In search of a Mexican ‘MOLE’

Travelling through Mexico is a many splendoured experience, especially for a chef. Here are some of the favourites from my trip there, learnt from the locals.

Mole Poblano
Most people associate mole with either Puebla or Oaxaca, but in reality the birth of Mole Poblano (the thick, rich, chocolate-tinged sauce) was in the mountain city of Puebla, Mexico, under the Spanish rule. Of course, like all things invented and innovated around the time, mole too has its own share of disputes and generally involves these two versions of the legend: The first says that 16th  century nuns from the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla de Los Angeles, upon learning that the Archbishop was visiting, went into a panic as they had nothing to serve him.

The nuns started praying desperately and an angel came to inspire them. They began chopping and grinding and roasting, mixing different types of chillies together with spices, day-old bread, nuts, a little chocolate and approximately 20 other ingredients. The concoction boiled for hours, was reduced to a thick, sweet, rich and fragrant sauce famously called the mole today. To serve in the mole, they killed an old turkey, grilled it and the strange sauce was poured over it. The archbishop was so excited with this offering that he made it a mandatory feast dish. Little did he know that the sauce that was created out of panic would one day become Mexico’s national dish. The other legend pins mole’s ancestry to pre-Hispanic times. It is said that Aztec king, Moctezuma, thinking the conquistadors were gods, served mole to Cortez at a banquet to receive them. This version is more believable considering that chocolate was widely in use in pre-Columbian Mexico, especially as the famous spiced Hot Chocolate.

Mole is made with dry fruits, nuts, chillies and chocolate.

— The writer is a chef and culinary director at a private company

Mole Poblano
Mexico’s national dish Mole is far more complicated in terms of ingredients.
Serves 2 portions, time 1 hour
 
Ingredients
Chicken breast with bone 2 nos
Ancho chilli 1 nos
Guajillo chilli 1 no
Sesame seeds 75 gm
Almonds 30 gm
Pumpkin seeds 40 gm
Onion 1 no
Garlic 4 flakes
Tomatoes (blanched) 2
Tomato juice 50 ml
Ripe banana 1 no
Corn tortilla 1 no
Dry bread slice 1 no
A pinch of aniseeds
Oil 60 ml
Raisins 25 gm
Prunes 25 gm
Dried oregano 1 tsp
Cloves powder ½ tsp
All spice powder ½ tsp
Cinnamon powder 1 tsp
Mexican chocolate 15 gm
Salt 5 gm
Chicken broth as required

Method
Soak the red chillies in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan till light golden.
Remove toasted sesame seeds for garnish, and keep the rest in the bowl.
Toast almonds and pumpkin seeds, add them to the bowl.
Take two tbsp oil in a frying pan, and fry chopped onion and garlic. Then add the chillies, tomatoes and tomato juice. Cook gently for 10 minutes.
Peel bananas, and slice into short diagonal slices, add to the onion mixture with corn tortillas, dry bread slice, raisins, prunes, dried oregano, aniseed, spice powders and chocolate. Stir in a cup of chicken broth. Bring it to boil.
Add toasted sesame seeds, Almonds and peanuts. Cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently then remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
Blend sauce in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Heat remaining oil in the pan. Add chicken breast, cook it over medium flame.
Pour sauce onto the chicken breast and cover the casserole with aluminium foil and a lid over it. Cook it over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with white Mexican rice, frijoles refritos and warm corn tortillas.

Mexican Rice
(Serves 2 portions, preperation time 30 minutes)

Ingredients
Long grain rice/basmati rice 100 gm
Refined oil 20 gm
Onion (chopped) 20 gm
Garlic (chopped) 10 gm
Stock or water 180 ml
Salt to taste
Lemon juice 10 ml
Cilantro ¼ bunch

Method
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add onion, garlic, rice and sauté.
Now, add chicken stock or water, salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, add cilantro, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until done.
Remove cilantro bunch from the rice. Squeeze lemon juice on top, and fluff the rice with fork.

Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles

The one dish that you are likely to find across Mexico is the popular breakfast dish with each region or family having their own version — Chilaquiles. Derived from ancient Nahuatl word for “chillies and greens,” chilaquiles are little roughly plucked pieces of tortillas (fresh or stale, notwithstanding) that are fried and then slathered with a spicy green sauce. Invented by the Aztecs, chilaquiles vary from region to region. In Guadalajara, for instance, cazuelas are kept on in order to make the food thicker; in Sinaloa, you may find one with white sauce instead of the traditional red or green. In fact, taste-aside, the charm of this community food lies in its incredible versatility in spite of the basic ingredients used. Today, a chilaquiles is made with a variety of ingredients such as chicken, onions, eggs, queso fresco. etc. It is like a lasagna, stacked layer-by-layer with salsa, chips, filling of your choice, topped with cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo.

Chilaquiles
Preparation time 20 minutes, serves 2 portions

Ingredients
Tortilla chips 300 gm l Chorizo mix* 150 gm l Roasted tomato salsa**     200 gm l Mozzarella cheese 100 gm l Sour cream 50 gm
Cilantro leaves for garnish l Pico De Gallo*** 60 gm

Method
In the baking dish, smear roasted tomato salsa on the base, and arrange a layer of chips. l Top it with half chorizo mix, a little smear of roasted tomato salsa and cheese sauce, again layer with chips. l Repeat with topping another half of chorizo mix, salsa and cheese sauce. l Finish by arranging the last layer of chips on top. Smear with salsa, top it with mozzarella.
Gratinate in the salamander or oven or OTG for a few minutes till the cheese starts to melt, and it is light golden in colour. l Rest for two to three minutes, garnish with sour cream drizzle and cilantro leaves.

Chorizo Mix

Ingredients
Mexican chorizo 300 gm
Mix bell peppers (chopped) 2 tbsp
Oil 20 ml

Method
Take Mexican Chorizo out from the sausage casing and chop.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, sauté mix bell peppers lightly.
Add chorizo, cook and break the meat apart by stirring with a spoon until browned, takes three to four minutes.
l Once done, take off the flame and keep aside.
Roasted Tomato Salsa

Ingredients
Tomato 180 gm l Garlic (peeled) 10 gm l Onion (chunks) 40 gm l Fresh jalapeno 5 gm l Olive oil 10 ml l Salt to taste
 
Method
Place tomatoes, garlic, onion and jalapenos on the small baking dish, drizzle with little oil and roast for 20 minutes in the preheated 220 c oven or you can even grill vegetables on a heavy bottomed pan till they are charred, takes around 20 minutes.
Coarsely chop charred vegetables in a food processor or molcajetes, add salt to taste. Chill salsa in the fridge before serving.

Pico De Gallo

Ingredients
Tomatoes, seeds, pulp removed diced 100 gm l Jalapeno (chopped) 1 tsp l Onion (chopped) 2 tbsp l Cilantro (chopped) 1 tsp l Lemon juice 1 tsp l Olive Oil 1 tsp l Salt to taste

Method
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes before using.

Mexican Chorizo
Mexican chorizo is actually a raw sausage. Even though the Spanish introduced sausage to Mexico early on in the colonial period, the Mexican Chorizo bears little resemblance to its Spanish forebears. The pork meat and lard is blended together along with guajillo chilli, chipotle chilli, ancho chili, pasilla chili, garlic, fresh herbs, Mexican oregano, bayleaf, coriander seeds, cumin powder, clove powder, crushed black pepper corns, salt and vinegar. The Mix is piped into the pork casing and left to be dried for couple of weeks to mature in flavour.

Chef Seth’s peek into Mexico City...
1Mexico City is famous for its taquerías, that serve the Tacos Al Pastor, which is a thinly sliced marinated pork meat, roasted on a vertical revolving spit (like a shawarma rotisserie). Meat is sliced off into a warm soft corn tortilla, along with grilled pineapple, chopped onion, cilantro, lime and variety of salsas. Arandas Taquería near CDMX is one of the best places to eat a Tacos Al Pastor and wash it down with Michelada (the Mexican Bloody Mary made with beer).  
2Book a table in advance at the popular Azul Historico Mexican restaurant, one of the finest in Mexico City with Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita behind its food.
3For a top breakfast place visit El Cardenal which serves a popular hand-stirred hot chocolate, Huevos Rancheros and freshly baked Mexican bread and pastries.
4Do visit San Juan Market which specializes in gourmet and exotic foods. You get wide variety of worms, grasshoppers, crickets, wild boar, crocodile meat, venison and even lion meat. Don’t be surprised to find lion meat burgers here, on checking I was told that lions are bred for their meat in Mexico, never heard that before!
5 Try Chalupas at Las Chalupitas, shallow corn tortilla topped with a filling with your choice of salsa, shredded meat, onions and fresh cheese.

Beans play an indispensable role in the Mexican diet, especially for people with low incomes, since they form a complete protein when cooked and eaten with properly treated dried corn. Delicious, nutritious and even addictive, generally they are made with pork lard.

Ingredients
Serves 2 portions, Preperation time 2 hours
Kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained 75 gm
Bay leaf 1 piece

Refined oil 25 ml
Pasilla chilli paste 1 tsp
Onion (chopped) 50 gm
Garlic (chopped) 10 g
Salt to taste

Method
In a medium, heavy pot, combine beans, bay leaf, salt and enough water to cover by 1 to 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, adding more water as required, keep covered. When the beans are cooked and soft, drain out and keep the cooking liquid separate. Mash in a pot with a pota
to masher.
For finishing, in a small heavy bottom pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until soft, add garlic, pasilla paste and cook, stirring, 45 seconds to a minute. Add the beans and cooking liquid from the pot, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon, until the mixture forms a thick paste, 5 to 10 minutes, adding cooking liquid, a tablespoon at a time to keep from getting dry.
Remove from the heat and keep warm.