• 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 - stir in the cocoa powder. 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

  ¼ 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.
  18 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