Today we continue to explore the flavours that Mexico brings to the global food table with smokey mince.
This mince is smokey, spiced and completely moreish. It is very simple and often I would add corn and tomato, but I wanted a really clean taste for each component to the burritos, so each mouthful had lots of separate, unique flavours that came together with each bite.
Building a Burrito with Smokey Chipotle Mince
Smokey Chipotle Mince
1kg mince is enough for at least 10 burritos
1kg lean beef mince
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 dry chipotle chillies, soaked until soft in warm water
2tbs of coriander seeds
3tbs of cumin seeds
Salt and oil
Chilli to taste
Toasting spices really helps invigorate their flavours
Soak the chillies in warm water while preparing the rest of the meat, once soft chop them finely, you can remove the seeds if you prefer. Dry fry the cumin and coriander seeds for a few minutes until fragrant, this helps release their flavour. Be careful not burn the spices, stir them frequently.
Old skool: hand-grinding
Once toasted, grind the spices to your desired coarseness, I was happy with a medium between powder and some whole seeds.
Fry the onion in a heavy pot with a little oil and a good pinch of salt until softened, then add the garlic. Once the garlic has fried for one minute, add the mince. Brown the mince with the onions for around 5 minutes.
Adding the good stuff
Once the mince is partly cooked, add 2 tablespoons of the ground spices, the chipotle chillies and hot chilli if desired. Continue cooking for around 20 minutes to get quite a dry mix with the spices well absorbed.
Serve the mince in tacos, on nachos or in yummy burritos.
theLABkitchen 
Where do you get chipotle chillies? I’m keen to make your burritoes next week?
You’re most likely to find chipotle chillies in an ethnic food shop that has mexican foods. Try googling mexican ingredients and your city name, this should help you find any stores that sell them.
If you can’t find chipotle chillies, you can make the dish without them, it just won’t have the nice smokey flavour that the chipotle chillies add.
This was soooooooooooooooo good! I made this, your guacamole, your salsa and your mixican rice for burritos tonight. I didn’t make the tortillas but might next time if I have time. All of the recipes didn’t take long to cook despite sounding like a lot to make and it was a scrumptious winter dinner! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!
To anyone not sure about the chipotle chillies – they are worth the effort to find. I didn’t like the smell of them (though my husband thought he was in heaven when he smelled their smoky aroma) but the flavour was so delicious!!!