• Preheat Oven - use temperature suggested on the taco box.
• Brown Mince - preheat pan over high heat. Add the oil. Add the mince and flatten it out with a fork to distribute a thin layer over the base of the pan. Leave over high heat (without stirring) until browned and crispy (4-5 minutes). Lift a section and take a peek underneath if you want to check how browned it is. Then flip as best as you can (it will break up) and brown the other side (another 2-3 minutes).
  Tablespoon olive oil

  500 g beef mince/ground beef
• Add spices – sprinkle cumin, coriander and chilli powders over the mince and stir through until fragrant. Break up large chunks of beef as you go (a flat-ended wooden spatula is good for this).
  ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  ½ teaspoon ground coriander

  ⅛ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• Tomato Paste - stir through and cook through for about a minute, stirring often.
  2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• Add Liquid – stir the tomato sauce and salt through the water. Pour this over the mince and stir though. Deglaze the pan, scraping any cooked-on mince from the bottom.
  2 Tablespoons tomato sauce

  ½ teaspoon salt

  400 ml/g water
• Cocoa Powder - sift over. Simmer gently (uncovered) for around 20 minutes, until the mixture reduces slightly. We want the meat mix to be tender and juicy, but not too wet to fill a taco shell with. You can get your accompaniments ready while this is simmering.
  2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
• Capsicum/Pepper – deseed and cut into small dice. Stir through the mince and pop the lid on the pan. Cook for a further 10 minutes over low heat until softened. Crank up the heat if the mixture looks a bit sloppy or add a touch more water if getting too dry.
  medium green capsicum/pepper

Guacamole

• Make Guacamole – cut the avo in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the fleshy halves and remove the stone. Place the halves cut side down on a chopping board. Use a fork to roughly mash. Roughly chop the coriander. Combine the avo and coriander in a bowl with the lime juice and salt.
  1-2 avocados

  big handful coriander leaves

  1 lime

  ½ teaspoon salt
• Lettuce & Tomatoes – slice the tomatoes and cut into small cubes. Transfer to a bowl. Shred the lettuce and place in a separate bowl.
  approx. ¼ of a whole iceberg lettuce

  2 medium tomatoes
• Refried Beans – simply microwave briefly until hot. Make sure you cover the bowl – they tend to pop and splutter!
  425g can refried beans
• Taco Shells – cook as per the instructions in the packet, usually around 5 minutes.
  20 taco shells
• Sour Cream - put in a small bowl.
  200 g sour cream
• Optional - shake over Tabasco sauce or sprinkle over jalapenos for more heat.
  Tabasco sauce

  jalapenos