Chef Lupita
Tetelas de Frijol
From Oaxaca's Sierra Norte, triangular masa pockets folded around a paste of black beans and toasted avocado leaf, cooked on a dry comal until the edges blister and the masa smells like rain on a milpa.
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Chef Lupita
Empanaditas de Amarillo
From Oaxaca's Valles Centrales, hand-formed corn masa empanadas stuffed with chicken in mole amarillo and hoja santa, then pressed thin and crisped on a hot comal until the edges darken and the filling perfumes the kitchen with anise and chilcostle.
Chef Lupita
Empanaditas de Quesillo y Flor de Calabaza
Oaxaca's corn-masa empanaditas, hand-pressed and filled with quesillo, flor de calabaza, and hoja santa, then toasted on a comal until the edges crisp and the cheese stretches in long, stubborn threads.
Chef Lupita
Chiles Rellenos de Chile de Agua con Quesillo
Oaxaca's own chile de agua, roasted and peeled, stuffed with hand-pulled quesillo, cloaked in a cloud of beaten egg, and fried golden. Spooned into a light tomato caldillo that holds everything together on the plate.
Chef Lupita
Molotes Oaxaqueños de Papa y Chorizo
Oaxaca's fried masa fingers, pinched shut around a filling of chorizo and potato, then crisped in hot lard and dressed with black bean paste, crema, queso fresco, and salsa verde the way the market women of the Central de Abastos have always served them.
Chef Lupita
Garnachas Istmeñas
From the Zapotec market tables of Oaxaca's Isthmus, small masa discs fried golden in lard, piled with shredded beef picadillo, sharp pickled cabbage, and a salsa de chile de árbol that means business.
Chef Lupita
Tostadas de Tasajo
A Valles Centrales market staple built on a fried corn tortilla, spread with refried black beans, layered with thinly grilled tasajo, crumbled queso fresco, and a smoky salsa de chile pasilla oaxaqueño that belongs to no other state.
Chef Lupita
Taquitos Dorados de Papa con Salsa de Pasilla Mixe
Oaxaca's Sierra Mixe lends its smoky chile to these crisp potato taquitos, fried until the tortilla shatters under your teeth and dressed with crema, queso fresco, and a dark salsa that carries woodsmoke in every spoonful.
Chef Lupita
Chapulines Tostados con Ajo y Limón
Oaxacan grasshoppers toasted on a dry comal with sliced garlic, dried chile de arbol, and a hard squeeze of lime, the way they sell them by the kilo at the Central de Abastos and the 20 de Noviembre market.
Chef Lupita
Memelas Oaxaqueñas con Asiento
Oaxaca's thick oval masa cakes, pinched at the edges, smeared with asiento, and layered with refried black beans, quesillo, and a rough salsa de chile de árbol. Breakfast the way the mercado women make it.
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