Recipe for "bistec a la Mexicana," a Mexican beef dish prepared with a spicy tomato and chile sauce. Variations of this dish are served throughout Mexico.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Beef
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: beef, bistec, guisado, spicy
Servings: 4servings
Calories: 557kcal
Author: Douglas Cullen
Ingredients
1lb.thinly sliced beefbistec
1lb.Roma tomatoesplum tomatoes
1medium white onion
2serrano chiles
1cloveof garlic
1tsp.salt
1cupof water
1oz.of "queso fresco" a crumbly white cheese for sprinkling on the beans
12tortilla chips to garnish the beans
12corn tortillas
Instructions
Rinse all of the ingredients except the beef in water
THE SAUCE
Remove the seeds from the serrano chiles
Peel the garlic clove
Place a large pot of water to boil
While the water is coming to a boil, score the tomatoes
When the water has boiled add all of the tomatoes
Cook the tomatoes until the skins start to separate, about 1 minute
Plunge the tomatoes into ice-cold water. This helps the skins peel away and stops the tomatoes from cooking more
Peel the tomatoes when they are cool to the touch
Slice the tomatoes in half
Remove the seeds from the tomatoes
Add the tomatoes, serrano chiles, garlic clove and water to your blender jar
Blend until smooth, about 1 minute
COOKING THE DISH
Slice the beef into ½" by 2" strips
Slice the onions into ½" by 2" strips
Preheat a large frying pan to medium-hot
Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan
Add the onions to the pan
Cook the onions until they are just starting to brown, about 6 to 7 minutes
Remove the onions from the pan
Add 1 more tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan
Add the beef
Cook the beef, until it has released its juice and most of the juice has evaporated, about 6 to 7 minutes
Return the onions to the pan and stir to incorporate with the beef
Pour the blended sauce into the pan
Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has reduced and little liquid is left, about 15 minutes
Notes
Substitutions
You can substitute jalapeño chiles for the serrano chiles. Jalapeños are milder.
You can also omit 1 of the serrano chiles if you prefer a less spicy dish.
The recipe calls for corn tortillas but you can serve it with flour tortillas too.
Storage
It will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator. This dish freezes well.
Make a double batch and freeze half so that you can enjoy it at a later date with no extra prep time.