Chilaquiles en Mole Coloradito

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for charring and toasting
• •High-powered blender
• •Medium-mesh sieve
• •Heavy cazuela or deep 12-inch skillet for the mole
• •Deep skillet for frying tortillas
• •Small skillet for frying eggs
• •Wire rack for draining tortillas

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal or cast iron skillet over medium. Flatten each chile ancho against the hot surface with a spatula, pressing for about 15 seconds per side. The skin will puff and turn a shade darker. The kitchen will fill with a warm, raisiny, slightly bitter smell. That is the chile ancho announcing itself. Do not let them blacken. A burned ancho turns the whole mole bitter and there is no coming back from it. Transfer to a bowl and cover with hot tap water, not boiling. Let them soak for 20 minutes until soft and pliable.

   Chile ancho is a dried poblano. It should be flexible, not brittle. If your chiles snap like a cracker when you bend them, they are too old. Find a vendor who moves product. At the Mercado de Abastos in Oaxaca, the chile women will let you test one before buying.
2. 2

   Char the vegetables

   While the chiles soak, place the whole tomatoes, onion slices, and unpeeled garlic cloves on the same dry comal. Let them char slowly, turning occasionally. The tomatoes need about 12 minutes until their skins blister and blacken in spots and the flesh softens through. The onion needs 8 to 10 minutes until it has dark spots on both sides. The garlic takes 6 to 8 minutes until the papery skin is spotted and the clove inside is soft when you press it. Peel the garlic once it is cool enough to handle. Set everything aside.

3. 3

   Fry the plantain and bread

   In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of asiento or manteca over medium heat. Fry the plantain slices until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. The sugars in the plantain will caramelize and that sweetness is what gives coloradito its character. Remove and set aside. In the same fat, fry the slice of stale bread until golden on both sides. The bread is the body of the mole, the thickener. It absorbs the fat and the broth and gives the sauce its velvety texture. Set aside.

4. 4

   Toast the spices and seeds

   On the dry comal over medium-low heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring constantly, until they turn gold and start to pop. This takes about 90 seconds. Do not walk away. Sesame seeds go from golden to burned in the time it takes to answer a phone. Transfer to a bowl. In the same comal, toast the canela, cloves, and peppercorns for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the oregano for the last 10 seconds. Transfer to the bowl with the sesame seeds.

5. 5

   Blend the mole

   Drain the chiles and discard the soaking water. In a blender, combine the soaked chiles, charred tomatoes, onion, peeled garlic, fried plantain, fried bread, toasted sesame seeds, toasted spices, the chocolate de metate broken into pieces, and 1 cup of the warm chicken broth. Blend on high for two full minutes. You want a smooth, thick paste with no chunks. If the blender struggles, add a little more broth, just enough to keep things moving. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids with the back of a spoon. Discard what stays in the sieve. The mole should be brick-red, thick, and glossy.

   The chocolate de metate dissolves into the hot puree as it blends. Do not substitute with sweetened cocoa powder or commercial 'Mexican chocolate' tablets that contain cinnamon and sugar in wrong proportions. Chocolate de metate is stone-ground cacao with minimal sugar and a grainy texture. If you cannot find it, use 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder and half a teaspoon of sugar. It is a compromise, not an upgrade.
6. 6

   Fry and cook the mole

   Heat 2 tablespoons of asiento or manteca in a heavy cazuela or deep skillet over medium heat. When the fat shimmers, pour in the strained mole all at once. It will sputter and hiss. Good. That frying is what sets the flavor. Stir constantly for 5 minutes as the paste darkens and the fat begins to separate at the edges. You will see the color deepen from brick-red to a darker, richer tone. Add the remaining cup of warm broth gradually, stirring to incorporate. Add the salt. Reduce the heat to low and let the mole simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it coats the back of a wooden spoon and falls off in a slow, thick ribbon. Taste it. The balance should be: chile first, then a whisper of sweetness from the plantain and chocolate, then the warmth of canela and clove in the finish. Adjust salt. If it is too thick, add broth by the tablespoon. Keep it warm.

   Frying the mole paste in fat before adding broth is the step that separates a flat sauce from a living one. The fat carries the chile oils into a deeper register. Every Oaxacan cook I have met insists on this step. No mevengas con atajos.
7. 7

   Fry the tortilla pieces

   Cut the day-old tortillas into triangles or wide strips. In a deep skillet, heat the 1/3 cup of asiento or manteca over medium-high until it shimmers. Fry the tortilla pieces in batches, turning once, until they are golden and crisp but not hard all the way through. You want them to have structure, enough to hold up under the mole for a few minutes, but not so rigid that they refuse to absorb anything. About 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Drain on a wire rack, not paper towels. Paper towels steal the fat and the fat is part of the flavor.

   The tortillas must be from yesterday. Today's tortilla is too moist and will fall apart into paste the moment the mole touches it. If yours are fresh, spread them on a sheet pan and let them dry in a low oven (250F) for 10 minutes. It is not the same as a proper stale tortilla, but it will hold.
8. 8

   Fry the eggs

   In a small skillet, heat a generous tablespoon of asiento or manteca over medium-high heat. When the fat is hot and just beginning to ripple, crack in one egg. The edges should sizzle and turn lacy and crisp almost immediately. Spoon the hot fat over the white to set it while leaving the yolk soft and running. This takes about 90 seconds. Season with a pinch of salt. Repeat with the remaining eggs, adding more fat as needed. A fried egg with crisp edges and a liquid yolk is the only correct egg for chilaquiles. Overcooked yolk is a missed opportunity: when you break it, the yolk should run into the mole.

9. 9

   Assemble and serve

   Working quickly: add the fried tortilla pieces to the cazuela with the warm mole. Toss gently with a spatula or wooden spoon so every piece is coated. Do not drown them. The mole should coat, not flood. The tortillas should still have some crackle when you serve them, softening at the edges where the mole has soaked in. Divide among four plates or serve family-style in the cazuela. Lay the threads of quesillo across the top so they melt into the heat. Drizzle the crema in thin lines. Place a fried egg on each serving. Scatter the raw onion rings, a pinch of toasted sesame seeds, and a few leaves of fresh oregano over everything. Serve immediately. Chilaquiles wait for no one. Asi se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Asiento is the dark, smoky sediment that settles at the bottom of the pot when manteca de cerdo is rendered. In Oaxaca, you buy it by the ladleful at the market, scooped from the bottom of a deep metal tub. It has more flavor than clean manteca and gives the tortillas and the mole a depth that oil or butter cannot touch. If you cannot find asiento, use manteca de cerdo. If you cannot find manteca, find a Mexican market. Preguntale a las senoras del mercado.
• •Quesillo is Oaxaca's string cheese, pulled and wound into a ball. It does not melt the way mozzarella or cheddar melt. It softens and stretches. Pull it into long threads before laying it on the chilaquiles so it drapes across the mole and catches the heat. Do not substitute with Monterey Jack or any yellow cheese. That is not this dish.
• •The mole coloradito can be made two or three days ahead. In fact, it improves. Store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator and thin it with a splash of broth when you reheat it. But the tortillas must be fried and the eggs must be cooked the morning you eat them. Chilaquiles are a morning assembly, not a make-ahead meal.
• •Crema Oaxaquena is thinner and tangier than sour cream. Crema Mexicana from a good brand is an acceptable stand-in. Sour cream is not. It is too thick, too sour, and it sits on the mole like a cold lump instead of melting into it.

Advance Preparation

• •The mole coloradito can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. The flavor deepens overnight. Reheat gently over low heat, thinning with chicken broth as needed, before assembling the chilaquiles.
• •Cut the tortillas into triangles the night before and leave them uncovered on a sheet pan to dry out further. Drier tortillas fry crisper and absorb the mole without falling apart.
• •Pull the quesillo into threads ahead of time and keep it covered at room temperature so it is pliable when it goes on the hot chilaquiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)