Hilachas

Ingredients

Beef

• 1 kgflank or skirt steak
• 1onion
• 2 clovesgarlic
• 2bay leaves
• salt
• water to cover

Sauce

• 6tomatoes
• 2tomatillos, miltomate
• 3dried guaque chillies
• 2dried pasa chillies
• 1onion
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 2 tbspoil

Thickener

• 1corn tortilla, toasted
• or 1 slice dry bread

Vegetables

• 3potatoes, in chunks
• 2carrots, sliced
• 1chayote or güisquil, in chunks

To serve

• white rice
• warm corn tortillas
• sliced avocado

Directions

1. Use flank or skirt, which have long parallel muscle fibres that separate into strands when pulled. Simmer the beef with onion, garlic, bay and salt for an hour and a half to two hours. Simmer it gently rather than boiling it, since hard boiling tightens the fibres and makes shredding much harder. It is ready when a fork pushed into it twists apart without resistance.
2. Pull it into long fine threads rather than chopping it, which is the point of the dish. Keep the broth, which is the liquid for the sauce and carries most of the flavour. Strain it and skim off the fat.
3. Remove the stems and shake out most of the seeds, since the seeds carry the bitterness more than the heat. Now toast them briefly in a dry pan. Press them flat against the hot pan for ten or fifteen seconds a side, until they smell fragrant and change colour slightly.
4. Toast them briefly and watch them constantly, since a chilli that scorches turns acrid and will make the entire sauce bitter. Now soak them in hot water for twenty minutes until soft and pliable. Blend the roasted vegetables, drained chillies, cumin, oregano and a little broth into a smooth sauce. Blend it thoroughly and then pass it through a sieve if you want it properly smooth.
5. Toast a corn tortilla until dry and dark, then blend it into the sauce. Heat oil in the pot until hot, then pour the blended sauce in all at once. Fry it for eight to ten minutes, stirring, until it darkens and thickens.
6. Add the potatoes, carrots and chayote and simmer for twenty minutes until tender. Now return the shredded beef and simmer for a further fifteen minutes. Add the beef toward the end rather than early, since it is already cooked and long simmering makes the threads fall apart.
7. Taste and season, and adjust with a little more broth if it has gone too thick. It should be a loose sauce coating the meat and vegetables rather than a thick paste. Serve it with white rice, warm corn tortillas and sliced avocado.

Technique

• The name means rags, describing the shredded beef.
• Flank or skirt shred into threads where other cuts fall into chunks.
• The blended sauce is fried in hot oil before liquid is added.

Substitutions

• Guajillo and ancho in place of guaque and pasa.
• Any long-fibred cut such as brisket, though flank is better.

Variations

• Made with more chilli, for a hotter version.
• With green beans and peas added.
• Served as a filling for tacos or tostadas.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hilachas?

Hilachas is a main from Guatemala: shredded beef in tomato-chile sauce with potatoes.

How long does Hilachas take to make?

Hilachas takes 30 min of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Hilachas?

Yes, within limits. Guajillo and ancho in place of guaque and pasa. Any long-fibred cut such as brisket, though flank is better.

What is the most important thing to get right in Hilachas?

Use flank or skirt, which have long parallel muscle fibres that separate into strands when pulled. Simmer the beef with onion, garlic, bay and salt for an hour and a half to two hours. Simmer it gently rather than boiling it, since hard boiling tightens the fibres and makes shredding much harder. It is ready when a fork pushed into it twists apart without resistance.