A tex-mex favourite that can be readily adapted for the home kitchen. Make your own meal with whichever toppings strike your fancy.

Time: 3/5
A dinner that’s quick enough, but doesn’t lend itself to meal prepping

Effort: 4/5
Why are there so many fixings? .v.

Giddy up, cowboy!

Sunday nights out at Ruby Tuesday was a semi-regular fixture for my family during my primary school years. It was the main route by which I was introduced to American cuisine, and familiarised me to the palate and recipes in the multitude of Youtube videos that would form my initial education in cooking.

My mother and I would go out to the salad bar to get the free bowl of salad per table and game the limitation by building up the bowl’s sides with slices of cucumber, thereby increasing the bowl’s volume (who said math wasn’t useful?). Invariably, my father would order steak fajitas, and we’d gather around the hot plate they’re served on to marvel at it sizzling and spluttering.

They were fun to eat too, a meal you build and eat with your own two hands, something you could customise to your liking with the various toppings and side dishes. Meals often ended with the indulgent chocolate tall cake. But, as I grew up and past that stage in my life, fajitas also went back to the sidelines.

This dormant culinary memory came back to life when my SO’s super nice friend gave us four beautiful sirloin steaks. While two of them went towards a workhorse dinner of steak and potatoes, I was inspired to recreate the fajita experience to mix things up a bit. And while I don’t have a hot plate to serve the fajitas in, I figured that a cast iron skillet works just fine.

Dramatis Personae

Steaks

Our friend gave us these magnificent sirloin steaks that weighed about 125g each, or a bit more than a quarter pound. We’re small people with small appetites, so they were about the right size for a single serving.

In general, the thinner the steaks the higher the heat you need to get a good sear on the outside without over cooking the middle. My steaks were quite thin, but I have faith in my trusty cast iron skillet.

A fattier cut like ribeye would be juicier, but nothing stops you from going with a leaner but equally flavourful cut like flank steak or skirt steak like what the vaqueros of old would have used.

Fajita spice

This was a random mix of salt, black pepper, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder I threw together, which turned out surprisingly good! My problem is that I’m a chaotic and impressionist cook who never write anything down and as a result runs into replication crises repeatedly. Only time will tell if I learn my lesson one day.

Fajita vegetables

Onions and bell peppers, julienned and given a quick sizzle in the oil left behind by the steaks after a hard sear in a very hot pan. Finely diced garlic and fajita spice go in last, to avoid burning them and developing bitter and acrid flavours.

Onions and peppers never fail to amaze me with how much volume they take up after slicing and dicing. I thought three peppers and a medium sized onion was a reasonable amount for two servings, but it ended up being closer to four. Which isn’t a problem, because I have something in mind for the leftover veggies.

Tortillas

I made my own tortillas once, using an empty wine bottle to roll them out because I didn’t have a rolling pin. They were good, partly because I was so proud of the effort I put into them. But I’m time-poor enough that it’s not worth it for me, unless it was for a special occasion.

So, I got mine from the Nepali grocer where I got my lentils instead. They were extra large, which was nice because once you get rolling, you quickly realise how much real estate you need to make sure things stay wrapped up.

Sides

Pico de Gallo is probably my favourite salad. This is just diced tomatoes, shallots, cilantro and salt mixed tog with some lime juice and chilled in the fridge.

I kept my guacamole similar, just mashed avocado with some salt and lime juice, plus some more of the cilantro because I got a bunch of it and there’s no way I’m gonna use it again any time soon on my usual rotation of East Asian rice bowls.

A tub of plain yogurt stood in for sour cream – this is one of my favourite lower-calorie substitutions. Although nothing compared to the richness of mouthfeel like the fat in sour cream, yogurt is close enough in terms of the tanginess and acidity that it brings to the dish. And since steak is plenty rich on its own, it’s nice to have some acidity to freshen things up.

Would I have included cheese if I weren’t that strict with my macros, like if it was a special occasion meal? Yes, yes I would.

Oh, and a wedge of lemon or lime (or bottled lemon juice, in my case) goes a long way to brightening up the flavours just before serving!

Executive summary

1. Chop up the tomatoes, shallots and cilantro. Mix and season to taste, then refrigerate.
2. Mash avocados with salt, pepper and lime juice along with some more cilantro. Adjust seasoning and refrigerate.
3. Cut vegetables into thin strips, and measure out the spices and seasonings.
4. Put tortillas into a low oven to warm up. Preheat cast iron skillet with some oil.
5. Dry, salt and pepper the steaks. Sear very well and reserve.
6. Toss vegetables and spices in the cast iron skillet.
7. Cut rested steaks across the grain, and place atop vegetables. Serve alongside avocado, salsa and tortillas.

Play by Play

I want the salsa cold, so let’s make that first. Give everything a nice wash, then choppy choppy mix mix before going into the fridge. I used cherry tomatoes, because they’re what seems to have a more consistent and tomato-y flavour where I live.

Guacamole also needs to be chilled. Cut the avocado into half lengthwise, twist and pull open the halves, tap the seed with a knife and give it a half-turn. The seed pulls right off.

Hulk smash! Season, taste, adjust and refrigerate.

Tortillas are much nicer warm. I’m putting mine in a low oven for 10mins or so and leaving them there with the residual heat until I’m ready to eat.

Chopping the vegetables up, because there’ll be no time to do so once the steaks get going. Loving all the colours going on here!

Preheat cast iron pan with a bit of oil. Pat steaks very dry, and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Sear in a ripping hot pan – my steaks were pretty thin, and I need very high heat to get a nice sear while keeping them a nice medium.

I had two steaks going in two different pans. Let the steaks rest under a clean bowl. I’m afraid that despite my best efforts, these turned out closer to medium well (which is just the way my lady likes it, so all is well).

No time to waste! Work while the pan’s still hot – heat back down to medium, vegetables and spices in to make use of the residual heat.

Once the vegetables were done, I sliced the rested steaks into strips and laid them on top. I’m serving the whole thing in the skillet, which will keep everything nice and warm.

Pulled the guacamole and salsa out of the fridge, and the tortillas out of the oven. Dinner is served!

I’m not the best at this, but it’s always fun to eat with your hands.

Om nom nom!

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