Beef Tacos

Ingredients

• Tortillas · corn or flour, small8
• Ground beef400 g
• Onion · chopped0.5
• Minced garlic2 cloves
• Cooking oil1 tbsp
• Water0.5 cup
• Taco seasoning
• Chili powder1 tbsp
• Cumin1 tsp
• Paprika1 tsp
• Garlic powder0.5 tsp
• Oregano0.5 tsp
• Salt1 tsp
• Black pepper · a pinch
• Toppings
• Lettuce · shredded
• Tomato · diced
• Shredded cheese · cheddar, etc.
• Sour cream · optional
• Salsa / hot sauce · optional
• Lime & cilantro · optional

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion and garlic until translucent.

   ⏲ 2 min

2. Add the ground beef, breaking up the clumps, and brown it over high heat.

   ⏲ 5 min

3. Stir in the taco seasoning and water, then simmer until the liquid cooks down and coats the meat.

   ⏲ 5 min

4. Warm the tortillas in a dry pan or over a flame until soft.

   ⏲ 1 min 30 sec

5. Set out each topping in its own bowl.

   ⏲ 3 min

6. Fill the tortillas with beef and add lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

   ⏲ 1 min

7. Squeeze over lime, scatter cilantro, fold in half, and eat.

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
• Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
• Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.