Belize: Garnaches

2021 is my Next Big Trip: Central and South America. My visa for the UK expires in March 2021 and after that I'm out of here (coronavirus pending). I'm heading over there with my partner and our plan is to make our way south to north, pretty much making it up as we go along.

One thing I'm more than excited for is the food. I know that it might be a bit more difficult now that I don't eat meat, but I'm my body is ready.

This dish is classic Belizean street food fare. In Spanish, the word 'tostada' translates to 'toasted' and in Latin America it refers to any local dish that is toasted, or uses a toasted ingredient as part of the main dish (thanks Wikipedia!). They're generally made of corn, but wheat tortillas can be used as well.  Tostadas also avoid waste because they can be made from tortillas which are no longer soft enough to be used for tacos, but can still be toasted - the same way we're all happy to put stale bread in the toaster for a piece of toast, but probably wouldn't use it for a sandwich!

Typically, garnaches are served with refried beans, shredded cabbage, and cheese. Which is pretty much exactly what I did here! This recipe came from my friend, Jen, who has Belizean heritage - she got in touch with her mum about my project who then sent this over to me. And it was delicious! I'm a fan of refried beans anyway, and the cabbage when mixed with the onion and carrot and lime juice turned into a delicious coleslaw, and you can never go wrong with a topping of cheese. Habanero hot sauce is an optional addition but I didn't have any in my cupboard so skipped it. I thought the flavours came together perfectly with the saltiness of the refried beans blending beautifully with the crispness of the slaw and acidity of the lime juice.

Yum!

Belizean Garnaches
Makes about 6 garnarches

Ingredients

• Corn tortillas (or wheat, if you can't find corn)
• 1/4 cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 onion, finely sliced
• 2-3 carrots, grated
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tin of refried beans
• Grated cheddar cheese
• Habanero hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Finely shred the onion, cabbage and carrot. Mix together in a bowl with the lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and some salt and pepper.
2. Warm through the refried beans while frying the tortillas in some oil over a medium-high heat.
3. Let the tortillas sit on a kitchen towel to drain the excess oil.
4. Spread a generous spoonful of beans onto each tortilla, top with a handful of the cabbage mixture, hot sauce (optional), and grated cheese. 
5. To make it vegan, just don't add the cheese. Voila!