Pictorial: Fajitas De Pollo!

Fajitas De Pollo (homemade corn tortillas with chicken and roasted veggies)
Arroz A La Mexicana (traditional Mexican red rice)
Frijoles Negros (black beans in their broth with epazote)

ingredients #1 (chicken and roasted veggies)

5 X chicken breast (sliced into strips)
1 X zucchini (sliced into strips)
1 X red bell pepper (sliced into strips)
1 X yellow bell pepper (sliced into strips)
1 X garlic bulb (beheaded)
2 X red onion (halved)
2 X red chile (sliced)
1 CUP sour cream
1/2 CUP cilantro
1 TBSP salt and pepper (to taste)

ingredients #2 (chicken marinade)

4 TBSP tequila
2 TBSP line juice
1 TBSP peanut oil
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP chili flakes
1 TBSP celery seed powder
2-4 TBSP salt & pepper (to taste)

ingredients #3 (homemade corn tortillas, skip if store-bought)

200 G masa harina (7 oz, corn flour prep'd with lime calcium oxide)
1-2 CUP water (warm)

ingredients #4 (traditional Mexican red rice)

1 X red chile (sliced)
1 X white onion (quartered)
1 X garlic clove
1 CUP uncooked long grain rice
2 CUP tomato puree or whole with juice
1 CUP carrot (diced)
1 CUP frozen or fresh peas
1 CUP chicken broth (any stock/broth will do or just plain water)
4-6 TBSP veg or olive oil
1 TSP salt and pepper (to taste)

ingredients #5 (black beans in their broth with epazote)

500 G black beans (~1 lbs)
2 X white onion (minced)
2 X garlic clove (mashed
4-8 CUP water (warm)
4-8 CUP water (boiling)
1 CUP cheese (something mild and firm, ground)
2 TBSP lard
2 TBSP dried epazote (ground)
2-4 TBSP tomato extract
1-4 TSP salt (to taste)

ingredients #6 (guacamole)

3 X avocado (cored, fork mashed)
2-3 TBSP garlic powder (to taste)
2-3 TBSP onion powder (to taste)
4-6 TBSP line juice (to taste)
2-3 TSP salt and pepper (to taste)

wash the black beans, then blanch them with boiling water and let them soak for an hour



drain the soaking water, get a pot or slow cooker ready



add beans to cooking vessel, cover generously with water, then add lard and onions



cook for 8 hours (low) or 4 hours (high) in case of a slow cooker,
otherwise they should be done by 90 min on a stove (medium heat, simmering),
add epazote and garlic when the beans are almost done, keep cooking until right



remove some bean broth so that they are just covered, add a cup of beans and tomato extract to a blender



blend until completely smooth, return bean puree to the cooking vessel



season with salt and pepper, stir well then set aside for later



time to prep the rice, add all ingredients #4 to a blender (except broth, carrots, peas and oil)



blend until smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper



heat a pan or pot with lots of surface, heat oil, sir-fry the rice until lightly browned



then add the diced carrots and saute for a moment



add seasoned tomato puree and stir-fry until it's almost dry



add chicken stock, stir well, lower heat, then cover the pan, the rice should be done in around 15-20 min



keep an eye on the bottom of the pan, the rice/sauce mix shouldn't be sticking nor burning



add 2/3 of the peas when the rice is done, stop the burner and cover for another 5 min
(the remaining heat will steam the peas to perfection)



transfer the finished rice to a serving bowl and add the remaining peas



prep the chicken marinade and slice the chicken



marinade the chicken at room temperature (30 min is plenty) or refrigerated for up to 24h



prep the guacamole in the meantime, core avocados, spoon out the flesh, mix, mash and
season with the remaining guacamole ingredients, set aside with cores in it



the homemade corn tortillas are next, first place the masa harina in a bowl



add little by little some of the warm water and mix well, don't get the dough too sticky



knead the dough with your hands when the masa absorbed enough water, form a ball



cover the bowl with some wet paper or kitchen towel, let it rest for 30 min



cut a plastic bag into one long broadband foil (hehe) and cover the tortilla press with it,
take some dough and form a small ball and pet onto the middle of the foiled press



close the press and the raw tortilla is ready for pan frying

(it takes some practice to find out how much dough will get the best results,
too little dough and the tortilla will get too small and thin, I ended up using
scale and 70 grams (2.4 oz) were the sweet spot for my 20 cm (~8") press)



heat a non-sticking pan, detach the tortilla from the foil onto your fingers, then slide it into the hot pan



wait for it to puff up and turn until done, they should be lightly browned but also still flexible



wrap the finished tortillas into a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm



repeat until all the dough is gone, then wash and ready the veggies from ingredients #1



prep the veggies, spread them out on a roasting rack, drizzle some veg oil on top and season with s&p



roast the veggies at medium to high heat



broil/grill the chicken in the meantime (BBQ pan in this case)



only one flip since the strips are thin, wait for pinkness to disappear



flip and let cook through, let the meat rest in a covered serving bowl when done



remove the roasted veggies from the oven, slice the red onions and transfer everything to a serving bowl



mash the roasted garlic and mix it with half a cup of sour cream, season with salt/pepper,
mix the second half of the sour cream with chopped cilantro and also season with s&p



reheat the rice and beans and it's time to eat:

pick a tortilla, fill it as you like with veggies, chicken, guacamole and/or sour cream,
wrap it up, enjoy with rice and some black beans topped with cheese on the side






¡Buen apetito!