Steak a La Chicana! What? That was my reaction the first time I heard about this dish several years ago. It was made popular in Northern California, specifically Sacramento, in the 60’s & 70’s. It’s what is categorized as Cal-Mex. I love it! If I saw this plated, I would consider it to be bistec ranchero. I am a little familiar with Cal-Mex. I grew up in southern California and I have experienced the Mexican food in Northern California as well. It’s just an easy and delicious recipe.
What did I find on the internet?
There seems to be limited and sometimes confusing information about this dish exactly. It is said to be inspired by bistec a la Mexicana or bistec ranchero. This dish is a mix of California American influenced cuisine with Mexican cuisine. I am not making it up. I am just the messenger, lol! It’s an easy and delicious recipe. I used El Pato tomato sauce/salsa, but if you like a milder version, use regular tomato sauce.
Some staples will remain staples!
Salsa El Pato brand was a staple in mom’s pantry, and it is in mine as well. Definitely California inspired. It’s perfectly seasoned and from 1-5 heat level, I would say it’s a 3. I use the salsa as a short cut when preparing carne guisada, fideo, rice, chiles rellenos and taquitos ahogados. Heck, I even used it in coctel de camarones one summer and it was a big hit!
Steak a La Chicana
Chicana (chicano being male) is used to describe a female born in America of Mexican descent. When I read that Chicana is a regional name to describe steak picado, I was a bit confused. The more I learned about the Chicano movement in the 1960’s in northern California it became a bit clearer. The beef cubed steak was given the name chicana as some restaurants were frequented by Mexican Americans. A steak smothered in salsa with an American twist.
How would I describe the dish?
It is a steak dredged in seasoned flour, then fried. It is cooked sauce with onions, bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices. I highly suggest using a cut with some marbling throughout so that it will yield a more tender steak. No long braising times, so the cut of meat you choose is important. The traditional recipe called for cubed steak. Chile colorado chile verde, machacado, a la chicana were found in several old Mexican restaurants.
The bell peppers threw me off a bit, but I on occasion I do remember mom incorporating green bell peppers into some of her meat dishes. Dredging the steak in seasoned flour will yield a thicker gravy like sauce.
My steak of choice is not cubed steak, but rather sirloin, ribeye or chuck steaks! This recipe would be delicious with boneless chicken breast or pork chops that are pounded out thin. That’s another recipe for another day!
Scoring the steaks before cooking them will prevent them from curling up while you fry them.
The canned tomato salsa/sauce is a tasty short-cut! Imagine if you had a homemade salsa roja though?
Steak a La Chicana!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. sirloin, chuck or ribeye steak, sliced in two
- ¼ c of flour seasoned with ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper more salt and pepper, to taste to season the final dish
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more as needed
- 1/4 tsp salt, plus more as needed
- 3 tbsps. avocado oil
- 1 small onion, diced 160 gr
- 1 green bell pepper, diced 198 gr
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced 48 gr
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced 12 gr
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced 208 gr
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 4 oz water
- 1/3 tsp cumin
- 1/3 tsp chile ancho powder
Instructions
- Score the steak and then slice into two equal portions. Bring the steak to room temperature. Season the ¼ c of flour with ¼ tsp. each of salt and pepper. Set it aside.
- Slice the onion, bell pepper and tomato in uniform size. Mince the garlic and finely chop the seeded jalapeño. Set them aside.
- When ready, in a large skillet or pot, preheat 3 tbsps. of avocado oil at medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Dredge the steaks through the seasoned flour. Pat off any excess flour. Sear the steaks in the preheated oil for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the pot onto a plate.
- Quickly, in that same pot, add the bell pepper, onion and jalapeño. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add the tomato. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce and ½ cup of water. Stir well to combine. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add the steaks back into the pot along with any of the juices left on the plate. Stir gently. Continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- Serve with plenty of sauce and veggies. Add your favorite sides like rice and beans. Don’t forget the warm tortillas!
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This just made to the top of my list to make this weekend. I’m going to substitute Poblano for the green pepper though, there’s something about green bell peppers I don’t like.
I like the idea of using poblanos too. I was trying to follow the traditional ingredients that I read about when I researched the recipe. I am all for poblanos though!