Carne asada is a staple dish in Mexican cuisine. Found throughout northern Mexico and the American Southwest, I was eating this stuff from the moment my first set of teeth emerged in my wee mouth. Carne asada is a roasted beef dish, in which pieces of beef are either marinated (for extra tenderness and juiciness), or just seasoned with peppers, spices and salt, and tossed onto a hot grill pan.

They can be eaten any way that suits your fancy. On this occasion, I decided to make carne asada tacos to demonstrate to a friend what real Mexican food was; none of the bland imitations of Chiquito, Bibi’s, Pancho Villas or Taco Mazama business… This is real authentic lip-smacking Mexican nosh.

Random food fact: cilantro is a herb widely used in Mexican cuisine, and upon moving to the UK, I couldn’t find it anywhere… until I realized cilantro is coriander here.

Serves 4
Active prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• Sunflower oil (to lightly coat the grill pan)
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, deseeded, and sliced into strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, deseeded, and sliced into strips
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, deseeded, and sliced into strips
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 400g beef, diced or thinly sliced
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp white pepper
• 1 ½ tbsp ground flake sea salt
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp (Mexican) oregano (I brought mine from the US, but you can substitute with local oregano)
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ cup Patrón tequila (optional)
• Fresh coriander, chopped

Approach

1. Place grill pan on the hob at medium heat (our kitchen is stock full of Le Creuset cookware, so high heat is unnecessary to use the cookware effectively)
2. Dab sunflower oil on a piece of kitchen roll, and lightly coat the cooking surface of the grill pan
3. Toss the sliced peppers and onions on the grill pan, and cook until the onion becomes translucent
4. In a large bowl, combine the spices and the beef until evenly coated
5. Cook the seasoned beef in the grill pan for a few minutes until medium (I like mine medium rare, but it’s up to you how you want to eat it)
6. Drizzle the tequila over the beef, peppers and onions
7. Garnish with chopped coriander
8. Take off heat, and serve on the grill pan (make sure you place cork, wood, or towels underneath to protect your table’s surface)
9. Enjoy as is, with rice and beans, or serve them up taco style!