Chilaquiles en Mole Chiapaneco

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy dry skillet
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Wide 12-inch clay cazuela or heavy skillet
• •Slotted spoon or kitchen spider for frying tortillas

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the ancho, mulato, and pasilla one at a time, about 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until the skins puff and the smell turns deep and sweet. Toast the chile simojovel last, only 8 to 10 seconds per side. It is smaller and it burns fast. Black chile makes bitter mole. Throw it out if you burn it.

   Chile simojovel is not just heat. It gives a sharp, earthy fruitiness that marks this as Chiapas. Do not replace it with a handful of random dried chiles and pretend nothing changed.
2. 2

   Soak the chiles

   Put the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water, not boiling water. Let them soften for 20 minutes. Drain them and taste a drop of the soaking liquid. If it tastes clean and chile-rich, keep 1/2 cup. If it tastes harsh, throw it away. The mole should taste like chile, not like punishment.

3. 3

   Toast seeds and spices

   On the same comal, toast 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, the pumpkin seeds, peanuts, almonds, canela, cloves, peppercorns, allspice, and oregano. Move everything constantly. The sesame should turn gold, the pumpkin seeds should puff, and the nuts should smell warm. This is the backbone of mole chiapaneco. Seeds give body, not decoration.

4. 4

   Fry the sweet body

   Melt 2 tablespoons manteca in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the plantain slices until browned at the edges, then remove them. Fry the bolillo pieces in the same fat until golden. Add the raisins for the last 20 seconds, just until they swell. Plantain and bread make the mole cling to the tortillas later. Without them, the sauce runs thin.

5. 5

   Roast the aromatics

   Put the tomatoes, onion, and unpeeled garlic on the comal. Turn them until the tomato skins blister, the onion softens, and the garlic is browned in spots. Peel the garlic. Do not wash the comal between steps. That dark chile and seed flavor belongs in the sauce.

6. 6

   Blend the mole

   Blend the drained chiles with the roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, toasted seeds and spices, fried plantain, bolillo, raisins, achiote paste, 2 cups caldo, and the reserved chile soaking liquid if it tasted good. Work in batches if your blender is small. Blend longer than you think, until the sauce is completely smooth. A grainy mole is laziness you can feel on the tongue.

7. 7

   Fry and simmer

   Melt 3 tablespoons manteca in a wide cazuela over medium heat. Strain the blended mole directly into the hot fat. It will sputter, so stand back and stir with authority. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the color darkens and the fat begins to show at the edges. Add the remaining caldo, the chocolate, piloncillo, hoja de momo, and salt. Simmer 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove the hoja de momo. Taste for salt.

   The hoja de momo perfumes the mole. It should not take over the pan. One small leaf is enough. More is not more, it is just louder.
8. 8

   Fry the tortillas

   While the mole simmers, heat 1 1/2 cups manteca in a heavy skillet. When a tortilla corner sizzles immediately, fry the triangles in batches until firm and pale gold with darker edges. Drain on a rack or paper towels and salt lightly. Day-old tortillas fry better because they have lost moisture. Fresh tortillas fight you.

9. 9

   Coat the chilaquiles

   Ladle about 3 cups hot mole into a wide cazuela and keep the rest for another meal. Add the fried tortilla triangles and fold gently for 1 to 2 minutes. The edges should soften while the centers keep a little bite. Do not stir them into paste. Chilaquiles are not porridge. Así se hace y punto.

10. 10

    Fry the eggs

    In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the clean frying manteca over medium heat. Fry the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft, or cook them firmer if that is how your table eats. Salt them while they are hot. The egg yolk belongs with the mole, rich against rich.

11. 11

    Finish and serve

    Spoon the chilaquiles onto plates or bring the cazuela straight to the table. Set the fried eggs on top. Spoon over crema de rancho, scatter the queso doble crema or queso fresco, add the sliced white onion, and finish with the remaining toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately. This is breakfast from the Maya south, not a plate of chips drowning under sour cream.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for chile simojovel by name, especially from vendors who bring product from northern Chiapas. If you cannot find it, use 2 chile de árbol and 1 extra pasilla mexicano. That is a compromise, not an upgrade. You lose the Chiapas accent.
• •Queso doble crema de Chiapas is the right cheese if you can get it. Queso fresco works outside the state, but it is drier and less rich. Know what you are giving up.
• •The mole can be as smooth as you want if you blend it long enough and strain it. A blender is not the enemy. Skipping the frying of the chile paste is the enemy.
• •Do not garnish this with cheddar, iceberg lettuce, or sour cream. Crema de rancho, white onion, sesame, and Chiapas cheese are enough. The mole already did the work.
• •Chipilín belongs in tamalitos, soups, and rice in Chiapas. It does not need to be scattered over every southern dish like confetti. Respect the plate in front of you.

Advance Preparation

• •The mole chiapaneco can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. It will thicken, so loosen it with caldo before folding in the tortillas.
• •The tortillas can be cut 1 day ahead and left uncovered on a tray so they dry properly. Dry tortillas fry cleaner and stay better in the mole.
• •Fry the tortillas up to 6 hours ahead and hold them at room temperature. Assemble the chilaquiles only when you are ready to eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)