Chimichanga

Ingredients

• taco-meat
• 1 Onion
• Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Bell Pepper
• Burrito sized tortilla
• Plain Greek Yoghurt or Sour Cream
• Vegetables of choice
• Shredded cheese of choice

Method

Heat your oven or air fryer to 200°C now. A chimichanga is essentially a burrito that's been sealed through frying, so the filling must be compact enough that it won't split or leak when it hits hot oil or air. Loose, wet fillings will burst the tortilla and make the interior soggy.

Dice the onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes into roughly 5mm pieces — smaller than you'd use for a fresh salsa, because they need to cook down and bind with the meat. Sauté the onion first in a wide pan over medium-high heat until it's translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the pepper and tomato, then cook for another 5 minutes until the tomato releases its juice and the mixture becomes dense rather than watery. The vegetables should look almost jam-like. Add your taco meat (seasoned and browned separately if using raw mince, or warmed if using pre-cooked) and stir through. Let this filling cool slightly — it shouldn't steam when you wrap it, or the tortilla will become damp and weak.

Warm the burrito-sized tortilla over an open flame or in a dry pan for 30 seconds each side until it's pliable but not crisp. Lay it flat, then spread a thin layer of Greek yoghurt or sour cream over the bottom third. Top with cheese, then the filling, leaving a 3cm border on all sides. Fold the bottom edge up and over the filling, then fold in both side edges firmly — this creates a seal. Roll toward the top edge tightly, pulling as you go so the tortilla stays taut. The seam should be underneath when you place it on your work surface.

For air-frying, place seam-side down in the basket without crowding and cook at 200°C for 10 minutes. The exterior should be deep golden and crisp, with a slight give when you press it. For pan-frying, heat a film of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and cook seam-side down for 3 minutes until golden, then flip and cook the other three sides for 90 seconds each, rotating onto each edge. The oil-frying method gives better crust colour but uses more fat.

Serve immediately with extra sour cream, salsa, and shredded lettuce on the side.