Makes 8

Ingredients

• 500g (1lb 2oz) firm tofu, sliced into 8 even pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Gochujang sauce: 

• 60g (¼ cup) gochujang paste
• 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• ½ teaspoon chilli flakes

To serve:

• 2 handfuls of finely shredded purple cabbage
• 8 warm small flour tortillas (see below)
• kimchi
• 1 large avocado, sliced
• Spicy lime crema (see below)
• coriander (cilantro) leaves
• black sesame seeds
• lime wedges

Method

Pat the tofu dry with paper towel, pressing out the excess moisture.

Place a large cast-iron frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the olive and sesame oils.

Working in batches, fry the tofu for about 1½ minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside, keeping the pan handy.

In a bowl, mix together the gochujang sauce ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water, then pour into the same pan you fried the tofu in. Gently warm the sauce over medium–low heat.

Gently toss the fried tofu slices through the sauce, drenching them with sauce.

To serve, place some shredded cabbage on a warm tortilla, then top with a tofu slice, some kimchi and avocado. Drizzle with a little lime crema. Scatter over coriander leaves and black sesame seeds. Serve immediately, with lime wedges.

Spicy lime crema

• 160g Mexican crema or sour cream
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon sriracha chilli sauce
• ¾ teaspoon chilli powder
• pinch of sea salt

Place the spicy lime crema ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use; the crema will keep in a sealed glass container in the fridge for about 4 days.

Flour tortillas

Makes 18 × 18 cm (7 inch) tortillas

• 600g (4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
• 125g (4½ oz) lard or butter, finely diced
• 330ml (11 fl oz) warm water

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together into a large bowl.

Add the diced lard or butter and crumble it through the flour until the mixture becomes sand like. Slowly add the water, little by little, while kneading the mixture together until it forms an elastic dough.

Divide the dough into 18 equal portions, roll into balls, then cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 30–40 minutes.

Place a ball of dough between two pieces of waxed baking paper and use a rolling pin to roll it out into an 18 cm (7 inch) round tortilla. Continue rolling out all of the tortillas, then cover with the tea towel until ready to cook.

Heat a large flat cast-iron frying pan or comal over medium–high heat. Add a tortilla and cook for 1–1½ minutes on each side, until the tortilla is slightly dry to the touch, with lightly browned bubbles on the surface; it should feel dry, but still be soft and pliable.

While cooking the remaining tortillas, keep the cooked tortillas warm by stacking them on top of each other and covering them with the tea towel. Serve immediately.

Note

For a fresh twist, try making chilli flake or marigold petal tortillas. While rolling out the tortillas, sprinkle the top of the dough with a pinch of chilli flakes, or edible marigold petals.

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 2 × 565g (1lb 4oz) tins jackfruit in brine, drained and rinsed (see note)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, smoked paprika, ancho chilli powder and sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, plus 3 tablespoons of the sauce
• 400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
• 250ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
• 60ml (¼ cup) white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Vegan crema: 

• 300g (10½oz) silken tofu, drained
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon each chilli powder,
• garlic powder and onion powder
• ⅓ cup chopped coriander (cilantro)

To serve:

• ¼ white cabbage, shredded
• 12 warm corn tortillas (see below)
• 1 avocado, diced
• coriander (cilantro) leaves
• 12 lime wedges
• Mexican red rice (see below)
• Beans in the pot (see below)

Method

To make the crema, place all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, adding more lime juice or chilli powder as desired. Refrigerate until required; the crema will keep in a clean airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days, and makes about 375 g (1½ cups).

Place the drained jackfruit in a large bowl. Use your fingers to shred the fruit into strands, then set aside.

Warm the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute the onion for 4–5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and ground spices and saute for a further 1–1½ minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients, along with the shredded jackfruit, stirring to combine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly for 25–30 minutes, until the flavours are well combined and the sauce has thickened and reduced.

To serve, place some shredded cabbage on a warm tortilla, then top with some jackfruit mixture and avocado. Drizzle with some of the crema and garnish with coriander. Finish with a squeeze of lime and serve immediately, with rice and beans on the side.

Note

You’ll need about 550g (1lb 3oz) drained jackfruit.

Mexican red rice 

Serves 6

• 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
• 400g (2 cups) long-grain white rice
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 125g (½ cup) tomato passata (pureed tomatoes)
• 750ml (3 cups) chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 80g (½ cup) peas (blanched if fresh, thawed if frozen)

Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with the oil. Cook, stirring, for 5–6 minutes.

Add the onion and carrot and cook for a further 5–6 minutes, then add the garlic and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes, until the onion is translucent and soft.

Add the passata, stock and salt, stirring to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Stir in the peas to warm through before serving.

Beans in the pot

• 250g (9oz) dried pinto or black beans, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2–3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1½ teaspoons dried epazote (see note)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

Drain the soaked beans and place in a large saucepan with the onion, bay leaf and garlic cloves. Cover with 7.5–10 cm (3–4 inches) of water and bring to the boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beans are tender.

Stir in the epazote and salt and cook for a further 10–15 minutes, until the beans are completely cooked through. Serve immediately.

Note

Epazote is a herb used in Mexican cuisine. It can be purchased from speciality grocery stores and online.

Corn tortillas

• Makes 16 × 15 cm (6 inch) tortillas
• 220g (2 cups) masa harina
• 375ml (1½ cups) warm water
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Place the ingredients in a large bowl and, using your hands, mix together until a dough forms. It should be pliable, almost like a play dough; add a little more water if it’s a bit dry.

Knead the dough for 1–2 minutes, then divide into 16 equal portions. Roll into balls, then cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 20–30 minutes.

Place a ball of dough between two pieces of waxed baking paper and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 15 cm (6 inch) round tortilla. (If you have a tortilla press, place a piece of waxed baking paper on the base plate, then place the dough ball in the centre and add another piece of waxed baking paper on top. Close the tortilla press and press the handle down to sandwich and flatten the dough into a tortilla.)

Continue rolling or pressing until all the balls have been flattened to size. Cover with the tea towel until ready to cook.

Heat a large flat cast-iron frying pan or comal over medium–high heat. Add a tortilla and flip after 10 seconds, then cook for 45–60 seconds. Flip again and cook for a further 35–50 seconds. The tortilla should feel dry, but not stiff or crumbly, and should be just lightly changed in colour. While cooking the remaining tortillas, keep the cooked tortillas warm by stacking them on top of each other and covering them with the tea towel. Serve immediately.

Note

To make beetroot or spinach corn tortillas, replace 60 ml (¼ cup) of the water with fresh beetroot (beet) juice or spinach juice for a colourful twist.

Makes 8

Ingredients

• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
• 240g (8 ½ oz) halloumi, sliced into 16 even pieces
• ½ lemon, plus lemon wedges to serve
• 16 warm small blue corn tortillas
• handful of rocket (arugula) leaves
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced

Chilli dukkah: 

• 50g (⅓ cup) raw whole almonds
• 50g (⅓ cup) raw shelled pistachios
• 2–3 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons Aleppo chilli flakes
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt flakes
• 1 teaspoon urfa biber chilli flakes
• ⅛–¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Tahini yoghurt:

• 125g (½ cup) Greek-style yoghurt
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• small handful of chopped mint leaves

Pomegranate salsa: 

• seeds from ½ large pomegranate
• ½ red onion, diced
• ¼ fresh green jalapeno chilli, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).

To make the chilli dukkah, spread the almonds and pistachios on a baking tray and roast for about 7 minutes, taking care they don’t burn. Tip into a bowl and set aside to cool completely.

Add the sesame, cumin and coriander seeds to a cast-iron frying pan and place over medium heat. Toast the seeds for about 3 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from the heat and cool completely.

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the toasted nuts and seeds with the remaining dukkah ingredients until broken down into small pebbles. The dukkah will keep in a sealed glass container in the pantry for 3–4 weeks.

To make the tahini yoghurt, combine the yoghurt, tahini and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Taste and add a little more lemon juice or water to thin the sauce if desired. Stir through the mint, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use; it will keep for 4–5 days.

Combine the pomegranate salsa ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (the salsa is best consumed on the day it is made).

Place a large cast-iron frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Pat the halloumi pieces dry with paper towel. Fry the haloumi, in batches if needed, for 1–1½ minutes on each side, until the cheese is soft and golden brown. Remove from the heat and squeeze the lemon juice over.

To serve, spoon a little tahini yoghurt onto a warm double-stacked tortilla. Top with rocket, two halloumi pieces, then some pomegranate salsa and radish slices. Sprinkle with dukkah and serve immediately, with lemon wedges.