Chontal White Mole Stew (Uliche Tabasqueño)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 8-quart stockpot for the turkey broth
• •Wide clay cazuela or heavy Dutch oven
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Wooden spoon for stirring the masa-thickened stew
• •Comal for warming tortillas or manea tamales

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the turkey broth

   Put the turkey pieces in a heavy pot with the water, halved onion, halved garlic, one momo leaf, and salt. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then lower the heat. Skim the gray foam during the first 15 minutes. Do not boil it hard. You want a clean broth with the taste of turkey and momo, not a cloudy pot bullied by heat.

2. 2

   Cook until tender

   Simmer partially covered for about 2 hours, until the turkey pulls easily from the bone. Lift the meat out and strain the broth. Discard the spent onion, garlic, and momo leaf. When the turkey is cool enough to handle, pull the meat into large pieces. Keep 8 cups of broth warm. If you have less, add a little hot water. If you have more, save it.

3. 3

   Dissolve the masa

   Break the fresh masa into a bowl and work in the cold water with your fingers until it loosens into a smooth paste. Whisk in 2 cups of the warm turkey broth. Strain this mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, pressing with a spoon. This is why the uliche will be smooth. Masa lumps in a ceremonial dish are laziness, and the abuelas in Nacajuca would see them immediately.

   Fresh nixtamalized masa is the right choice. Masa harina works only when you have no tortilleria nearby. It is a compromise, not an upgrade.
4. 4

   Fry the achiote

   Melt the manteca de cerdo in a wide cazuela or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the achiote paste and stir until the fat turns orange-gold and smells earthy, about 1 minute. Add the chopped onion, chopped garlic, crushed chile amashito, cilantro criollo, and ground cumin. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion softens but does not brown. La manteca es el sabor. The achiote needs fat to open.

5. 5

   Thicken the stew

   Pour in the strained masa mixture, whisking constantly. Add the remaining 6 cups warm turkey broth little by little, still whisking. The stew will look thin at first. Keep it at a low simmer and stir with a wooden spoon for 20 to 25 minutes, scraping the bottom so the masa does not catch. It is ready when it coats the spoon like light atole and the raw corn smell has turned sweet and cooked.

6. 6

   Return the turkey

   Add the pulled turkey back to the pot. Tear the second momo leaf into large pieces and stir it in. Simmer gently for 10 minutes more. Taste for salt. The flavor should be rounded: turkey first, corn body underneath, achiote warmth, momo perfume, and the chile amashito pricking the back of the throat. Not every Mexican stew needs to shout with dried chiles. The Maya south knows another language.

7. 7

   Serve with manea

   Ladle the uliche into deep clay bowls or serve family-style from the cazuela. Put manea tamales on the table, with extra chile amashito in a small clay dish for those who know how to eat it. Do not bury this stew under garnishes. It has its own discipline. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for chile amashito by name at a Mexican mercado or from a Tabasco vendor. It is small, sharp, and floral. Do not replace it with jalapeño and pretend nothing changed.
• •Momo and hierba santa are the same leaf in many markets, but in Tabasco people will often say momo. Look for large heart-shaped leaves with a strong anise smell. If the leaves are limp and black at the edges, leave them there.
• •Uliche is pale, thick, and aromatic. If yours turns bright red, you used too much achiote. The achiote should mark the stew, not take it hostage.
• •The manea tamal matters. In Tabasco it is served with the uliche for celebration and offering. A tortilla will help you eat the stew, but it does not carry the same ritual weight.
• •If you use chicken because turkey is not available, say you made chicken uliche. It can be good. It is not the same pot.

Advance Preparation

• •The turkey broth can be made one day ahead. Chill it, lift off excess fat if you want, and warm it before dissolving the masa.
• •Do not fully thicken the uliche a day ahead unless you accept a heavier texture. Masa continues to absorb liquid as it sits. If reheating leftovers, loosen with hot turkey broth or water and stir slowly.
• •Manea tamales can be prepared earlier the same day and kept wrapped in a clean servilleta. Warm them on a comal before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 590g)