I think the sign of a good meal is when you can’t decide which part is the best, and with this dish, you’ve got plenty of good stuff to choose from. There’s tender, juicy steak that gets soaked in a really, really good marinade before being roasted up alongside perfectly charred bell peppers and onions, and allathat gets served right on top of a big ‘ole bed of homemade Mexican-Style rice with onions, garlic, corn and tons of flavorful spices and herbs. Seriously, if you haven’t tried your hand at making Mexican-style rice at home, give it a try! It’s really easy to make and you can add or take out whatever you like to get it just right – I usually add peas and some extra heat, and I haven’t used the store-bought stuff since I started making my own a few years’ back.
As if perfectly cooked steak, fluffy rice and charred veggies weren’t enough to make this meal something pretty special, there’s the Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce which is, in my humble opinion, one of the best hot sauces this side of the Atlantic. It’s hot, but not too hot, and it’s perfectly balanced thanks to charred, roasted veggies and the perfect amount of seasoning. I always make a big batch and then use it on tons of stuff for the rest of the week – it’s great on eggs, perfect with nachos and if you wanted to toss some hot wings in the stuff, I don’t think that’d be a bad idea. Like, not at all.
If you’ve got a bit of time to prepare this meal, it really is a special dinner – it’s easy, I promise, it just requires a bit of planning ahead to make sure everything comes together. Here’s how to get it on the table:
Steak & Fajita Veggie Kebabs With Mexican-Style Rice & Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
For the Steak Marinade
- 400 g diced beef this amount is a minimum amount and makes 3-4 skewers, depending on how the chunks are cut.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder you can use fresh garlic if you prefer, I recommend 2 large cloves, finely minced.
- 1 tsp chili flakes optional
- 1/2 tsp lemon and pepper seasoning I use store bought!
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 6-8 sprigs thyme leaves stems discarded
For the Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
- 4 red bell peppers quartered, stems and seeds removed
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper stem removed, I leave the seeds in!
- 1 white or yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lime juiced
For the Mexican-Style Rice
- 3/4 cup long grain white rice I use Basmati
- 1.5 cups water
- 1/2 white or yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp tomato paste you can harissa paste for added spice if desired!
- 1/2 cup corn I use canned corn
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- olive oil
- butter
Additional Kebab Ingredients
- 2 orange bell peppers cut into 1" pieces, stem and seeds removed
- 2 yellow bell peppers cut into 1" pieces, stem and seeds removed
- 1 red onion peeled, cut into 1" pieces
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
For the Steak Marinade
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Pop the steak in a storage container with a tight-fitting lid or a zip-top bag. Add all of the ingredients to the container or bag. Make sure the spices are distributed evenly throughout the meat and put the container or bag into the fridge for at least 3 hours, or up to 6 hours.
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Notes for the marinade: when you use olive oil in a marinade and then put it in the fridge, it seizes up. Basically, the oil kind of turns into a jelly, but that's perfectly fine. Just remember to take the steak out of the fridge about half an hour before it's time to cook it to give the olive oil time to loosen up. Just give it a few stirs and once it comes back up to room temp, it'll be fine. If that's not gonna work for you, you can always pop all of the ingredients for the marinade in a blender before using it – the liquids will emulsify and should help prevent the oil from seizing up.
For the Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
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Preheat an oven to 180FAN/400 Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with tin foil.
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Pop the red peppers, scotch bonnet, onion and garlic on the tray and drizzle everything generously with olive oil. Add the spices and then stir to coat everything in the spices.
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Roast the veggies for 15-20 minutes, until the edges of everything are nice and charred. The more char, the more flavor, so don't be scared to let them get some good, deep color!
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When the veggies are done roasting, add everything to a blender, along with the 1/4 cup olive oil and lime juice.
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Liquify the mixture until it's completely smooth, about 20 seconds. Set the sauce aside until you're ready to use it. If you're using it the same day that you make it, you can store it at room temp. Otherwise, keep it in the fridge.
For the Mexican-Style Rice
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Heat a sauce pan with a tight fitting lid over medium high heat.
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Add olive oil to the pan – just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Also add about 1 tbsp of butter.
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Once the butter is melted and the oil is hot, add the onion and saute until softened, about five minutes.
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Add the garlic and saute another two minutes.
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Add the spices and stir to coat the onion and garlic in the spices. Saute for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until the spices are very fragrant.
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Add the tomato paste and stir until it's incorporated, a few seconds.
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Add the rice to the pan, and stir to coat the rice in the onion, garlic and spices.
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Add the water to the pan and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the rive, gently, until the grains are soft and the water has been almost completely absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.
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Just before the rice has absorbed all the water, add the corn and peas and stir to incorporate them completely.
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Turn off the heat and cover the pan until ready to serve.
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Note: If you prefer, you can use chicken or veggie stock instead of water in the rice. Just be sure to hold back on the salt a bit, as stock usually comes salted.
For the Kebabs
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Soak your wooden skewer sticks in water until you're ready to use them. At least half an hour.
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Preheat your oven to 170FAN/375 Fahrenheit and line two baking trays with tin foil.
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Skewer the bell peppers and onions and place them on one tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over some salt and pepper.
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Skewer the steaks and place them on the other tray.
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Roast the veggies for 15 minutes, and then remove them from the oven and turn the skewers to flip them over.
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When you return the veggies to the oven to finish roasting, put the steak in the oven.
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Cook the steak for 5 minutes on the first side, then remove the steak from the oven and turn the skewers to flip the steak. Return the steak to the oven and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
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Remove the veggies and steak from the oven and serve over the rice with the Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Timing Notes:
I prepare the Hot Sauce first. While the veggies for the hot sauce are roasting, I prepare the rice. I keep the rice hot under a lid while I roast the steak and veggies.