Masterchef Favourite Pete Campbell’s Birria Roti Quesatacos

Half taco, half quesadillia, these flavour-packed roti quesatacos are real fusion food! Pete combines traditional Mexican fillings with the deliciousness – and ease – of Katoomba Food Roti Paratha to create a dish that is sure to please.

Serves: Makes 10 quesatacos

Preparation: 30 minutes

Cooking: 3 hours

Ingredients:

• 10 Katoomba Foods Roti Paratha
• ¼ cup grapeseed oil
• 1.5kg beef short rib
• 4 guajillo chilli
• 4 ancho chilli
• 2 chillies de arbol
• 2 chipotle chilli
• 8 cloves garlic
• 400g can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 large brown onion
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 1L chicken stock
• 1L water
• salt
• 500g shredded mozzarella
• Onion (to serve)
• Coriander (to serve)

Spice mix:

• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp mexican oregano
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 allspice berries
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick

Method:

1. Pat dry the beef and season really well with salt on all sides
2. Add all the spice mix ingredients to a large stainless pot and toast over medium heat until fragrant, then blitz to a fine powder in a spice grinder and set aside
3. Heat grapeseed oil in the same pot until smoking hot, add beef and sear to heavily caramelise the sides (do this in stages if needed) and set beef aside
4. Tear stems off all the dried chillies and remove seeds, add chillies to pot and reduce heat to medium
5. Dice onion, peel and crush garlic and add to the pot, stirring well to combine
6. After a minute or so, add ground spice mix and stir well to combine
7. 7. After a minute or so, add apple cider vinegar and stir well to mix and deglaze pot
8. After a minute or so, add tomatoes, stirring well to mix and deglaze pot
9. Place lid on pot and simmer for about 15 minutes over medium heat to allow flavours to mingle
10. Give the mix a good stir, then use a stick blender to blend to a smooth sauce
11. Add chicken stock, water and 1 tbsp salt and briefly blend one more time
12. Return beef to the pot, bring to a boil, then place the lid on, reduce to very low heat and simmer for 2-3 hours until meat is falling of the bone (throughout the cooking, skim red fat from the surface and reserve)
13. Remove meat and shred completely, adding salt to tase and a little broth to keep it juicy
14. Prepare rotis as instructed on the packet, but add ½ tbsp of the reserved Birria fat to the pan and baste rotis
15. Add cheese, meat, finely chopped onion and some fresh coriander on top of the roti, fold and press down
16. Flip and continue frying until cheese is melted and roti is crispy, adding more fat if needed
17. Serve quesatacos with a small bowl of Birria broth and dip before every delicious bite