Home-made fajita mix night

Not so very long ago – probably during Covid – we used to do a thing at home called, ‘Fajita Sundays.’

Essentially, instead of a traditional Sunday dinner, I would make chicken fajitas and alongside the traditional chicken element, I would prepare a series of accoutrements like guacamole, refried beans, crema, pico de gallo and Mexican red rice so that all members of the fambly could create personalised fajitas at the table. For maximum affect too, just as the banquet began, I’d ask Alexa to play ‘La Bamba’ by Los Lobos on Spotify.”

“Para bailar La Bamba, Para bailar La Bamba, Se necesita una poca de gracia…”

This good tradition went on for so long that I now can’t eat a fajita without hearing the opening riff of La Bamba in my mind’s ear and I can’t listen to the song without thinking of the food.

The great downside for me in all of this went thus: The little humans always wanted the fajitas to be made using the Old El Paso Fajita Seasoning Mix also known as a hodgepodge of stuff you don’t need. The full list of ingredients in the Old El Paso Fajita Seasoning Mix is this: Sugar, Onion Powder (13%), Salt, Hydrolysed Soy Protein, Spices (Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Ginger) (6%), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Flavouring, Smoke Flavouring, Natural Flavouring, Yeast Extract, Colour (Plain Caramel), Garlic Powder, Anti-Caking Agent (Tricalcium Phosphate).

Whilst I can’t complain about the presence of sugar in this mix (I use it in my home-made preparation), I’ve never in my puff heard anyone say, “Ah Jaysus, I’d love a good feed of Anti-Caking Agent (Tricalcium Phosphate).

The bottom line is that I always found the Old El Paso fajitas a little cloying and overwhelming – which is why I started making my own fajita mix.

As is always the case with home-made stuff, my own mix is better on several levels. A). It’s a lot cheaper. B). It’s worlds away in terms of taste. And C). It doesn’t contain a pile of gunk you don’t need.

I now tend to keep a tub of this in the house at all times and apart from fajitas, I find myself adding in a teaspoon or so into soups and stews and once I used as a rub when I was cooking a steak. It also works a treat when you want to jazz up your beans on toast.

Ultimately – quasi concerns about unhealthy ingredients aside – I think the flavour of this mix is so superior to Old El Paso that I’m thinking about starting my own line of Mexican flavour mixes. I’m thinking of calling it, ‘La Bamba’ and every time you crack open the pack, you’ll hear the Los Lobos version of the song.

Incidentally, I know that the Richie Valens version is considered best but then again, I’m a child of the ‘80s and the Los Lobos cover went straight in at number one. 1987, I think.

This makes a good big batch of fajita mix but if you want a little less, just half the proportions.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsps of cornflour

1 tbsp of chilli powder (mild, medium or hot, it’s up to you)

2 tsps of salt

1 tbsp of smoked paprika

2 tsps of sugar

1 tsp of onion powder

1 tsp of garlic powder

1 tbsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of orgegano

THE PLAN

Mix everything together.

It really is that simple.

Unlike the Old El Paso Fajita Seasoning Mix plan which involves browning off the chicken and then adding the seasoning, I now find it’s better to marinade the chicken in the home-made mix with a couple of tablespoons of oil and a squeeze of lime. But sure, you do you.

“Para bailar La Bamba, Para bailar La Bamba, Se necesita una poca de gracia…”