Emoladas with manchamanteles mole, cheese and plantain

A breakfast celebration of Oaxaca, Mexico – soft tortillas filled with local cheese, bathed in a fruity manchamanteles mole (the “tablecloth-stainer”, known for its vibrant colour and rich tropical flavours), finished with golden fried plantain for a sweet, earthy contrast. This recipe comes from Nicky Jurd.

Emoladas with manchamanteles mole, cheese and plantain. Credit: Taste of The Tropics

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 4 dried guajillo chillies
• 3 dried ancho chillies
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• Small pinch dried oregano
• 1 pineapple
• 1 small cacao pod
• 2 ripe plantain (see Note)
• 5 lychees (or to taste)
• 2–3 tbsp hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 small white onion, quartered
• 2 ripe tomatoes, halved (Nicky uses 2 x small tomatoes and a handful of cherry tomatoes from her garden)
• 1 mango cheek (skin removed)
• ½ tsp whole green peppercorns (or 1 cluster of fresh peppercorns),
• 1–1½ cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

Tortillas

• 2 cups Mexican maize flour (or corn flour alternative)

Garnish

• Fried plantain slices (from second plantain)
• Juchiteco-style fresh cheese (similar to ricotta or cream cheese)
• Sour cream mixed with a dash of milk to create a runny sauce
• Pickled red onions
• Fresh herbs (e.g. coriander or Thai basil leaves)

Soaking time: 20 minutes.

Instructions

1. For the mole: Deseed guajillo and ancho chillies. Soak chillies in warm water for 20-30 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, grind down cinnamon stick, cloves and dried oregano.
3. Peel pineapple, cut into large chunks and place in a blender.
4. Cut the cacao pod open and remove the pulp from the cocoa beans inside. Slice plantains into diagonal pieces, making about 8 slices for the sauce, and 8 for garnishing. Peel and deseed a handful of lychees. Set fruit and pulp aside.
5. Heat a comal or cast-iron flat pan (no oil needed). Light toast pepitas, then place in blender with pineapple. Brown/blacken garlic, onion, and halved tomatoes on a comal until charred and soft. Place in blender.
6. Brown the 8 slices of plantain for the sauce until blackened then add to blender. Fry the remaining slices until golden and set aside to use for garnish.
7. Add remaining ingredients to the blender, including lychee, cacao pulp, mango, ground spices, softened chillis, green peppercorns and 1 cup of chicken stock.
8. Blend into a smooth paste (add a little extra stock if needed) then pour into a pot and simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick, glossy, and well-seasoned.
9. Meanwhile, to make tortillas: Mix maize flour (or corn flour alternative) with 2 cups of water in a bowlStir with a knife and let it sit for a moment, then roll into small golf ball-sized balls
10. Prepare tortilla press with two sheets of plastic (e.g. snap lock bag cut in half). Place dough ball in the middle then close with lever, flattening the dough
11. Peel the plastic carefully then place the fresh tortilla onto a hot comal and cook for a minute on each side.
12. Assemble the emoladas: Place a tortillas on a plate. Spread 1 tbsp of ricotta or cream cheese (or a local farm cheese) on tortilla, add a fried slice of plantain in the middle of the cheese, then fold in half and press down to distribute all of the cheese evenly. Repeat for each tortilla.
13. Smother filled tortillas in mole sauce. Drizzle the sour cream-milk mixture over the mole sauce.
14. Garnish with pickled red onion and herbs.

Notes

• Guajillo and ancho chillies can be found at selected delicatessens and specialist retailers.
• The fruit can be substituted with other seasonal fruit. Over-ripe bananas can be used in stead of plantain.

See this recipe in Taste of The Tropics season 2 episode 3, Tropical Innovators, on SBS Food and SBS on Demand from 30 April. See season 1 at SBS On Demand now.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.