideal but dried will do - just don't leave it out
2tbls tomato puree

Instructions

Ok, before we start chopping everything up, let's sort the oxtail out. The casserole dish should be in the oven and either getting very hot or already is. In this order, oil the oxtail and then season generously with Maldon Sea Salt and dust with the flour.
Pull the hot casserole dish out of the oven and put on the hob, add a couple of tablespoons of oil and then add all the oxtail (or in batches). Put the lid on and place back into the oven for 20 minutes - no more though, lets not burn the oxtail. During this time you can prep the other ingredients - do the beef stock first. You can seal it on the hob too, but I found this way gives the Oxtail a better finish.
Pull the casserole pot out of the oven and turn the heat down to 140 degrees. Remove the oxtail and put aside and place the casserole dish on hob, medium heat. The Oxtail should be gnarly leaving behind some tasty fat for the next step.
Add all the onions and fry for 5 minutes and then add the garlic, chillies, green pepper, thyme, curry powder and tomato puree. Stir and fry for another few minutes, gently until soft. Then add all the beef stock and bayleaves.
Give it a good stir and add the oxtail back in, push below the surface of the sauce (top up with water if you need to) and replace the lid. Place into the oven for 3 hours at 140 degrees. Check it hourly and prevent it drying out by adding more water.
You'll then have a deep bath for the Oxtail, ready to go in the oven - you can then chill. Won't hurt to check it half way through, to make sure you haven't lost too much liquid.
After three hours the meat should have been falling off the bones and you should have plenty of sauce - it serves wonderfully with white rice, but that's up to you - why not just grab a bowl and crusty bread?
Thank you Zimbabwe, Africa

The post Zimbabwean and African Oxtail Stew | National Dish Recipe appeared first on National Dish.

Mamma P’s Jamaican Food | Fishponds Road, Bristol | Restaurant Review

Wayne @NationalDish — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 12:16:16 +0000

The fact that I am even reviewing Mamma P’s, especially as I found it after watching the rugger, full of beer and hungry, means it made an impression.

People always talk about finding hidden gems, unassuming street food type places. Sadly these are a rarity in Britain, apart from those places that make it their business to ‘look’ that way. But I actually found one, on Fishponds Road in Bristol – nowhere near Clifton.

Keep an eye out to spot Mamma Ps sign if you want Jamaican Food in Fishponds, Bristol

It ticks the boxes:

Hidden – Fishponds is not trendy or fashionable and people don’t go out of their way to visit. Fishponds is a place where people live.
Unassuming – no wanky bollocks here, it is what is says it is and does what it says it does; and it does that superbly.
Streetfood – it serves the very heart of what you’d expect Jamaican food to be, it actually has ‘a jerk guy’, he’s the dude that makes the kick ass sauces.

Like I said, I was full of beer after watching the rugger and was heading back to play some post match Snooker and drink more beer. Obvs I needed to eat and obvs I was thinking Kebab, we all were. You don’t have to walk far to find a Kebab shop on Fishponds Road, so I thought don’t go into the first one you see, and then I found it, Mamma P’s Jamaican Food.

Rugby, Beer, Friends, Gambling and Jamaican Food = Heaven

I love spice, I love sweet heat and prefer rice and beans to flatbread (most of the time) ergo, love Caribbean Food (and Floribbean food actually). In there….alone, not caring about peer pressure, I didn’t need my mates, I felt I was about to find something great.

The chain, Turtle Bay is pretty good actually and I love West Indian food but I just knew that Mamma P’s was gonna be different.

Their menu is varied, from sit down to take away, I was doing a take away and went for a Jerk Chicken with Rice and Beans, loaded with hot sauce. It’s insane, the rice and beans were fluffy and not stodgy, the Jerk was zingy and the chicken shredded, perfect. So much so I started throwing drunken compliments at them and demanded a selfie with Mamma P.

We were lining up and they shouted out for the Jerk Guy to join us, that’s what they said, this is the Jerk Guy – I love the Jerk guy. All the staff here are so friendly, it really is a cracker.

I wish I had more photos, I don’t, so go there and take your own – but you gotta go there – say hi to Jerk Guy for me, the Jerk Legend.

Atmosphere
Food
Drink
Staff
Value
Overall
Average

PRICE: £

Website: mamma-ps.co.uk

MENUS: Order online, but not great selection for some reason – take a look here

TELEPHONE: +44 (0) 117 239 6718

The post Mamma P’s Jamaican Food | Fishponds Road, Bristol | Restaurant Review appeared first on National Dish.

Chilli White Rum Recipe | Chillies in Bacardi for Parties not just Halloween

Wayne @NationalDish — Sat, 03 Nov 2018 11:48:21 +0000

The chillies are in the jar, next just add the sugar and then the White Rum

You need some big old knackers to make this Chilli White Rum, correction, to drink it. I got an invite to a Halloween party and was thinking about what I might take – so a couple weeks out, I thought, it would be cool to take something hot. I had some Birdseye Chillies, Bacardi and for some reason a really cool skull shaped jar – that was all I needed.

Takes no time at all, only a couple of weeks at most, unlike our Plum Gin Recipe that takes 3 months.

As it gets colder, this is handy at any party – Guy Fawkes and bonfire night, fireworks followed by Christmas and then New Year – this is a perfect little take along. Want to warm folk at a party – give em’ a shot of this.

If you’re a bit concerned about too much heat or can’t wait two weeks, either reduce the chilli count to reduce heat or increase the chilli count to speed the process – it’ll infuse, it’s chilli.

Chilli White Rum Cocktail Recipe

This takes no time at all to prep and unlike Sloe Gin - only need a couple of weeks to infuse. Get yourself an old jam jar and sterilise it by immersing it, and the lid, in boiling water straight from three kettle, or boil it in a saucepan of water. Just get rid of any bacteria. I used 8 Birdseye Chillies my first time round, that's crazy - you only need 3.

CourseCocktail, Drinks
CuisineCaribbean

Prep Time10 mins

Passive Time2 weeks

Ingredients

5Birdseye fresh red chilliChop three up and keep two whole. You can use any red chilli, I used Birdseye cause they kick ass
1bottle white rumI used Bacardi, any will do - you won't need to use the whole bottle, just enough for a jam jar
2tbls caster sugar
3whole limesyou need these to serve in a couple of week, no need to buy them now.

Instructions

Chop the Chillies any way you like, discard the stalks.
After you have sterilised your jar add the chopped chillies and the two whole ones.
Then add the sugar.
Pour in Bacardi to just below the top. Put the lid on, shake it and store in a dark cupboard. Shake it every day for the first few days or so to dissolve the sugar.
After a couple of weeks, get a sieve over a jug and put the contents through it - collecting the chillies, put the whole ones to the side, bin the rest. Rinse the jar.
Add the two whole chillies to the rinsed jar. Before you pour the Bacardi from the jug back into the jar, pour yourself a shot and grab a wedge of lime - shoot it, suck on the lime. I promise, you'll feel plenty warm.
If it's just too spicy, chillies can sometimes be unpredictable, remove some of the rum and top it up with some fresh stuff (don't be a wuss though). I'd also say, it's nice to sip or mix - you don't HAVE TO shoot it.
It's ready, take to your party and see who is the toughest. Some people will hate you though, like my mate Keef - I warned him...

The post Chilli White Rum Recipe | Chillies in Bacardi for Parties not just Halloween appeared first on National Dish.

How do you make Vietnamese Pho? | National Dish of Vietnam

Wayne @NationalDish — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 13:00:37 +0000

Serve Vietnamese Pho will all the different elements ‘on the side’ and then build your bowl

There seems to be Vietnamese restaurants popping up all over the place – and for good reason, the food is the nuts. How do you make Vietnamese Pho (pronounced fur)?

This is one National Dish we don’t mind posting, we did this as part of a banquet, my good chum @fp_in_the_kitchen and I. I’ll focus on the Pho here though and post the other dishes separately.

Get ready for some good food from ‘The Nam‘, Cheltenham…that’s fucking terrible…

How do you make Vietnamese Pho? | National Dish of Vietnam

This is a single recipe that was part of an entire banquet - for 4-6. We’re focusing on Vietnamese Beef Phở Gỏi cuốn. The cooking times won't require you to be working non-stop - this is all about the prep. You need to prep ahead - OK?

CourseDips and bits, Main Dish, Starter
CuisineVietnamese

Servings4-6 People

Prep Time30 Mins

Cook Time10 Hours

Ingredients

1bone of beefget this from your butcher
2good size sirloin steak
1large bunch fresh corianderfinely chop the stalks and set aside (you'll need the leaves too)
2whole limecut into quarters
1litre beef stock
1cup bean sprouts
1large thumb fresh gingerpeeled and sliced finely
3medium white onionfinely chopped
5cloves garlicfinely sliced
4large fresh red chillisliced, don't both to de-seed (unless you really want to)
6tbls dark soy sauce
2tbls fish sauce
350grams noodlesyour choice, but flat rice noodles is the norm
2tsp Chinese five spice
8chopped spring onionstry and slice them at an extreme angle, they look cool
1bowl full mange toutuse any bean you like, sugar snaps would also be amaze
1handful Chinese greens

Instructions

Right, now the prep for this easy as hell, but after that there is a 10 hour wait - and it's worth it. If you want to make a real Vietnamese Pho, packed with flavour, you gotta do it this way. Nothing wrong with leaving it over night by the way, the longer the better.
You're gonna need some beef bones, any decent butcher should be able to sort you out with these. My guy did good. Get the oven going, place the bone(s) into a roasting tray (only needs to be big enough to take it), chop up an onion or two and some lemongrass, oil it and pop in the oven for about 20 mins at 200.
Whilst the beef bone is building up some colour, add some oil to a stock pot or saucepan on a medium high heat and then add the remaining white onion, garlic (hold a little back), two thirds of the chilli, ginger, coriander stalks and Chinese five spice - give a stir and let the onions soften before.
Whip the beef bone out of the oven, it should be gnarly and brown, drop it (along with the onion and lemon grass) into the stock pot and then add enough beef stock to cover the bone. Add the fish sauce. Bring to the boil, turn it down to super super low simmer, lid on and leave it. For AT LEAST 10 HOURS.
Whilst that's going on, use this time to marinate your sirloin steaks. In a dish that you can cover, add soy sauce, garlic and lime juice and drench the steaks in it - cover with cling film and refrigerate.
Now you should have a deep broth which you'll add a load of goodies that we'll prep now. Everything will be separate, you and your guests will build their own. You'll need some Ramen or noodles bowls. Strain your stock and add it back to the pan. if you want it nice and clear, do it twice through clean muslin. Now keep it hot (do not boil).
Ok, so we're gonna have some sirloin steak, some noodles, some mange tout, bean sprouts, spring onions, coriander leaves - you can totally go off piste here, char-grilled baby pak choy would be the nuts.
To avoid running your ass off in the final moment, firstly prep the stuff that can be served cold, lay the table, put something down to take the hot stock pot - get everything ready, so as you cook and heat things up, you can just serve and sit with your guests and enjoy it. Just think it through for a mo - it's not hard - make life easy.
The main event is the steak, for that you need a very hot pan (I prefer flat bottom not griddle - bring more of the meat into contact with the heat, resulting in more gnarlyness). Get some boiling water on for the mange tout, place a sieve over that and put the greens in, cover that with a lid. Only a few mins.
Prep the noodles to time too. We're gonna cook this steak rare - hot pan, pop em in, season with some salt and LEAVE THEM THE HELL ALONE for a few mins. When you can't bear it any longer, lift and look for decent amount of charring and flip em. This will be for a 2 mins tops probably.
On a piece of wood, whip the steaks out and slice them. Take to the table.
Everything is done - build your bowl with noodles first, then stock (provide a ladle) and add what you want, finishing with a few strips of steak and sprinkle with sprint onions.

The post How do you make Vietnamese Pho? | National Dish of Vietnam appeared first on National Dish.

Sweet and Sour Chilli Mango Chicken | National Dish Recipe from South East Asia…maybe

Wayne @NationalDish — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 14:05:11 +0000

The colour alone of Sweet and Sour Chicken with Mango is enough. All pictures copyright of nationaldish.co.uk

– we’re not 100% sure where this dish might originate.

I accidentally made it up, but that’s not to say it doesn’t exist. So in actual fact this could be a South East Asian ‘influenced’ English dish – Changlo food! You saw it here first.

Anyway, I fancied sweet and sour chicken, but wanted to add lots of chilli and forgot to buy pineapple, so used some mango I had – hence…

It’s really good – I also knocked up a cheats Mushroom Chow Mein on the side.

Sweet and Sour Chilli Mango Chicken | National Dish Recipe from South East Asia

This recipe goes to show, that if you have some items in your fridge or pantry that don't quite fit the original recipe, you can make do and come up with something ace.

CourseMain Dish
CuisineBritish, Chango, Chinese, Thai

Servings2 People

Prep Time20 Minutes

Cook Time20 Minutes

Ingredients

Main bits

2small skinless chickenbreasts, diced into large, as square as possible, bite sized chunks (big ones ok?)
1/2 red peppercut the same size as the onion
1large white onioncut in to 1 inch square pieces, look at the pic

Sauce

1400g tin mangodrain and keep the juice and dice the mango
3tsp caster sugar
1tsp corn flour
1 or 2sliced fresh red chilli
1bunch fresh corianderfinely chop the stalks and separate from the leaves
3cloves garlicfinely sliced, chopped or crushed
3tbsp sesame seedsgently roast them in a non-stick pan
3tbsp rice wine vinegar
2tbsp ketchup
1pinch sea salt flakesMaldon please
1tsp paprika powder

Marinade

1tbls soy sauceuse the light stuff if you can
1/2tsp garlic powder
1/2tsp Chinese five spiceno more than this

Mushroom Chow Mein

1handful mushroomsthickly sliced
1packet instant noodlesenough for two people
2cloves garlicchopped

Instructions

First thing is to marinate the chicken. To do that, in a bowl add the diced chicken, soy, garlic powder and Chinese five spice - leave that whilst you do the rest - not long really.
Chop everything up and get it ready - you want decent chunks. If you're doing a side, I did a cheats Mushroom Chow Mein, chop that stuff up too.
In a hot wok, add a tiny dash of oil and seal the chicken on each side, don't cook it all the way through. When done, drain off any of the sauce you haven't cooked off and put the chicken aside and wipe clean the wok.
Whilst you were doing that, in a separate non-stick pan, roast off the sesame seeds. Don't burn them, just add a little golden colour and then remove from the pan and set aside in a cold bowl.
Back on the heat, add a little oil and add the onion, garlic, chopped coriander stalks, two thirds of the chilli and the salt. Gently fry until the onion starts to clarify (not completely though) - try to avoid any charring, you almost want things looking raw.
Next add the chicken back in along with the red pepper, paprika, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sugar and half the sesame seeds - heat and stir for a minute. Then pour in all of the mango juice (oh yeah) - bring to the boil and sprinkle the corn flour avoiding lumpage - stir. If you feel that a little more sauce is required, carefully add some water - it will reduce and thicken moving forward.
After 10-15 minutes, you should be pretty much done, throw in the diced mango and gently stir in to the sauce, it's ready when the mango is hot.
You can do the chow mein real quick. Fry off the mushrooms with the garlic and a good glug of dark soy sauce. After a few minutes add the noodles and toss and mix everything until it's a lovely soy sauce colour and hot.
Serve it up in to something that you can keep it warm in.
The chicken will now be ready. Serve it in a bowl and sprinkle with the remaining raw chilli, sesame seeds and coriander leaves.
Thank you South East Asia stroke England...maybe...

The post Sweet and Sour Chilli Mango Chicken | National Dish Recipe from South East Asia…maybe appeared first on National Dish.

What is it like to eat at New Moon Tapas in Clifton, Bristol? | National Dish Restaurant Review

Wayne @NationalDish — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 10:04:12 +0000

What’s it like to eat at New Moon Tapas, Clifton, Bristol?

First off, this restaurant is situated in a stunning part of Bristol. A great city which has attracted a lot of investment over the last 20 years, Bristol is going from strength to strength – it also happens to be the authors’ home town.

Clifton, where the author was actually born, is beautiful.

Five plus story sandstone townhouses set within an urban village vibe with rabbit warrens of narrow streets overlooked by Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s ‘Clifton Suspension Bridge’ spanning the dramatic Avon Gorge and…it’s even got a zoo. So, naturally, with all that going on, Clifton carries an air of elite superiority – a bit like London. That’s OK though, cause it is lush (sic).

You are spoilt for choice for places to eat and grab a drink, every establishment designed to attract just the right clientele – in this instance…my kids, who’d visited the aforementioned zoo.

I didn’t pre-search, I wanted to have a wander round, browse and pick somewhere – like the tourist I was (in my own hood) and I stumbled upon New Moon Tapas.

A few tables outside, like many places in Clifton, the frontage matches the building, I am sure there are many restrictions (no golden arches here). The large front window gives way to a moody, dark, atmospheric bar area with rather few tables. The layout is all over the place, as you’d expect in such old domestic use buildings – some tables in the front, some out back and more downstairs.

We sat in the front, no reservation as this was a late lunch, I’d recommend reservations for the obvious peak times. I’ve used this space for the main picture, it’s nice. Lots going on, very shabby chic with lots of out of place bits and pieces put to good use – I liked the old birdcage with bottles of wine in it.

Front of house were great, very accommodating as we had kids with us AND a serious nut allergy to deal with. On this point I must fully commend them, they took the nut allergy very seriously, thanked me for telling them, and said information went straight to the chef followed by a warning as to what did and didn’t have nuts – nice work guys.

At one point, I did get called mate, which is a bit poor – but, under the circumstances of ultra careful nut allergy petrified parents, we’ll let that slide.

The food is a bit of a coincidence for the theme of my blog. First and foremost it’s a tapas restaurant, with the usual fayre – but, New Moon Tapas also have a guest cuisine on a monthly basis – our turn was Israeli – check out the blackboard pic for the upcoming themes. This month (September 2017) is the arrival of Nepal – of which we have a couple of Nepalese recipes ourselves.

The selection:

Patatas Bravas – loads of ways to serve this, ours was ‘sauce on the side’ – I prefer it all in one and hot. The sauce was sweet, salty and smokey, which was nice, but lacked any heat – it needed chilli to lift it
Crispy Corn Cakes – these were fishcake style…uhhh…cakes of corn. They were good, lovely corn yellow inside, fluffy, crunchy topped with an Avocado salsa and sided with a Mango and Lime salad – was good
Crispy Fried Calamari – this, served with a char-grilled lime and Sriracha (a Thai chilli sauce) mayonnaise was spot on – it went very quick, carnage – my daughter went for me, scary

Lamb Cutlets – these had a lavender and honey glaze – they were, OK. That doesn’t mean bad, but they also needed a lift – Parma Violet flavoured meat, maybe
Trio of Israeli dip – this is from the Food Tour specials board, Baba Ganoush (we had this on the side WALNUTS!!!), Hummus, Za’atar spiced beetroot with goats cheese served with pita. This was stunning, shame that it’s not available all the time, buts the nature of their little food tour – it does demonstrate they take it seriously though.

Overall for the food, was OK but not blow you away. I’d say very pricey though – which drops the ratings a notch. Drink wise, standard wine list and cocktails.

In summary – nice, not amazing, staff would have got a 5 if it wasn’t for calling me mate, you won’t be pissed off – could be fun for dinner.

We paid the bill to keep it real

Atmosphere

Food

Drink

Staff

Value

Overall

Average

PRICE: £ £ £

WEBSITE: newmoontapas.co.uk

TELEPHONE: T: 01172393858 or T: 07521 936362

Email: hello@newmoontapas.co.uk

The post What is it like to eat at New Moon Tapas in Clifton, Bristol? | National Dish Restaurant Review appeared first on National Dish.

How do you make Nigerian lamb Suya? | Rago Suya | What is the national dish of Nigeria?

Wayne @NationalDish — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 20:43:24 +0000

Nigerian lamb Suya, a seriously cool street food kebab, great served with Ghanaian Jollof cauliflower rice
Photograph: Wayne Morgan – nationaldish.co.uk © 2017

Africa is a amazing place, with food all to often hard to come by for far too many people. That said, amazing things happen when they cook. Nigerian Lamb Suya is rather unique, a West African dish that is great fun to cook and far more than just a kebab.

Paired this one up with a cauliflower Jollof rice dish from Ghana.

Rago Suya | Nigerian lamb Suya a West African street food shish kebab

This requires some grinding and marinating after which it's rather straight forward. You will need skewers, if using wood it help to soak them in water for an hour first, prevents them from burning when you cook them. I have cooked this using a griddle pan on the hob, but a BBQ would be even better.

Servings2 people

Prep Time25 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Ingredients

The marinade - KuliKuli

5tbsp roasted peanutsnot dry roasted, salted is fine
1tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp dried chilli flakes
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp smoked paprika powder
1tsp sea salt flakes
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp garlic powder

For the kebabs

2leg steaks lambcut in to large chunks
1medium white onionchopped in to large chunks, not stupid little things, go CHUNKY
1medium red onionchopped in to chunks, same size as the white onion
1large tomatochopped in to chunks, similar size to the onions
1 red pepperchopped in to chunks, you can guess what size
1bunch fresh corianderleaves roughly chopped for garnish

Instructions

Marinade

Add all the marinade ingredients to a Magimix or spice grinder and blitz until as powdery as you can without turning the peanuts in to a paste - this is called KuliKuli.
Once you're happy, remove a third and leave aside. Place the remainder into a mixing bowl along with all the lamb and make sure it gets fully coated and leave it for 30 minutes and heat up the griddle or BBQ - very hot.

Kebabs

Get the, hopefully wet, skewers and start loading them up - you want to aim for 4. I prefer to start with onion, as a stopper, then pepper and then a chunk of lamb. Continue filling the kebab, alternating between red and white onion - again, best to finish with a chunk of onion.
When done you'll have a beautifully colourful quartet of kebabs. Drizzle a little oil over them and feel free to throw a pinch of salt at them too - uhhhhhh
Griddle should be very hot by now - whip em on. Trick here is to keep them turning, about every minute or so, building up the colour.
Because kebabs won't sit particularly flat to the griddle, you can take a heavy pan and sit it on top of them - this will bring more of the kebab in to contact with the heat. Still got to keep turning them to prevent burning.
When they're done, either serve up on the skewer or remove and serve with some Jollof Rice, a handful of roughly chopped coriander leaves and then, either on the side or sprinkled over the top, the remaining KuliKuli.
Removed makes it much easier to eat though.
Thank you Nigeria

Na gode

The post How do you make Nigerian lamb Suya? | Rago Suya | What is the national dish of Nigeria? appeared first on National Dish.

Mexican Fajitas with rib-eye beef | Fajitas | What is the national dish of Mexico?

Wayne @NationalDish — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 15:32:22 +0000

Fajitas isn’t necessarily the national dish of Mexico, but if you were to ask a group of people, it’d come up for sure.

This quick, easy and flavour packed recipe uses Beef Rib-eye as the main ingredient, and for good reason.

Fajitas | Mexican Beef Ribeye Fajitas with all the treats

This version isn't gluten free or low carb, you could replace the flour tortillas here with corn tortillas, which probably makes the dish more authentic as well as gluten free. Even better, drop the tortillas altogether and use a crispy lettuce leaf, like Romaine/Cos or Little Gem. So don't email me complaining that I've tagged it as GF and Low Carb - only you can make that choice. Me? I had a moment of weakness.

CourseMain Dish
CuisineAmerican, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Servings2 people

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Ingredients

It's a Rib-eye, treat it with respect, here's what you need

For the base

1fresh red peppercut in to slices
1fresh red onionsliced - or yellow or orange - if for more people, mix it up, the more colour the better
1bunch fresh corianderfinely chop the stalks and roughly chop the leaves - keep them seperate
1clove garlicfinely chopped, keep a little pinch of this aside for the guacamole
1 fresh red chillichopped - de-seed to lower the heat, I don't bother, what's the point in that?
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp smoked paprika powder
1tsp paprika powder
1pinch cumin powder
1pinch coriander powder
1/2fresh limecut in to two quarters to serve (keep the other half aside)
1tsp sea salt flakesto taste, don't over do it

Fresh tomato salsa

2handfuls cherry tomatoeschoppped - your choice of species, baby plum are sweet
1small red onioncopped
1clove garlicfinely chopped
1pinch sea salt flakes
1tsp olive oilextra virgin
1small fresh red chillifinely chopped and de-seeded

Fresh guacamole

1large avocadogive it a gentle prod, you need a soft one
1small fresh red chillifinely chopped and de-seeded
1pinch sea salt flakes
1/2fresh limethis is the other half of the one in the base
1pinch garlicuse some of the stuff you chopped earlier

Fresh sour cream

200ml sour cream
1drizzle olive oilextra virgin
1pinch sea salt flakes

Grate some mature cheddar

200g cheddar cheesemature, and thick grated on to a serving plate

It's a wrap

4 soft flour tortillasor soft corn tortillas or romaine lettuce leaves

Instructions

Rib-eye Marinade

There are lots of little dishes in this recipe, but they are so quick and simple, you can do it whilst the main event cooks. But first, let's get the rib-eye marinating.
In a bowl, throw all the marinade ingredients. Slice the rib-eye into bite sized strips and add to the bowl.
Get your clean hands in there and coat all the meat. Set aside. You can marinate overnight in the fridge if you like, but for now, 10 to 15 minutes also works.

For the base

Place a pan on a medium high heat, add a splash of olive oil. When hot, add the onions and a pinch of salt - cook until soft. Then add the coriander stalks, chilli, garlic and peppers and cook for a couple of minutes.
Turn the heat down and add all the spices, stir and make sure everything get coated in the spice mix. Then add all the rib-eye, stir it all again. It will now stay on a low heat, slowly cooking - stir it from time to time, don't let it catch.

Tomato salsa

Whilst you have the fajita mix on the hob you do the sides. Chop the tomatoes and add to the bowl you'll serve it in along with the red onion, garlic, salt, chilli and olive oil. Give it a stir with a teaspoon - done!

Guacamole

Half the avo's and remove the stone. With a tablespoon, scoop out the avo from the skin and put into a mixing bowl (or straight on to a chopping board - the pic shows a bowl, but using a chopping board is easier).
Add the chilli and salt and mash it with a fork, if using a chopping board get a potato masher and go at it with that. Once you have a slightly chunky mixture, transfer to a serving bowl. Add a little olive oil and squeeze of fresh lime and mix it all up - done!

Sour cream

Get a serving bowl, pour in the cream. Get the olive oil (extra virgin remember) bottle, put your thumb over the top and sprinkle over the cream in lines - then from a height, sprinkle the sea salt flakes - done!

For the wraps

If using tortillas, flour or corn, follow the instructions. If using lettuce leaves, remove them, wash them and pat them dry, gently, with kitchen towel - done!

Serve it up

The main mix will now be ready, from here on in, your work is done, your guests do the rest. Not forgetting the coriander leaves and cheddar cheese, put it all within arms reach.
Build your own Fajita!
Thank you Mexico (and America actually)

Gracias (and thank you)

The post Mexican Fajitas with rib-eye beef | Fajitas | What is the national dish of Mexico? appeared first on National Dish.

Spicy Archives | National Dish

Zimbabwean and African Oxtail Stew | National Dish Recipe

Mamma P’s Jamaican Food | Fishponds Road, Bristol | Restaurant Review

PRICE: £

Website: mamma-ps.co.uk

MENUS: Order online, but not great selection for some reason – take a look here

TELEPHONE: +44 (0) 117 239 6718

Chilli White Rum Recipe | Chillies in Bacardi for Parties not just Halloween

How do you make Vietnamese Pho? | National Dish of Vietnam

Sweet and Sour Chilli Mango Chicken | National Dish Recipe from South East Asia…maybe

What is it like to eat at New Moon Tapas in Clifton, Bristol? | National Dish Restaurant Review

What’s it like to eat at New Moon Tapas, Clifton, Bristol?

We paid the bill to keep it real

Atmosphere Food Drink Staff Value Overall Average

PRICE: £ £ £

WEBSITE: newmoontapas.co.uk

TELEPHONE: T: 01172393858 or T: 07521 936362

Email: hello@newmoontapas.co.uk

How do you make Nigerian lamb Suya? | Rago Suya | What is the national dish of Nigeria?

Mexican Fajitas with rib-eye beef | Fajitas | What is the national dish of Mexico?

Atmosphere

Food

Drink

Staff

Value

Overall

Average