4 hours Ago By Katherine McPhillips
Tacos are a midweek staple in most households to break up regular dinners with something spicy yet delicious, but there is a simple way to make this recipe even more flavourful. Jenn Fujikawa, a cook and founder of Just Jenn Recipes has shared that adding a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to your beef helps boost it to make tacos even tastier. She said: “Chocolate is often used in Mexican mole, so I thought adding a bit to my regular spices would add a deep, rich flavour – it did and was perfectly savoury! And I loved telling the kids they were going to have chocolate for dinner, the look of confusion was priceless.
” Mole, meaning sauce in Spanish, is a traditional marinade in Mexican cuisine, known for blending savoury and sweet ingredients to give dishes a more layered taste. While the ingredients in Mexican mole can vary depending on the region, one common addition is cocoa powder, which can bring out the natural flavours in the meat to make it sweeter and earthier. Coca powder acts as a umami enhancer and complements other commonly used spices like chilli powder or cumin to balance out the overall seasoning.
It may seem unusual at first, but adding a little cocoa powder to tacos will give them a deeper and smokier flavour to improve this weekday dinner. Ingredients For the tacos: 900g of mined beef 400ml of beef stock Two tablespoons of cocoa powder One tablespoon of brown sugar One tablespoon of chilli powder One teaspoon of garlic granules One teaspoon of onion granules Half a teaspoon of paprika Half a teaspoon of cumin Salt and pepper You will also need tortillas, cheese, lettuce and other toppings of your choice. Method: To begin, add all the seasonings ( garlic granules, onion granules, chilli powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper) to a mixing bowl.
Then, add the cocoa powder and brown sugar and mix everything together. Jenn said: “It sounds like a lot, but trust me, I’ve altered this a few times and with this combo the flavours stand on their own yet come together perfectly.” Add the mince to a slow cooker, sprinkle the mixed seasonings on top and then pour the beef stock in.
Let the slowly cook for six to eight hours until the meat pulls apart easily. Alternatively, place the minced beef in a large frying pan. Let the mince cook for eight to 10 minutes, and break up the meat up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
Once the beef has browned, add the seasoning, mix until the meat is evenly coated and pour in the beef stock. Let it shimmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the stock has thickened into a sauce. When the beef is ready, warm your tortillas.
Place them in a dry frying pan for 20 seconds on each side, then wrap them in tin foil to keep them warm. Then all you have to do is assemble your tacos. Spoon the beef mixture into each tortilla, top with shredded cheese, add lettuce or any other topping you like, such as sour cream, salsa or guacamole.
Your tastier and even more flavourful tacos will then be ready to serve..
