Now that I'm not travelling, I'm going to share some of the recipes that I learned or were inspired by my travels as well as any others that find their way out of my head since I love to cook and love to share. I welcome any and all feedback!
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| Costeno amarillo |
In Oaxaca, I ate a lot of mole amarillo and absolutely fell in love with it. Like many of the traditional Oaxacan moles, it is made with chiles that can only be found in Oaxaca. In this case it’s chiles consteno amarillo. I brought back a whole bag of them and couldn’t wait to try it out. (Most recipes you can find on the internet will be made with guajillo, which just ain’t quite right!) While I ate a lot of this mole while there, it wasn’t one of the ones that I was shown how to make so this is a cobbling together of what I got from watching and tasting along the way.
My dad, who
is a lover of both spicy food and Spanishy flavours has never really developed
much enthusiasm for Mexican food. He envisions greasy, cheesy Tex-Mex and he’s
just not interested. Not being one to give up when faced with Mexican food
naysayers, I decided this dish could be the gateway to get him on board. And a
good choice it was. While he did not go in with the most positive intent, he
was won over by the smooth and distinctive flavour, which is not too spicy and
relatively fruity as the chiles are sun dried and not smoky at all.
It is also
one of the moles that is traditionally served with vegetables, in this case chayote, potatoes, and green beans.
This mole amarillo is also one of the most popular fillings for tamales, the
best late-night treats available on the streets of Oaxaca.
4 servings
Mole
4 chiles
costeno amarillo
2 large
plum tomatoes
½ small
white onion, sliced
2 garlic
cloves
2 med or 4
small tomatillos
2 cloves
Pinch of
ground cinnamon
Pinch of
cumin
1 ball of
allspice
6
peppercorns
1 tsp
oregano (preferably Mexican)
2 tbsp
chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup
masa harina
1 litre of
chicken stock
2 tbsp
olive oil
Salt to
taste
To poach chicken
8-10
chicken thighs
Handful of
fresh parsley
1 clove of
garlic
8
peppercorns
1 tsp salt
Vegetables
1 chayote
200 g of
green beans
3 medium
potatoes
Put chicken
into a pot with parsley, garlic, salt, and peppercorns. Cover with water and
poach chicken until done. Save stock to use in making mole. Set chicken aside.
Remove stem
and seeds from the chile.
Gently
soften the chiles on the comal. Remove and place in a glass bowl and cover with
hot stock. Let soak for at least 20 minutes.
Dry roast
onion slices, garlic in the skin, tomatoes, tomatillos on the comal. Once ready
put them all in the blender (remember to cool and remove the skin from the
garlic). Add the cilantro, oregano, and the chiles and soaking liquid. Waz until smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
Grind the
cloves, cumin, allspice, and pepper.
Heat oil in
a pot and quickly fry spices when hot. Add chile mixture and sear. Bring to the boil and stir for about 5
minutes. Add masa harina as well as ½ a cup or so of chicken stock. Let boil
for about 10 minutes. Add more stock if it’s too thick and let boil for a total
of 15-20 minutes. Add salt to taste.
In the meantime,
peel and cut up the chayote. Cut up the potatoes into slightly larger pieces.
Boil them in a mix of stock and water with a pinch of salt. Clean and boil the beans in stock as well.
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| Mole amarillo |
© Gail J.
Cohen 2015
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