Steak Fajita Bowl with Guacamole

Ingredients

• 600g sirloin or rump steaks, at room temperature
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp chipotle paste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 mixed peppers (red and yellow), deseeded and thickly sliced
• 2 red onions, peeled and cut into thin wedges
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 300g long-grain white rice
• 1 lime, zested
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 15g fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 150g sour cream, to serve
• 3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped, to serve
• pickled jalapeños, to taste, to serve
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
• fresh coriander, leaves picked, to serve

Method

1. Get the rice on first. Bring a pan of well-salted water to the boil, add the rice, and cook to packet instructions — around 10–12 minutes. Drain, stir through the lime zest with a good pinch of salt, cover and keep warm.
2. While the rice cooks, combine the smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, chipotle paste and olive oil in a small bowl to a loose paste. Bloomed spices taste of themselves; raw ones taste dusty — that 30 seconds in hot oil on the steak is what wakes them up. Rub the paste all over the steaks and season generously with salt and pepper. Leave to sit while you crack on.
3. Make the guacamole. Halve and stone the avocados, scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash roughly with a fork — keep some texture, you want bite, not baby food. Stir through the lime juice, grated garlic, chopped coriander and red chilli. The raw garlic mellows fast in the lime juice, so don't overdo it. Taste, season with salt, taste again.
4. Place a large stainless or cast-iron frying pan over a high heat until properly smoking — you should see a wisp of smoke off the dry pan. Add the olive oil, then the peppers and onions in a single layer. Don't crowd them; if your pan is smaller, do it in two batches. Cook for 10–12 minutes, tossing only occasionally so the edges blacken and char rather than steam. Season well and tip onto a plate.
5. Return the pan to a high heat and let it get smoking again. Lay the steaks in away from you — they should hiss hard on contact. Sear for 2–3 minutes each side until deeply browned with a proper crust and still pink in the centre, or 50°C internal for medium-rare (the temperature carries up to 55°C off the heat). Lift onto a board to rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain — pour the resting juices back over.
6. Taste, season, taste again — check the rice, check the peppers, check the guacamole. Adjust now, not at the table. A final squeeze of lime over the steak slices ties the whole thing together.
7. Divide the lime-zested rice between four bowls. Pile the charred peppers and onions alongside, then fan the steak strips over the top, juices and all.
8. Spoon the smashed guacamole into each bowl with a generous dollop of soured cream. Scatter over the chopped tomatoes, tuck in the pickled jalapeños, finish with picked coriander leaves and slot a lime wedge into each bowl for squeezing at the table.