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As the brainchild of the kings of street food, Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney, Breddos Tacoshas grown from a taco shack in a Hackney car park to a permanent restaurant at Street Feast's Dinerama in Shoreditch.
The cooking duo have written down 75 of their most innovative recipes from braised beef with pineapple relish to jerk quail with mango and lime salsa for tacos, tostadas and small plates as well as a whole string of condiments to go with them.
Although neither are from Mexico, their aim is to take the flavours, techniques and ingredients they love from Mexico and around the world and make it work for a 12cm edible plate.
The book is split into chapters covering beef, poultry and game, pork and lamb, fish, vegetables, drinks, salsas and condiments.
Beef tartare, tomatillo and jalapeno
Serves 4 as a snack or 2 as a main course
150g (51⁄2oz) good quality beef fillet 1 shallot 3 cornichons 1 long red chilli 1 jalapeño chilli 1 tomatillo, dry roasted 1 garlic clove, sliced wafer thin and sautéd in olive oil until crispy 1tsp olive oil 1tbsp red wine vinegar sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1tsp Dijon mustard 2tbsps extra-virgin olive oil 4 tostada 4 quail egg yolks 4tbsps finely chopped coriander (cilantro), to garnish thinly sliced radishes, to garnish 1tbsp breddos hot sauce* or to taste edible flowers (optional), to garnish
Put the beef fillet into the freezer to firm up for 30 minutes. Very finely dice the shallot and leave to soak in a bowl of cold water while the beef is in the freezer. Finely dice the cornichons, red chilli, jalapeño, and finely chop the tomatillo and crispy garlic and put them into a bowl with the drained shallots. Slice the beef fillet and cut into 5mm (1⁄4 inch) cubes, add to the bowl with the teaspoon of the olive oil and mix together. Add the red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, and a bigger pinch of pepper, the mustard and extra-virgin olive oil and mix. Place a tostada (or two) on each plate and add a spoonful of tartare mix. Spread out to cover the surface. Place a raw egg yolk in the middle and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Garnish with coriander, radish slices and Breddos hot sauce, and finish with edible flowers, if using.
*Breddos hot sauce
Makes 400 ml (14rfl oz/ scant 2 cups)
We highly recommend wearing silicone gloves while making this recipe.
2-3 scotch bonnet chillies small pinch of sea salt 2tbsps sugar juice of 4 limes 1½ x 400g (14 oz) tins of peeled plum tomatoes Handful of coriander chopped
Remove the stalks and quarter the scotch bonnets. If you want to reduce the heat of the sauce, remove the seeds at this stage. Put the scotch bonnets into a blender and blitz. Add the salt and sugar and squeeze in the lime juice. Blitz again for a moment. Add the tomatoes and coriander and blitz again. The tomato taste should fall into the background, with sweet citrus flavours coming through and building, with quite a long-lasting heat.
Duck carnitas, gem lettuce, plums and pickles
This is an awesome dish to serve up at dinner parties or get-togethers as a canapé. By using baby gem lettuce as the tortilla (the Koreans call it Ssam), it feels light and healthy, but it always delivers on flavour. The best thing about this recipe is that you can use any leftover duck for grilled cheese sandwiches, nachos and salads.
4 duck legs 3tsps sea salt 1tsp black pepper 1 onion, quartered 2 dried chipotle chillies 8 dried plums (use apricots if you can’t nd plums) 1 head of garlic 1tbsp whole black peppercorns 2 whole star anise 200g (7oz/scant 1 cup) duck fat 1 red onion, thinly sliced 2 large habanero chillies, deseeded, veined and thinly sliced 100ml (3½ oz/scant 1⁄2 cup) freshly squeezed, strained lime juice 4 baby gem lettuces white sesame seeds, to garnish 2 limes, quartered, to serve
Cover the duck with the salt and pepper and leave overnight, covered, in the fridge. The next day, preheat the oven to 160°C (300°F/Gas 2). Put the legs fat (skin) side down into an ovenproof frying pan and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes. You’re looking to render the fat from the legs and release their juices. Turn the legs over and add the onion, chipotles, dried plums, garlic, peppercorns, anise and duck fat. Cover the pan with foil and put into the oven for 2–2½ hours.
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Take the foil off the pan and increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Cook the duck for a further 15 minutes, then take out of the oven and set aside to rest. Prepare the pickles by macerating the sliced red onion and habanero in the lime juice. Set aside in the fridge. In the meantime, prepare the baby gems by snipping off the roots and separating the leaves of the lettuce with your hands – you’ll find they have a natural boat shape, perfect for filling with food.
Shred the meat off the duck legs, making sure to mash the garlic and chipotle into the cooking sauce and incorporating it into the meat. Fill each lettuce cup with a generous helping of duck, followed by a plum from the cooking sauce, some prepared pink pickled onions, sesame seeds and a squirt of lime.
Tuna tostada, chipotle mayonnaise, butter brased jalapenos and avocado
This recipe takes inspiration from one of our favourite restaurants, Contramar, in Mexico City. It is the perfect lunch spot, serving uber-fresh seafood nestled away in the Roma district. Its tuna tostada is an unforgettable dish for those who have been there.
Serves 4
For the tuna
500g (1lb 2oz) sashimi-grade tuna, sliced across the grain into roughly 60g (2¼oz) portions juice of 4 limes
To make the soy glaze, combine the soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar in a pan and cook on a medium heat for 3 minutes. Mix the cornflour and water in a small bowl, add to the soy mix and stir until thickened. Remove from the heat. To make the jalapeños, put the butter into a pan with the jalapeños and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Put two tostadas on each serving plate. Place 1⁄2tsp of chipotle mayonnaise and a slice of avocado on each tostada. Put the tuna into a bowl and pour over the lime juice, mixing it through to ensure all the pieces are covered. Take two slices of tuna, dip into the soy glaze, then place on each tostada. Place a few jalapeños on each slice of tuna and sprinkle over some sesame seeds. Give the tostadas a further squirt of lime juice and serve.
*Chipotle mayonnaise
Makes 275g
2 chipotles in adobo, with 2tbsps sauce 1tbsp water 250g aioli
Blend the chipotles with the water and the adobo sauce until a smooth paste forms. Add the aioli and blitz on high speed until incorporated.
Barbecued watermelon, mint and queso fresco
This is best cooked on a barbecue in the heat of summer.
Serves 4 as a snack
100ml (3½ oz/scant 1⁄2 cup) agave syrup juice of 4 limes 1tbsp cayenne pepper 1tsp sea salt 1 bird’s eye chilli, very finely chopped 1⁄2tsp fish sauce 1⁄2 watermelon, cut into 2.5cm (1") wedges
To serve
100g (3½) queso fresco or feta cheese a handful of mint leaves 2 limes, quartered
Mix together the agave, lime juice, cayenne, salt, chilli and fish sauce. When your barbecue is hot, brush the watermelon wedges with the mixture and grill for a couple of minutes on each side. Place on a serving plate and sprinkle over the queso fresco and mint leaves. Serve with the lime quarters.
Breddos Tacos The Cookbook by Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney (Quadrille, £15) Photography: Kris Kirkham
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