6 - 8dried guajillo, or pasilla chillies, or a mix of the two
1 1/2 tspground cumin
1/2tspfreshly ground pepper
sea salt
5tbspvegetable oil
1 - 1.5kgbeef chucktrimmed and cut into 2 cm cubes
1/3cupfinely chopped onion
3clovesgarlic (large)mince or finely chopped
2cupsbeef stock(you may need more later during cooking)
2 1/4cupswater(as above)
1tbspdark brown sugar
1 1/2 tbspwhite wine vinegar
sour cream and lemon or lime wedges to serve
Instructions
Place the chillies in a frying-pan over medium-low heat and gently toast for 2 to 3 minutes per side or you get a fragrant smell. Be careful not to burn them though as they taste bitter if you do.
After, put them in a bowl and pour very hot water over them and soak until soft. This should take anywhere between 15 to 35 minutes.
Once they have softened, drain the chillies and cut them to remove the seeds and stems. Then, in a bowl, using a blender, add the cumin, black pepper, 1 tblsp salt,1/4 cup water and mix until smooth and paste like (but not too thick)nb: you may need to add a bit more water as you do this. Set the paste to the side.
In the frying-pan, add the 2 tbsp vegetable oil and when hot add half the beef.Lightly brown the meat and remove to a bowl then repeat with the rest of the beef.
Now add some more oil and add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, 2 cups water and stir in the chilli paste. Finally, add the browned beef and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain the barest possible simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender for about 2 hours.Stir occasionally and check there is still fluid (although it thickens), add a bit more stock or water if needed.
Once the beef is tender, take out and stir in the brown sugar and vinegar.Add more salt to taste, then gently simmer for another 10 minutes so.Turn off the heat and let the chilli stand for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the meat will absorb the sauce.Stir in additional stock or water if the mixture seems too dry or simmer a bit longer if the sauce needs more time to reduce. It really comes down to personal preference at this stage on how you want you sauce.
Serve with sour cream and lemon or lime wedges.
Notes
TIPYou can use tortilla flour or plain flour to thicken the sauce