Beef tacos with slaw and guacamole

A soft fresh corn tortilla is just as important as the fillings. Slow-cooked spiced beef is paired with classic sides: guacamole, roasted salsa and slaw.

Beef tacos with slaw and guacamole Credit: The Chefs' Line

• serves

  8

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  1:15 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Shredded beef

• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp salt
• ½ tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 kg beef topside, cut into 7-8 cm cubes
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 40 ml tequila
• 400 g tinned crushed tomatoes
• lime juice, to taste

Spice mixture

• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dried garlic granules
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp dried onion flakes
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1½ tbsp dried oregano

Tortillas

• 2 cups masa flour (see Notes)
• 330 ml (1⅕ cups) warm water
• ¼ tsp table salt
• ½ lime, squeezed

Guacamole

• 2 large ripe avocados
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried garlic granules
• ½ lime, juiced

Roasted salsa

• 5 large tomatoes
• 2 red onions
• 3 jalapeños
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup chopped coriander  

Slaw

• 1 red cabbage
• ½ cup chopped coriander
• 300 g sour cream
• ½ lime, zested and juiced

To serve

• lime wedges
• coriander sprigs
• 2 cups shredded Manchego cheese 

Equipment: tortilla press (see Note)

Instructions

For the shredded beef, combine all of the spices in a large bowl, add the topside and toss to coat well.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat and brown on all over. Transfer the beef to a pressure cooker.

Return the pan to medium heat and use deglaze with the tequila, scraping up the caramelised bits on the pan.

Add the tomatoes and the all of the spices in listed under spice mixture, stirring to combine. Pour into the pressure cooker.

Seal the pressure cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and cook on high for 75 minutes.

When ready, unseal the pressure cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Remove the beef and when cool enough, shred. Pour some of the liquid from the pressure cooker over the shredded beef to moisten and squeeze over the lime. Serve hot.

For the tortillas, mix the masa, water, salt and lime juice in a large bowl to form a soft dough. If dry, add additional water 1 tsp at a time. Divide the dough into 16 balls, cover with a clean damp cloth to stop the dough from drying out.

Line a tortilla press with thick plastic wrap. Press each dough ball, one at a time, in the press to about 15 cm in diameter.

Heat a dry non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook for 60 seconds each side. Cover cooked tortillas with a clean damp cloth or place in a tortilla warmer to keep them soft and warm until ready to serve.

For the guacamole, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork to your desired texture.

For the roasted salsa, place 4 halved tomatoes, 1 halved red onion and 2 whole jalapeños onto a baking tray, place under a hot grill and grill till the skins begin to blacken and bubble. Remove and when cool enough to handle, remove the seeds and charred skin from the jalapeños and tomatoes. Roughly dice the charred vegetables and place in a large bowl.

Roughly dice the remaining fresh tomato, onion and jalapeno (seeds removed) and add to charred vegetables.

Add the lime zest and squeeze over the lime. Add the salt and coriander and stir together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the slaw, thinly slice or shave the cabbage and place in a large bowl.

Finely chop the coriander and combine in a small bowl with the sour cream, lime juice and zest. Stir until completely combined.

Pour over the cabbage and toss until completely covered. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, place all the fillings, garnishes and tortillas in the centre of the table and let everyone build their own tortillas.

Cook's notes

• Masa flour is specialty maize flour, available from Latin grocers, health food stores and select greengrocers.

• Tortilla presses are available from Latin grocers. If you don't have one, you can use a rolling pin to roll the tortillas.

This recipe is from The Chefs' Line - a brand new series airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS. Can the passion of a home cook beat the skills of a professional chef? Missed all the action? Catch-up online and get all the recipes #TheChefsLine.

This recipe has been edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the series.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.