Cheesy Beef Taco Rice

Ingredients

• 500 g beef mince
• 500 ml hot beef stock
• 300 g long-grain rice, rinsed
• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder (optional; skip for younger kids)
• 160 g sweetcorn, drained
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 150 g mature Cheddar, grated
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 15 g coriander leaves
• 150 g guacamole
• 250 g shredded iceberg lettuce
• 50 g pickled jalapeños

Method

1. Heat a large, deep frying pan with a lid over medium-high heat and add a slick of oil. Season the beef mince generously with salt and pepper before it hits the pan.
2. Brown the mince in two batches, 4–5 minutes each, breaking it up into crisp little bits. Do not heap all the meat into the pan. Space is what turns its surface brown rather than grey.
3. Return all the mince to the pan, stir in the onion and red pepper with a pinch of salt and cook for 6 minutes until softened and glossy at the edges. Let the garlic sizzle briefly, then move on as soon as its raw smell fades.
4. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, chilli powder and tomato puree and toast in the oil for 60 seconds until fragrant and the puree darkens a shade.
5. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and hot beef stock. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the rinsed rice and sweetcorn.
6. Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 18 minutes without lifting the lid. Steam is doing the work; every peek costs you 2 minutes.
7. Check the rice is tender and most of the liquid is gone. If it's still firm, splash in a little hot water, cover and give it 3 minutes more.
8. Scatter the grated Cheddar over the top in a thick, even blanket. Cover again and leave off the heat for 3 minutes until the cheese melts into a golden lid.
9. Fluff the edges lightly with a fork and scatter the spring onions across the top. Bring the pan straight to the table and top each bowl with a spoon of guacamole, a handful of shredded iceberg, a few pickled jalapeños, a scatter of coriander and a squeeze of lime over the lot.