chef-pon

The great Oaxaca [English]

• Heading to Mexico City

  Heading to Mexico City

  It was time to make my next move since have been doing interesting things all year. Finally, I got myself a project… want to do a fusion Oaxaca-Thai feast.  Are you with me?

  Packed up my goodies said goodbye to my doggies and hit the plane. It was nice to get bumped up a notch. Business class on UA flights was not amused. The good part was I can suck those free wines and eat lousy food all the way to Mexico City, that saved me a few bucks. Will see if will have a multi pooping session be for I hit the hotel.

  One thing needs to be shared here though. If you have Global Entry card, you supposed to be able to go to TSA line which lets you through security faster and with less fuss. In my case was not the case. This little sweet chipmunk must have been profiled… I am sure. My boarding pass did not include the TSA prints even though I have card and paid the $100 free when I got it. United Airlines can’t do anything about it. It is controlled by TSA. That absolutely sucked. Want to hug them, kiss them and tell them I really really love them.

  As busy as ever when the crowds are on holidays. People are flooded every street near Zócalo. My favorite blue tile Sanborn restaurant was packed, no way that a single table could be had. Next day I snuck in early morning. The place still the same have a lot of charm but the food kinda suck, bad quality food, tasteless , less choice and expensive. Love the piñata and want one to have one that size for my birthday.

  

   

  Bill hooked me up with a friend of his Ruth Alegria, the Mexican chef instructor in D.F. We want out hopping the markets. Here it goes, food again. The good part was Ruth know everybody in this market. Tasting high end Mexican cheese and had an upscale Pozole with a glass of wine it was $20. Happy like a bug…grand.

  

  Next day I hooked up with another friend Juanita, a daughter of Bill’s good friend Lela. We went to the Jamaica markets. Got to taste dome exotic things, the goat head taco. It was pitiful for me. It was worse than the goat eye. Anyone want to savor? Teeth are not included. Eye is extra.

    
  Time for the pretty one, the flower market here is quite extensive, cheap and fresh. Juana and her daughter love shopping here.

  

  Mexico City has changed for the better. There is not too much air pollution. The low end on the food scene is still cheap but the upscale that is westernized the price also off the wall. Workers still get paid $6 a day. Taco still $.50. Mexico City is the city of protests and demonstrations. I was stuck in taxi for 20 minutes when the demonstration went through. After the protesters and the sea of people on the weekend finally I have chance to take some photo.

  Religious worship here as strong as ever.  Something new they now close the road for the bicycle on Sunday.  You can buy a card and use the bike.  The hard part is you have to breathe harder and go slower.  Well time to hit Oaxaca for the real adventure…Oaxaqueno cooking.  Quieres? Yo si.

  

• Journey to Oaxaca state

  Journey to Oaxaca state

   

  Took overnight bus from D.F. (Mexico City) to Oaxaca was and I was tired some. Checked out of the hotel at 12 noon, but the bus didn’t leave until 11:45 PM. There you go the expert traveler, a lot more time to kill. It turned out my assumption at the bus station was a wacko one. The Tapo bus station was not well equipped like other major cities in the world. There was not a decent restaurant that I can hang out. They were only fast food stands and taco shacks. Yep…stuck in the VIP lounge that at least had a place to sit, slow internet and a self-service vending coffee stand…charming for ADO supremo services. Oh yea and can’t check the luggage until one hour before the bus depart. Yes I am in a hog heaven.

  It took 6 hours on the luxury bus to arrive Oaxaca in the early morning. Another myth that there will be more people in the New Year was revealed that I may not be able to check in my room until noon. Again the great assumer as I am, was wrong. I had checked in around 7 AM. Practically most of the rooms are empty. Where did the gringos go? No quieres Oaxaqueno mole?

  My hotel that I booked online, El Quijote, was sweet but noisy because of the old wood structure and near many minivan bus stations. The room is small with shared bath. Here it come the moment of truth, first I thought my next door neigbour having a great sex because the squeaking noise and my bed was shaking, then the noise stop I was certain that was a quickest sex session that I ever heard. (Someone must be desperate.) Then I realized that when people go up and down stair, my bed is shaking.  Out on my assignment to survey the town looking for my old hotel that I had stayed at 5 years ago. Yes it’s still here and a bit more up to date. My room has TV, Internet, bathroom and the bright light that I can read. Still the price is 300 peso about $22. I moved in the next day. The price is right and the location is great, downtown right next to main market, 20 de Noviembre, and still a quiet place at night. This hotel, Pasaje, has basic room and big enough to have a table and a chair for me to work on. Absolutely great service, they cleaned my room and changed my towel every day. They are better than my unofficial maid that keeps flying out of my house.

  Oaxaca still maintains the old charm and people have not much changed in attitude toward foreigners. Only at the Zocalo that have a group of demonstration camping at the square. As a Thai, I have a great experience with people demonstration, so I can ignore, neglect, deny and look away focusing on my goals to enjoy myself and hunt for the 7 Moles wonders of Oaxacan cuisine. 

   

  El Quijote is not a luxurious hotel but it captures the essence of Oaxaca style well.  With the noise that constantly burst out, I got the hell out of there.

  

  

  My new room is in the Hotel Pasaje was up graded about 3 knots from the edge of the dump to my private sanctuary. So I am now in t a neat and clean little place. Wana join me?

   

   

  Long lasting demonstrator camp site right next to the beautiful church. I was wonder do they go in there and pray?

  

  When night comes, time for food at the central market. I encountered my first Mole Negro, the famous black chocolate mole with chicken. The price based on the part of the chicken 1 piece is 50 pesos, 2 pieces is 80 pesos and so on. It’s just to familiarize with the taste, I ordered 2 pieces. It went well with a cold beer. Ah…if you don’t like beer and want to be trendy right next the mole place it is a fruit shake vendor. The place is very clean and the fruits qualities are up to par. I had the papaya, guava, OJ, cactus fruit and cactus leave blended together. All natural and organic no salt no sugar, can you live with that?  I was amazed why the hell I have forgotten these exotic flavors. I used to hate blended drink, but since I encountered this magical drink I was hooked and hoping that all these natural and organic fruits would make my sex life better. I have it every day for my halfway breakfast before I went for real coffee at the Italian coffee shop at the Zocolo. Me no like cat piss coffee like McDonald serves, y tu?  Now time to put on the apron for my first Oaxaqueno cooking class, wondered which mole I will get to cook at the Casa Crespo restaurant. Help…

  

• Cooking classes begin.

   Cooking classes begin.

  Since various cooking school in Oaxaca are not listed for a class on December 30, so I was curious who is it desperate to open the cooking this day. Went to the tourist information booth and low and behold, there is one opened, The Casa Crespo Restaurant, $55 a pop.  The chef Oscar Carrizosa is running the class. Went there and signed up and met my group. Of course they were the gringos from New York, LA and New Zealand.  The class has no agenda. Oscar brain storm to come up with the dishes that the group agree to do. So we had chosen mole fruta which was the creation of the chef I think. The second dish was fried stuffed plantain. The third dish was Mexican flan.  The fourth dish was mole negro. The fifth dish was stuffed zucchini flower with cheese. And of course you learn how to make tortilla, the tourist one.

  The class began by going shopping for ingredients at the local market. It took about an hour and then we went back to the restaurant. The class format is a typically demonstration which get students to help prepare the ingredients. They called it a hands-on, I said it a crap. People kept on asking for the recipe booklet, Oscar kept on telling he will give out at the end of the class. This is the master of run you over. When I realized that the professionalism was not there and chaos had begun. From the first dish, he rushed into it and skipped many of the steps. Never thoroughly explain how things need to be considered. It’s like a kid following the recipe without knowing what it is for and what the purpose or significance of the ingredients.  One old lady from LA was so annoyed when many people asked, Oscar, the chef, never answered the question. After he has shown several crucial steps of each dish, then he gave them to his staff to finish up in the kitchen. It took about 2 hours of his demonstration and waiting another hour then come the sampling of the food. All the 5 dishes that we were supposed to be educated had flaws. The final product look somewhat decent but when was asked about where the flavors come from, of course; Oscar the chef was not to be found to explain what all is about. Only the staff explained what’s in it. So it was a makeover …sad. The portion of the food that served student at the end was a joke. It was about 2 bite-size of every dish. The mole negro was so so, stuffed plantain is decent, the mole fruta was interesting but the taste was not there.  Stuffed zucchini flower was less desirable. And the flan was so sickening sweet from condensed milk. On top of that there is no such a thing a recipes booklet from this cooking session. There you go the first lesson, the gramer and the fuss. Hasta la vista Oscar. Donde esta me Mole. Give me my money back.

  

• Cooking class with La Cocina Oaxaqueña

   Cooking class with La Cocina Oaxaqueña

  As you might guess I was not satisfied with my first cooking class, so I signed up for another one. This time I hope the cute lady, Socorro Pinelo, on the website will show me a real mole negro. Got picked up by Gerardo the son of Socorro about 9 AM. Again we were taken to another market at the edge of the town. Nothing much different in term of foods and vegetables, they sell the same things. They are limited any way. About 10 AM we arrived at La Cocina Oaxaqueña facility. Off course the place looked charming and was greeted by Socorro. Here came the news. Since there are 3 of us the course will be in English and the great Socorro is out of the picture. Here we go again, the great assumer has failed. Immediately my though flash back to Bill Hanson’s charm about being Babara Wawa, so I started interview my new immediate assigned maestro. He graduated from Culinary school in Puebla. He is 28 year old, still single and had work in restaurant downtown for 3 years, living with the mother and drive a nice car. Que mas? That all I got out of him. Need to take more lessons from Bill again.

  The cooking school format was similar to the last one. Students are kitchen preparation helpers more than just the hands-on lesson. Again he cooked like robot that didn’t bring the heart into it. The explanations of the ingredients were a bit better. Again the techniques in handling ingredient were not yet mastered. I have seen the twist and turn in the main ingredients in Mole Negro. He used cookies instead of bread. This time I saw different type of chocolate for mole. It seemed to be sweeter than the one that I experienced with Oscar which he used bitter chocolate. Well this time beside Mole Negro we learn how to do Guacamole, Tortilla and Mexican rice. There goes a $55 lesson. Sad part of these two lessons students never learned the real taste of the good mole. I really wondered what taste is like. So far no one can give a tip or pin point what is it we are supposed to taste. Well time for me to searching for the real legend, the real Indian that master this mole. After messing around, went upside down, with my good old pal google, he had leaded me to this legend Solidad Ramirez Haras, or known as Sabor de Solidad. Off course she doesn’t speak English and doesn’t drive. She is a 75 years old widow, 2 years ago. No she doesn’t surf on the net nor has her own email address. However, she answers the phone you can contact her at this number 52 951 512 2126. I am on my way to my third cooking lessons but the first with her. Hope this old lady won’t hold back on me. If she does should I spank her?  Beside this is a great way to learn Spanish. Bueno los ninos espera para que? 

  

• Meet my maestro Soledad Ramirez Haras

  Meet my maestro Soledad Ramirez Haras

  After two unsuccessful classes, the luck has begun to crawl on me. The hunt for the mole maestro was met. After several calls in the day time were not successful, I asked the hotel reception to call for me in the evening. Yah Soledad, the legend, answered the phone and agreed to give me cooking lessons. She will meet me at the hotel and we will discuss which dishes which we will be making that day. Then go around the corner to the main market to get all the ingredients. She showed up exactly 9 AM as we agreed, looking sharp and strict. I was glad she didn’t do the Indian time with me. We introduced ourselves, I felt this lady is interesting and has a lot of hidden talent and knowledge in her. However she is of Spanish decent but married to an Indian man. She knew how to cook when she was 8 years old. Well she beat me by a year and 30 years of cooking experiences. There you go, crouching tiger hidden dragon was playing at a moment. Have to pull out the charming book and picked the tactic to settle down the differences. After 5 minutes with millions of questions with my broken Spanish I got her laughing so hard, so she began to relax and more engaging. Glad I don’t have to spank her.

  My instinct comes out, I have to behave. So I followed her like a good little boy following the grandma. I observed her manner and saw how she deals with those vendors. She is much more specific and always exact calculation with the number and how much she has to pay. In this market you can buy any part of chicken, all weight in kilo. They cut and clean for you. One thing that I was amazed neither vendor nor Soledad never took out calculator everything was done on their heads. I was numbed how quick they can crank out the numbers. Have to hide my calculator deep inside my pocket and never tell that I am an engineer. That’s what happens when the vino takes over. The good part of vino is it gives a great sex not a calculation, dah.

  It was a real education to experience on what and where and how to buy the ingredients.  On top of that she picks and chooses her ingredients she buys.  It was similar to my mother. If anything is not so good or anything that you will never use she got it at a half price or less, save face save the friendship of the seller. This indication led me to believe that I will be in a good hand and get to see the original Oaxaqueño mole cooking. Al final esta aqui.

  Her daughter, Yolanda Martinez, swung buy and picked us up then drove back to their house. Soledad has 2 kitchens, one is for the large group handling festival, and another is her livelihood kitchen. Because it is one on one session, we have to use her small kitchen. It was fine by me. We start the session with the breakfast with the chorizo blanco that I bought from the market, it is made from pork and Mexican herbs. She cooked them with lard until it brown and then added free range eggs on top of those cooked chorizo. It was good having some food in your stomach before the session begins. Note: If you are going to take cooking class in Oaxaca, eat your breakfast first or you’ll die. There isn’t any snack or food until the end of the class that can last 3 to 5 hours after the class begins. Sabes?

  Today we are going to do Mole Verde (the green mole) and Mole Coloradolito (the brown mole). I don’t know about you ready or not, I am marching in. We start with the Mole Verde. She start which brining the pork in salt water for 15 minutes. Then put in the pot and add garlic, onion and more salt over the high heat. The mole sauce is made from fresh green herbs and spices, fresh chilies, green tomatillos, the famous masa and the pork stock. It blended together to smooth in the blender. Then she fried the sauce and the lard in a clay pot. Let it cook for 30 minutes then she added the cooked pork and more salt to adjust the taste. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes, it’s done. I was impressed that the dish was such a delightful one. So I made it even more delicioso by balancing the taste. It was a wow factor for me. She give me a big smile, I gave her a big hug. It was light, lean, and very healthy. I am sure it soothing many friends and one particular doctor who doesn’t want sugar in his cooking. One change that I will do is not cooking the meat too long. It got tough. Can’t wait to do the Thai fusion with this dish. If you want to savour it give me a call, would you?

  

• Mole Coloradito

   Mole Coloradito

  Mole Coloradito

  Some said the name of the dish originated from the color of Colorado River when it’s rains. Yes it is a brown color. My maestro said it is a myth. It must be come from an American who might be drunk at the time trying to explain the color. This dish is far more complex and many steps to do. We start with cleaning the raw chicken. The surprising to me was she used salt and lime juice to braise the chicken. Never done that in my life, the only vinegar that I use to save the chicken when it going to be out of commission.  The question I asked, lemon por que? Ella said, it cleans up the fat and make chicken taste better when cooking in the mole sauce. The lime juice also helps hold the chicken intact when over cooked, chicken will not fall apart easily. How about that, a secret of her culinary talent…impressed! She let it sit in that water for 20 minutes then rinsed and added water, garlic and onion and let it cook while starting our ingredients preparation process. 

  The ingredient is lengthy about 20 items but mostly dried spices, a few fresh herbs, and dried chilies. Unlike that Thai curry even though we have extensive ingredients but mainly fresh herbs, fresh chilies, and a few spices. Everything needs to been clean, cut, shopped, and pounding. The amount of time is similar or longer. However with all modern kitchen ads, you and I probably can manage in 2 hours or less. Puedes? Some said just buy them in the market. That was a good I idea if you know who has the best and have been eating them for long enough to know it will turn out right. If Thai curries which I buy at the fresh market in Thailand I know how to handle them. If they are from different places, no way Jose, you can master it. In Thailand the curry paste maker was commercially established 60 years ago.  In the USA we are lucky, those curry pastes are available for sale. And hello all Restaurants and Thai people use them, one is Mae Sree brand and one is Mai Ploy both are commonly found.  Since the mole paste used the longest amount of time for toasting the ingredients and a few quick pan fry, off cause Soledad did not grind her ingredients the ancient way. While the swords still flying, she secretly pulled out the hidden blade, the blender. No she didn’t attach nor throw it at me but she get ready let go of her intensity. She said “I have been using it more than 25 years since I taught at Instituto Oaxaqueña culinary school”. There you have it, who can resist the technology if you can afford it.

  I began to see the significance in each part of the world. Mexican cooking is more into preserved things especially the chilies, a few pickles but the large quantity of dried goods.  Thai also have many varieties of chilies but a few kinds that preserved by air dried or dehydrated them. Thai chilies are far more superior to the Mexican chilies. Thai chilies have impulse degree of spiciness. It will creep on you and go to the ultimate high then start to slowly settle down. It will linger in your throat for good 10 to 20 minutes. The Mexican chilies is similar to the Korean chilies it have spiciness that shoot up sharply to the ultimate high that can burn your throat then vanish. Donde está  mi Mole? Ya continue.

  This coloradito has distinctive taste based on the combination of these two toasted chilies Churcáosle and Ancho Rojo. The sweetness derived from resins and sugar. The most chocking was the bread fried with small lard was a part of the ingredient. If you are allergic to Sesame, skip this dish.  Close to a half cup that was being used in the recipe. After finished cooking I realized that the mole doesn’t have much taste. I insisted to add more salt and sugar to take out the stinginess and from the toasted chilies. First she resisted and said this is how her taste is. I smiled and politely told her it was not flavorful or much of the character. There goes the swords were flying again, the crunching tiger hidden dragon movies still on. The mole didn’t have a punch or the taste that can be remembered. It reminded me of Chinese food which you taste 10 dishes all the dishes are the same.  She took a good look at me and said quieres mass salt? I said intonces mass sugar lo mismo. She didn’t make the eye contact this time and said “Tailandeses comen mass dulce” then gave me the permission to mess around with her cooking. After I got the permission to balancing the taste, I managed to bring out the fruity sweet taste, saltiness, the spiciness which have no after taste from the toasted dried chilies and spices. At this point she began low down her sword and to accept my cooking skill. I told her that I will take a class with her again tomorrow with different mole. This time she was eager to accept. Hope this crunching tiger master will show me more tricks about her Famous Mole Nego and Mole Amarillo. Next… 

  

• Yucateco Cooking with Pillar Cabrera

   Yucateco Cooking with Pillar Cabrera at Casa de los Sabores

  I had picked out this class online before I came to Oaxaca. Curious to know what does Yucatan food look like. Just want to expand my knowledge. When I arrived in Mexico City Ruth Alegria had also recommended this class for me. Voila, I was in the right track. The class is run for English speakers no doubt my class mates will be gringos. They are from New York, Canada, San Francisco and Iowa. We all looked perk up and charming. We met at the restaurant La Olla for the organizer to collect the money before class. Then we walked from there to local market, about 8 blocks. I realized that every edge of town has its own market catering to the neighborhood. Feliz…not. I might say, they are selling the same everywhere else. There is no special market that is specializing in certain thing. After messing around in the market for 30 minutes, Pillar put us on the taxi to go to her house.

  Pillar is the master of organization. She has most of her ingredients prepped before hands. The pork is cooked ahead. Only a few things the students have to do. Again this is not a hand-on class in it is a hold-hand class format. The class menus were Squash flower Quesadillas, Classic chicken soup of Yucatan, Slow cooking achiote pork, and Mango sorbet.

  The class started with the men wear real aprons, the women wear girly ones. Guess who pick up the first one? The big Canadian guy, then followed by the Iowa doctor then the retiree man from San Francisco.  I brought my own because I just knew there will be a funny one available that I don’t dare to wear in public. After many conversations, I final figured it out, we are a family. The Canadians are a couple, the doctor and his wife are in between, the retiree is a good eater, traveler, and taste everything in front of their faces. The two women from New York are also a couple that have a little boy together. Me…I don’t know where to belong!  Can’t find anything legitimate please leave it blank. No hay que adivinar!

  Pillar’s food is an upscale one like other city food. It was organized by small portions and specific lean, clean, and elegant presentation. To me the food was not standing out in taste but based on the white people from Northern Canada, that was excellent to them.  Others were not revealing the opinions or comments. The squad flower dish was standard, it the same as I see in the last two previous classes. The pork dish the flavors were interesting. The soup was somewhat exceptional. Wild turkey was tough and served just a really a tiny portion. The mixed fruits sorbet that has mixed lime juice, mint, sugar, and Mescal; it was excellent. There go this can be a new fusion items for me. What should I put in? Off course fresh young coconut meat & juice, que mass?

  This class I learned that there are about 5 varieties of lemons in Oaxaca. When you cooked them in the open flame, it makes it taste better and the smoky flavor helps accent the characteristic of the dish quite well.  Also notice that the stuffed squash flower with cheese also duplicated every class I took. One thing I have to mention I also loved her modern cooking facility. It is in her two stories house. First floor is all dedicated to cooking class. Up stair is the living quarter. The deco is pleasant. She has a lot of interesting painting, good taste. Pilla’s Mescal tasting was also excellent. She provided the best mescal in town from her friend who runs the mescal tasting tour. The sad part was not enough to get borracho.

  Just remember her Yucateco class is gear toward the fancy gringos that love pretty, like some friends I know who live in Palm Desert.  And if you are one of those, this is a fun class for you. If you are knuckle head like me, go to the next stop. After 3 different cooking classes, they operated in the same format, need to take a break. If they were a cooking demonstration class exist I would sign up for one. This dilemma might give a better perception on cooking class in Oaxaca either hands-not-on or hands-holding class…pick one. Well tomorrow is the next day. Sun will shine and this guy still complain…good life isn’t it? Buenos noche.

  

• Thai cooking lesson in Spanish

  Thai cooking lesson in Spanish with Chef Phant

  Here comes the informal Thai cooking lesson in Spanish. Jerado and I agreed on doing Thai cooking lesson at this facility. The purpose of the class was to gain vocabulary and practice my Spanish. Want to see how much I really need to know and what improvement I have to do. The ultimate goal is to do a Thai cooking class in Spanish. Quires una clase conmigo en Español? And also want to teach the Oaxacan students to learn how to balance the tastes as well as be aware of taste, texture, flavors and how to use it for culinary advantage. Do to the lack of Thai herbs; I set up 4 simple dishes menu for these folks. Panang curry over golden fish, stir-fried chicken with ginger, egg with tamarind sauce, and mixed fruit salad. There are two people that speak English, Jerado and the boy that help translate when I get stuck with the language.

  The day we went shopping most of the exotic shops were closed because of a long holiday. So we manage to buy fish sauce at the Chinese store. Amazingly this guy sells almost everything from the tooth picks to things for worship. The shop looks like a garment shop and art factory and yet in a little corner he sells some ingredients for Asian cooking. We tried to go to the wine store, the place outside was huge but was closes that day. Shame on them I didn’t get to see. There are about 4 Asian grocery stores in Oaxaca. Have not yet been to one. We went to the giant supermarket that as big as Costco. Last time I was here in Oaxaca there no such a thing existed. Ya the rich get richer and the poor still under the barrow especially the people of Indian decent. Soledad told me she pays her helper 150 pesos for 8 hours work. I can’t even buy my doggies treats at Costco. Es muy pore aqui.

  A lesson in knife skill for handling the fish was needed and the julienne technique the fresh ginger been taught. Other skill was not needed. They know what to do with all other ingredients. I gave the overall aspect of the ingredients and its characteristic and the how and why by managing through the touch, look and smell. Then embedded with knowledge of how the scientifically effected the cooking techniques and processes. Boy…they had got it under command good. The hard-boiled egg was fried to emphasis adding texture to the food. Ginger was used to add more aroma and flavor to the dish. The fish sauce, tamarind, and brown sugar use for balancing the taste. So I managed to blow them away no how to use the simple ingredient available to make the dishes muy delicioso. They loved the food and appreciated my effort.  So we ate a whole chicken, 2 kilos of fish and 2 dozen eggs and a lot of beer and Mescal. Feliz…eat your heart out.

  I was impressed with the 12 years old boy’s English, he had never been in the US but he has a teacher from L.A. who comes to Oaxaca every year. He speaks perfect American English, correct grammar and has no accent. I gave him a big head bound. Ya the power of the green and his effort, private lessons give the ultimate gift to this youngster. Too late and too old to be wishing that I had that luck when I was young. Now I am just an old cook that looking for a way to connect with people. En serio desesperado. Don’t be nervous, I won’t harm you, connect with me. I give you a big hug too.

  As far as the lesson goes, I have learned more about the Mexican cooking. Their cooking techniques resemble to the white folks who love to cook but never pay attention to the details or not truly understand what the ingredients are for. Come on baby let me be your maestro for a day or two, it will change your life for good. Buena coma bonita.

  

• Mole Manchamantel

   Mole Manchamantel

  The great cook continued her culinary skills with the choice of mole which contains fruits known as manchamatel.  It was interesting to see how it all plays out between her secrets and the great flavorful fruits in Mexico. It finally answered my curiosity about why the hell the Mexicans don’t cook with fruits. This dish was the great combination of spices and fruits that blow me away once again. Compared to my pineapple red curry, the taste almost as good but the healthier choice is definitely manchamantel. This dish has less fat and off course it will make your belly look extra astonishing. If you want that look that too que esperas?

  We start out by boiling the pork center with bone and all the standard herbs that are used in this dish oregano, crushed garlic, thyme, clove, and Oaxaca pepper; this is  for making a stock and meat later use for serving. The dish was supposed to be a combination of three chilies: Malato, Anchos Rojos and Guajillos, but the master has only two available in hand. She did like my neighbor did, borrowing from the neighbor. That solved the problem. So we start it from there. The interesting thing was she made no compromised, she is tough and as stubborn as I am loving it. She toasted chilies, tomato and tomatillo, but not onion. Sharp tongue like me as quick as my brain the opinion was thrown out so fast. She didn’t have time to react.  She smiled and said to me I knew you are going to ask why. There…she not has got her secret secure and very at observing. After many episodes she knew how to read my mind. Esta senora es muy intelegente. 

  After all the preparation was completed of course there was no stone-hinge grinder that she has being used. The secret weapon was brought out to blend the mole ingredients. This time I don’t have to duck my head down because she was not going to throw it at me. Then she fried the mole main ingredients with the wonderful lard. The fruits: pears, peaches, raisins, pineapple and plátanos. We cut into small pieces to speed up the process.  Then she put them in and but not yet the plátanos. There you go another trick that Soledad throw at me. I throw the question to here why it last, “Contestar muy facile, por que mas tarde.” She replied. The plátanos had tangy taste and cook quickly. Another secret was revealed. We cooked that for about 5 minutes, then she added the plátanos. On top of that she took out more secrets weapon, I almost die this time, azúcar…herray. The she stun me with a splashed of the white vinegar. How was that? Esta supremo especial para te. Then cooked pork was added and continued cooking for 15 minutes before serving. Again her tricks still continue to fascinate me. She said do not cook this mole with vegetable, you will kill the mole sauce. There goes one like after another, she taught a little fat boy to dance. When served, I put more fresh pine apple with it even the old master was approved. Esta feliz cocinando con norsotros, quieres mas?

  

•  Mole Amarillo (The yellow mole)

   Mole Amarillo (The yellow mole)

  Let’s try this beauty. First I thought this mole could be similar to Thai sour yellow curry soup that cooks with fresh fish and preserved sour bamboo shoots. Other thought comes to mind, it must be the yellow curry that was adapted from Southern Thailand that was known outside Thailand as Klang leurng (yellow curry) which always cooked with coconut milk and pumpkin. Most foreigners are not educated enough to know that they are two different dishes and absolutely heaven and earth. Want to learn more about curry come to my pop up restaurant (coming soon). A hora aqui en Mexico mole Amarillo is the name of the game. Estás listo? Vamos a ver. 

  First we went to the market get some chicken because the lady refused to kill her guajolote (turkey), save that turkey. The poor pollos on the scale with the legs flying up the air was going to be eaten by other not us. Mi maestra was not going to go for that, es mucho for her. Then we have to buy the verduras that she no longer has her vegetables in the garden because her in-law had moved in. Here territory was downsizing as she ages. I was confused this dish with the Mole Verde gradients, because they was similar. When she pulled out the dried chillies, los chiles esta differente. They are hujillos and amrillos. It explained itself, spice and yellow. This time I saw the full blown of vegetable being used. Besides having jitomate and tomatillo now we have, potato, chayote, green beans, parsley and coriander. Back to the basic the mole ingredients was roasted and blended. The surprise ingredient was masa (the corn meal that is used for making tortillas). On top of that my maestra made her stock with all the chicken parts and those verduras. First I thought, when the vegetable cooked she will blend them together. Ya…wrong. This dish serves as it is. This is rather amazing to see that the Qaxaquenos eat vegetable! One big think I will change is to use pumpkin, green papaya, or Chinese melon instead of green beans. Keep at all hard vegetable to maintain texture.

  The sauce was cooked for 30 minutes then meat and vegetables were added to the mole and continue cooking until sauce is boiling again then add the masa. Soledad gave a pep talk again if it isn’t boiling do not put the masa in there it will become lumpy. There is the similarity in Thai cooking, if it isn’t boiling do not put the fish sauce in, it will stink.  Masa made the sauce thicker. The same thing when you add corn starch in your sauce, but this is a fresh one. The longer you cook the stickier it will get. If you forgot your mole it will be candy only good for doggies treat. Comprende? At the end she turned off the heat of and added coriander leafs, volar… the damn precious thing is ready to serve. Quien quiere probar? To me it is too mild in spice, the vegetables were good except the green beans they were mushy, falling apart and lost their flavor. This mole is kind of look like a soup and similar to the curry. After had given my negative input on her dish, I was expecting to see some sword flying. This time she briefly looked at me and shook her head. I kinda know what she was thinking; this bastard is hard to please…Tu tengan buen día niños.

  

• Sabor Zapoteco with Reyna Mendoza Ruiz

  Sabor Zapoteco with Reyna Mendoza Ruiz

  After so many round battering with my maestro, so decide to take a break give the old lady a rest for a day or two. The inner drive and curiosity had progress, eager to see the ancient cooking style to add to my Mole knowledge extravaganza far more interesting. Ya… it’s a time to see a real Indian cooking. Had come across the Zapoteco cooking so decided to take peek hoping to see the real ancient world cooking style and perhaps I can learn the accent technology that still co-exist to the modern day. Is this crazy idea or what? Ayúdame por favor.

  The Sabor Zapoteco lesson cost $75 taught by Reyna Mendoza Ruiz. Her house is about 30 minutes by car out of Oaxaca city. Her school is located in her house that Zapoteco village. Women wear traditional cloth but the man has none. It seems to me all Indian man many tribes have no traditional cloth. She took us to her village market to buy the ingredients of the day.  The market is limited in choice, but the vegetable are fresh. There are many fresh cheese vendors. The price is 30% less and people are friendlier. Reyna house was clearly richer than the rest. The place was beautiful and most of the ingredients used were from her trees. She opened the class with Oaxaca chocolate and the postres that she picked up from the market. Then explain the menu what are we going do today. They are Zegueza (Classic Zapoteco chicken corn mole soup based), Flores de calabaza rellenas de queso (Fried stuffed squad flowers), Ensilada de Napales (Cactus salad), Chile Pasilla Oaxaqueno Salsa (Oaxacan spicy sauce), and Nicuatole (Mexican fran). Estás emocionadotodavía?

  After Reyna explained all the dishes and the ingredients, the class seemed to be chaos because we stared to prep everything all at once. Then the cooking begun by her sister without telling what it was until was asked. The old wood stove cooking tool was lit and the asado began.  I was not expected to see the stone and cement construction for the stove system. I thought it is going to be a clay one.  The interesting technique is it uses the fire only one at the front and let the chimney draw the heat to the other cooking plate and out to the air. That is slick. The system is working really well. So we toasted everything in those two clay pan. Now comes the grinder stone-hinge, we take turn grinding the roasted corn. It took a good 10 minutes per handful. That was my exercise of the day besides eating. It took a good two hours for the prepped, cooked, ground, shopped and cut to complete. In the means time the cooking was done simultaneously on the side by her helpers. By the time you know it, all the foods are ready to be eating.

  We gathered around the table, Beer and Mescal were being passed around, then the foods. I didn’t particularly like the stuffed squad flower. It was dipped in egg and rolled in the corn flower. So it graciously soaked up the oil like there will be no tomorrow. When I sunk my expensive teeth in it, the fat was blowing out like a waterfall. Imagined swallowing that grease…Bien comida niños.  The cactus salad was not a pretty one that I would have a desire to meet again. It was still bitter and the slimy was present. The lemon boat might have been sunk in that bowl, it was very sour. I took a bite and spited out half es un ser desagradable. The Desert, Mexican Fran, has no taste it like eating cornstarch with the pretty red color. It reminded me like a Chinese rice flower cake. I can live without it. Here comes the winner the mole/soup. It has interesting texture but similar to the Mole Amarillo. The different was the masa and the corn that roasted and grind by hands. Well tomorrow will be another episode with my maestra, Soledad, to see if we can change the movies with the new moles. Que le va ya bien.

  

• A Famous Mole Negro 

  A Famous Mole Negro 

  Here comes the big event the great famous Mole Negro. Ya… the lengthy list of ingredients were reveled and the preparation in quite involved. The grand master said there is no way around it and we are going to take every step slowly. I told her… Sí hay una manera,  ya… there is a way, the Chinese way! I told her Chinese always figured it out how to make a short cut. She said “esta no es Chino. Cooking chicken parts part was routine because we need the stock to help blending in the mole. There were 25 ingredients that use in her original version. She pulled out her 4 new weapons: chiles chilhuacles, mulatos, pasilla (Mexicano), and chipotles. These were different from those two classes that I took from Gerardo and Oscar. Those two guys had only 3 chilies. I showed the pictures to her; she said not posible, esta loco. Then she turned around to discuss with her helper and they both burst out laughing. There goes the grand master also knows how to gossip and take notes. How bad can that be for a 75 years old lady. Contestado? It was an entertainment of the day for her.

  After she went through the details of all ingredients, I was surprised that only plátano macho is going to be use in this mole.  White Mexican bread also being use, pan fried with oil. Pasas (raisin) and avocado leaves are also part of the ingredients. Holly molli… I was stun when she wiped out the eggs and separated them. She said we are going to use only the yolk. There goes and she had stabbed me so deep this time. Didn’t know this ever coming, egg yolk in mole negro! Boy oh boy… this master has so many weapons hidden.  If I don’t want to get my head cut off, tengo que tener cuidado. Now come all the nuts but not me: almond, peanut, and pecan. Followed by herbs and spices: ajonjoli (white sesame seeds), tomillo (thyme), oregano, cebolla, pimeintas, clavos, canela(cinnamon), ajo, and off course  Oaxaca chocolate (the less sweet one). There are 3 kinds of chocolate that can be used in mole negro, said the master; pure, less, and loaded with sugar. Her choice was chocolate with less sugar because we are going to add sugar at the end to eliminate the bitterness and tartness from slightly burned chilies. Now this resembles a technique with Thai cooking. Now come another hidden secret from Soledad that caused my head to break, toasted fresh ginger. Wow oh wow I have never done that in Thai cooking. This is nueva experiencia, Que mas?

  I was curious to know how she uses the avocado leaf for mole cooking, so I can save those leaves after I prune my avocado tree. Well she toasted them whole and uses it at the last minutes in the mole sauce. That was another hidden weapon I didn’t know; avocado leaves when toasted it give out more flavor and aroma. Now I wonder if the maple leaves can do that too? After toasting and burning for hours then we were ready to make a sauce. The old weapon was pulled out and all ingredients were blended. The mole was cooked for 30 minutes then added cooked chicken then continue cooking for 5 minutes then serve.  Wow as I expected the mole was smooth slightly sweet and chocolaty. Aromatics from the avocado leaves helped change the smell of smoky taste. Overall flavor was very good and balanced. Didn’t taste the bitterness like those two previous moles. This is a true wonder of the Oaxaca mole negro. Now let’s go eat the Oaxaqueno tamales, no quieres? Sígueme.

  

• Tamales Oaxaqueños style

  Tamales Oaxaqueños style

  As we know tamales are found every part in Mexico, this is a kind of Mexican fast food like tacos which you can see on every street corner in Mexico. My master said there are about 5 tamales in Oaxaca that are common but we are going to do 3 different types today: Frijoles, Chípil, and chicken mole negro. So she chose the black bean for frijol, cooked chicken breast with mole negro that we had made, and Mexican herb, (Chípil). It almost the same as Thai steamed sticky rice in palm leave or banana leave. Vamos a ver if the Oaxaca tamales can match Thai stuffed steamed sticky rice known as Kao-thom-mud. 

  Black beans have been soaked since early morning, then cooked with the chicken both with garlic, and onion. The beans were cooked until soft, then blended with dried chili, toasted hoja santa leaves, and salt. Hoja Santa is a native Oaxacan herb that has aroma and flavor.  The blended beans were cooked down until become thicken like a paste. Here come the new trick that Soledad throw at me. Cook the banana leaves and the shredded banana trunk before use. We don’t do that with banana leave in Thai cooking. Because when they are cooked, we want the banana aroma and flavor infiltrate to the food that been wrapped in. Maestra threw out more secret, niños you must check every dried corn leave for the mold. She said if the molded ring is larger than the small finger nail, do not use them because even though you boiled them in water it still can’t get rid of them. That was a scary though because after they have been wrapped you have no way to see the mold because it is in the inside the leaf. How was that the food for thought? I also asked her if is it true that Oaxaca tamales use only banana leaves for shell. She said otra locura. If there is meat involve the answer is yes. Oh…ha the hidden method was revealed.

  Here come the masa (the corn paste). First I assumed that will be used as it comes. My assumption has become more and more wrong. One wrong too many, perhaps I need a new makeover. Ayúdame. First she washed her mesa with cold water and massaged the masa for a while then added baking powder and continued to massage. Then throw out her new weapon the large amount of two cups of manteca (lard), it almost give me a heart attack. Then she passed that to her helper to continue to massage. When the masa was mixed well, she added more stock to loosing up the paste later to be used for spreading. 

  We started our first one with frijoles. The mixed masa was spread thinly on the corn shell then the frijoles was placed on top. The 4 corners were folded in and tied with the threated banana trunk. We did a lot of them, then she turned to me and said here comes the trophy the original Oaxacan tamale. She pulled out the cooked banana leaves and started spreading the mixed masa. Then place the fresh hoja santa leave (stems removed) on top. The mole negro was spread over it then the chicken was place in the center then she added more mole on top and cover with another hoja santa leave (stems removed). Again the 4 corners were pulled in and warped with the banana thread. Here come the chípil (another Mexican herb). The leave pulled out of the stems and ready to be mixed. She added more stock and then chípil then stirred, the paste almost watery. Again the corn shell was use for the dish. Then she bought out the pot and added cooked banana leave first then put all uncooked tamales then covered with another cooked banana leave, then steamed for an hour. Finally it is a tasting time.

  As a personal bet and I hate eating the bean, I gave the frijoles 7 out of 10. The masa did its job very well. It was not dried out like I had in various places. This must be due to the great amount of lard.  The chípil was good. If you are strictly vegetarian it is not for you. Here comes the ultimate tamale. The mole negro with chicken. The contrast of the masa and mole negro lighting up palate it make mole more delicious. The chicken was a bit dried because it overcooked before. Small aroma from the banana leaf does suit the flavor. Over all it will be 9 out of 10. The changes that I will make are partially cooked chicken, change lard to vegetable oil, will add some sugar on masa, and don’t cook banana leave beforehand. Isn’t that delicioso or what? 

  

• Mole Chichilo (or Mole Costeño)

  Mole Chichilo (or Mole Costeño)

  At this point I see the resemblance of moles which are similar Thai curries. The different is there are more than 300 versions that well documented. I truly appreciate Soledad that she manages to maintain traditional Oaxaqueno cooking.  Hopefully more people take the lesson with her before she quits. This mole was created by Juchitan Indians of Oaxaca. The dish looks like the Mole Verde, vegetables were intact (no blending). This is different in color because the different in chili. Also like most Thai curry the mole is named after the type of chili and the region that it comes from. Está usted conmigo;? How was that for the education of the day? 

  The one and only chili chirguade negro was used. The new weapon of Soledad used was the seed from this dried chili. She pan roasted the skin and the seeds. She also threw in a handful of surprise ingredient which I never expected to see in the mole, the cumino (cumin) seeds. Masa was also a part of this dish. Now I can see if you deal with vegetables and a lot of broth, the masa is used for thickening the sauce at the end. Got it? Everything else was routine which made our lesson go faster. Master said, I don’t do this dish that much because my family do not like verdurus that much, they prefer meat and tacos. She drew her eyes low, the cold feeling was creeping into her emotion then she said if my husband still alive, he will eat the whole thing. Thing got quiet then I joke with her now I know why you are a good cook, you do everything to keep your man. She smiled. She moved along after hiding her sad feeling and continued to educate this niños. She also said “I will do the mole when there is an event in the family”. But still which mole will be chosen depends on the occasion like she will not do mole negro for a wedding. There goes the superstitious belief like Thai people can’t wear black clothes to the wedding . Unless you are the devil and want to return the favor because he or she didn’t marry you. Un momento de la venganza.

  The chichilo has a good spiciness from the seed but it had unpleasant after taste. I preferred green mole than this one. Siguiente.

  

• Mole Chichilo (or Mole Costeño)

  Mole Chichilo (or Mole Costeño)

  At this point I see the resemblance of moles which are similar Thai curries. The different is there are more than 300 versions that well documented. I truly appreciate Soledad that she manages to maintain traditional Oaxaqueno cooking.  Hopefully more people take the lesson with her before she quits. This mole was created by Juchitan Indians of Oaxaca. The dish looks like the Mole Verde, vegetables were intact (no blending). This is different in color because the different in chili. Also like most Thai curry the mole is named after the type of chili and the region that it comes from. Está usted conmigo;? How was that for the education of the day?

  The one and only chili chirguade negro was used. The new weapon of Soledad used was the seed from this dried chili. She pan roasted the skin and the seeds. She also threw in a handful of surprise ingredient which I never expected to see in the mole, the cumino (cumin) seeds. Masa was also a part of this dish. Now I can see if you deal with vegetables and a lot of broth, the masa is used for thickening the sauce at the end. Got it? Everything else was routine which made our lesson go faster. Master said, I don’t do this dish that much because my family do not like verdurus that much, they prefer meat and tacos. She drew her eyes low, the cold feeling was creeping into her emotion then she said if my husband still alive, he will eat the whole thing. Thing got quiet then I joke with her now I know why you are a good cook, you do everything to keep your man. She smiled. She moved along after hiding her sad feeling and continued to educate this niños. She also said “I will do the mole when there is an event in the family”. But still which mole will be chosen depends on the occasion like she will not do mole negro for a wedding. There goes the superstitious belief like Thai people can’t wear black clothes to the wedding . Unless you are the devil and want to return the favor because he or she didn’t marry you. Un momento de la venganza.

  The chichilo has a good spiciness from the seed but it had unpleasant after taste. I preferred green mole than this one. Siguiente.

  

• Mole Chichilo (or Mole Costeño)

  Mole Chichilo (or Mole Costeño)

  At this point I see the resemblance of moles which are similar Thai curries. The different is there are more than 300 versions that well documented. I truly appreciate Soledad that she manages to maintain traditional Oaxaqueno cooking.  Hopefully more people take the lesson with her before she quits. This mole was created by Juchitan Indians of Oaxaca. The dish looks like the Mole Verde, vegetables were intact (no blending). This is different in color because the different in chili. Also like most Thai curry the mole is named after the type of chili and the region that it comes from. Está usted conmigo;? How was that for the education of the day? 

  The one and only chili chirguade negro was used. The new weapon of Soledad used was the seed from this dried chili. She pan roasted the skin and the seeds. She also threw in a handful of surprise ingredient which I never expected to see in the mole, the cumino (cumin) seeds. Masa was also a part of this dish. Now I can see if you deal with vegetables and a lot of broth, the masa is used for thickening the sauce at the end. Got it? Everything else was routine which made our lesson go faster. Master said, I don’t do this dish that much because my family do not like verdurus that much, they prefer meat and tacos. She drew her eyes low, the cold feeling was creeping into her emotion then she said if my husband still alive, he will eat the whole thing. Thing got quiet then I joke with her now I know why you are a good cook, you do everything to keep your man. She smiled. She moved along after hiding her sad feeling and continued to educate this niños. She also said “I will do the mole when there is an event in the family”. But still which mole will be chosen depends on the occasion like she will not do mole negro for a wedding. There goes the superstitious belief like Thai people can’t wear black clothes to the wedding . Unless you are the devil and want to return the favor because he or she didn’t marry you. Un momento de la venganza.

  The chichilo has a good spiciness from the seed but it had unpleasant after taste. I preferred green mole than this one. Siguiente.

  

• Mole Rojo (Red Mole) 

  Mole Rojo (Red Mole) 

  You have the black mole one now come the red. Red mole almost has the same ingredient as mole negro but has only two types of chilies: chiguole rojo and chile ancho rojo. There you have the chilies explain the mole itself. The extra ingredients were Almond and Cinnamon. The length of the preparation was less than the negro. This time the thyme, oregano, and cinnamon were toasted. The surprise was the pasas (raison) which were lightly toasted. The taste was as complex as mole negro but had more spiciness in it and off course it is not sweet. As my master was perfecting her taste I convinced her to add some sugar in it. This time she let me take over. So I slipped in more salt and a full spoon of brown sugar. Still the taste can’t be balance as I want it to be. So another spoon of sugar was added. Now we are talking.  Sugar began to draw out all the accents of the ingredients and blended the tastes. This time the wow factor came along. I got the biggest smile from her. She apparently loved the taste. If it my version, I will add more chili to have a kick of spice and more plátanos and banana to give a natural sweetness. I noticed that all the dried herbs that we used could not be detected either in aroma or taste. I will use the fresh herbs last minute like Thai cooking. This dish can be a real treat me. Spices…spices…spices… and balancing the taste, don’t forget to let the ingredient to do the work. Feliz cocina.

  There you have it the 7 moles from Oaxaca.  As per a great judgmental like me, I will rate these moles based on my preferences form the best down. Mole Verde, Coloradito, Negro, Amarillo, Rojo, Manchamantel, and Chichilo. Time for play, off course have to involve sand, sun, sex (perhaps), adventure and freedom. Never mind people around you and nobody care if you have clothes on or not. Let’s go see the pretty and the ugly. It will be hard not to judge, I will try not to. If I can make this place as my sanctuary in the future, it would be great. Destination, Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico, let’s go. Vamos a tener un poco de diversión.

  

• Zipolite: The nude beach ecstasy

  Zipolite: The nude beach ecstasy

  After being busy having fun with the mole adventures, now fun time began. Zipolite is located between Puerto Escondido and Puerto Angel. However, the Airports are in Huatulco and Puerto Escondido. Study your map, would you? You can fly from LA or Huston direct to Huatulco on United Airlines. Arrangement for the ride from airport is needed because Zipolite is about good 45 minutes taxi ride and 300-500 pesos to get to the beach. Please use your charm to convince the hungry driver that you are a tough cookie not a sucker.  There is no direct bus from the airport. If you come by bus from other destination like Mexico City, personally I do not recommended because it about 14-16 hours and the road has many curves and many topes (speed bump). It is not going to be a pretty picture for well to do folks. This is time, money and luxury count. Make your extravaganza adventure worth something or you suffer to the rest of the trip.

  This beach is well known as a nude beach but really clothing is optional here. Only a few Mexicans go naked the rest are foreigners who want to show off what they have. Some was bearable, a few were good looking but most of them needed to put the clothes back on, it’s kinds of ruining the atmosphere, I will say. Well since I am here “do like to Roman do” go with the flow vamos a ver what will happen?  What the heck this town has the best attitude for a free country, do as you please niño. Mente su propio negocio (mind your own business).  Absolutely the beach has many things to offer. Many great accommodations for a real bargain offers to all walk of life wither your look, status, or differences; it’s all irrelevant here. Nobody care about what you have. It’s just a place to let go and get lost. The hotels range from $8 to $50. To me it is a steal. I was enjoying people watching, swimming, sun bathing, and even do hippy dancing, and off course got to cook and eat the mariscos del mar as fresh as they be. Have been munching them todosl los días. Happy like a bug. Free at last almost do the break-dance head spin, if I wasn’t loaded.

  Zipolite is a wonderful beach that has the large volume of sand and the tide difference is close to 2 meters.  You can swim, the water temperature around 65°F – 70°F totally it up to you. I saw many people swim at night and before drawn. No shark feeding frenzy here. If you are a whale watcher, you will see them here they popup in the middle of the ocean every day.  Glad… I was here and loving it. Let me soak up the sun of today day before it is gone. Tomorrow will explore the young hippy territory and explore the neighboring towns. Will see if I get any real excitement or I get lucky. Desearme suerte.

  

• Puerto Angel, the fishing village.

  Puerto Angel, the fishing village.

  Before I came to Mexico, I was studying the place and location but all of this area doesn’t have good information. Even google looking the results were grim. Almost booked the place in this town but the gut instinct kicked in…nope.  This town is located about 2 KM East of Zipolite. We take the taxi (collectivo) meaning they pick up more people as they goes. It cost 12 pesos. The place is interesting because of the rolling hills and very laid back scene. It’s atmosphere like Thai upcountry, people are friendly and weather is hot and humid. This place also has beautiful beaches and a few small hotels. But the beach is preserved for the fishing boats only. The main economy is fishing not a tourist destination. The pretty people like you and I would come here for photo op. there is a bank that you can use your ATM card or the money exchange. And no security guard here you are safe. Passport is needed to exchange the cash because the government controls the bank activity. Not much to do here beside buying the fresh fish or eating at the restaurant.  We spend half an hour did not even have a lunch, see… how much we love this place, hated it. Then we headed back to Zipolite to eat more mariscos and spend my time at the beach enjoying the beer and soaking up the sun. Life is good. Feliz trabajo amigos. Buena suerte.

  

• Ventanilla, the crocodiles heaven

  Ventanilla, the crocodiles heaven

  Ventanilla, the crocodiles heaven

  There are two things that you need to explore; the tortugas and cocodrilos. From Zipolite we took a local collectivo (blue truck with cover shell) heading to Mazunte, San Agustin where most of the young hippies are concentrated. Things are cheaper here but the charm was absent so we decide not to stop here.  The ride from Zipolite to Ventanilla was 16 pesos about 20 minutes, then we had 15 minutes walked from the main road to the beach where the organized tour counters were there waiting to sell the tour for us. The boat ride is 55 pesos per person for 1 hour. Swimming with the crocodile is free of charge. Iguana tamales available on site with or without skin are the choices. But no turtle soup sorry folks it’s illegal. The guide said there might be some boa for you to pet if you feel lucky today. The challenge was we have to walk on the beach to the boat dock on the hot sand for good 10 minutes. If you can’t walk well this is not for you. Then the guide showed us how hot the sand can be. Yes it was damn hot because the sand had metallic component that can magnetize. He pulled out the magnet and draw on the sand and sure enough the black particles were flowing out from the sand like mad. Ya, learning something new. Since there is no path way or ride and the disabled sign is not available, there is no money back guarantee. And there is no carriage ride either. Unlike Thailand we have a carriage ride service if you want one especially at Pukradung National Park that people had to hike up the mountain for 3 and half hours to get to the top. At this short distance and the soft hot sand they ought to have some way to carry the unequipped people to the dock. Off course I great assumer always assumes. It my nature, if you want to join my club it’s also free of charge.

  At the dock I could see one of my new boyfriend cute as he could be lying close to the beach. That was a good sign that I might have chance to swimming with the crocodile today. Vamos a ver. The ride was pleasant but need more time. If I will do it again will hire the boat for 3 hours and go deeper into the mango swamp to see more of my friends and perhaps mingle with the boa or have some lunch either me or those exotic ones.

  Leave the cocodriles alone and heading to the tortugas aquarium. The display was not that good. It is a small place and less animals.  Also under construction it is not worth 35 pesos to get in. There you go the great Zipolite trip, do not forget the sandal and good suntan lotion. They are not a big fan here the basic Coppertone at any number is not available. The Nivea craps are a bundle. Mosquito repellant is needed, they sell it here indeed but all contain deet. Sanitation here was not up to the par the mosca (fly) was also a bundle. Do tag along your Imocium for you extravaganza vacation or you might have to poop your way through the trip. Heading back to the DF (Mexico City) for more mole cooking with my new friend, Isamel. Por favor venga a Mexcio…Viva Mexico.

  

• Mole Pipián with Ismael

  Mole Pipián with Ismael

  Got a chance to meet another mole master and he agreed to teach me how to do 3 more moles that are on my list. So I jumped in as soon as I got back to DF. The challenge was my master, Ismael, lives out skirt of the city about 2 hours from the central. We took a taxi from last stop of the subway heading north. Then we took a small bus to his house. Along the road there was a large amount of empty land that will be for the new future airport. And other side is the government housing projects that better than HUD because you can buy it. It was a fraction of the actual price that all the government workers have credit through his or her work life with the government jobs. The sad part was the house projects look like institutions to me. Along the road was the intense smell form the sewer that had been transfer from the city to the plant. It was on a canal and open air. After 20 minutes of that smell we arrived at another section of town. Again the same housing projects were newer and further out. Ismael said about 1 million people live around here. And not to surprise the crime rate is a routine. He has 4 locks in front of his door. He said this is life in the projects, protecting yourself is necessity. We arrived at his house around 2 PM so we want shopping for the ingredients then he began his teaching method.

  We picked the first common one was Mole Pipián. This mole originated from Puebla. It contains standard ingredients and the additional ones like dried rosemary, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and 3 types of chilies: guajillo grande, ancho, and guajillo pequeñillo.  When I saw the peanuts first I thought it could be similar to my Satay sauce that has peanuts as the base. The pumpkin seeds were toasted and unshelled make the dish more interesting. But the dam thing was difficult to unshell. Even my monkey spirit was deteriorating. It’s time consuming, hate that. The surprise was the equal amount of Mexican sesame seeds and peanuts. This dish was really buttery based on these two main ingredients. The spiciness was mild comparing to Masaman curry that I use in satay sauce.  Again witness another mole where the meat was cooked to death. Got too many of those my teeth began to move. When I create my Oaxaqueño-Thai, it will be different. Definitely the buttery taste of the dish was unique and noticeable. If the sauce was cooking longer it can used it like a peanut butter that contain spiciness. Quieres probar?

  

  

• Mole Poblano with Ismael

  Mole Poblano with Ismael

  Got a chance to see the farmer market in his neigborhood, it was quite remarkable. All the fresh ingredients are presented here. The prices were half and better looking than in the suppermarket in the city. One big thing in meat and chicken market was they are never be on ice or refrigerated. They are spread out on the table until it sold. The early bird get better quality. They clean and trim fat for you this included in their services. That was a bonut you can pick any part you want. They even fillet and pouded (flattern the meat) for you.  The variesty of fruits and vegetables are more selection than supper market that was surprised me. Like any other markets the local food are sell here too, taco, soup and carne also avialble. Here you can have $2 mexican breakfast.  After gathering all the ingredient needed we head back to the kitchen.

  Mole Poblano has 4 differents of chilies: Ancho, Pallcilla, Molato and Chipote.  The new spice was introduce to me in Mole cooking, the Anise or anisseed. Almon, raison, peanut, chiliseed and chocrate con azugar were used. The commomn spices were still intach of the basic mole. This time all the spices except sesame were toasted with vegetable oil. This mole has a right balance in taste and a good kick of spices form those four chilies. It needs aromatic to perfect the dish. Isamel said it goes well with fried shrimp, egg or hard vegetable. I tried it with old palin fresh tomato. It was good, wondered if serve with unriped mango how the tast would be? Qué interesante. Any other idea?  Entrada por favor.

  

• Mole Almendrado with Ismael

  Mole Almendrado with Ismael                   

  Ismael comes from a large family; if I am not mistaken he said he has 27 siblings. The only way he can eat comfortably was to be in the kitchen with his mother. He learned how to cook at very young age and he also used to work in the restaurant as a cook for years. I was impressed every time I talk about mole at any kinds he could spit out the list of ingredients in each mole. First I was skeptical about it. As you know me, take time to check the reference and verify the facts is art of my routine. Sure enough he had it right on nail every time. This guy is good. There are 3 chilies involved: ancho macho, chipotle, and ancho picante. The rest of the ingredients were somewhat identical with mole Poblano.  But there were more unique ingredients that were added. ajonjolí (sesame), semilla de cilantro, bolillo (Mexican bread) and tertiary (crispy burnt tortilla). The techniques also different, he toasted garlic, onion, and tomato. The rest were pan-fried with a little oil. Then everything (except chocolate) was blended. Learned a new trick from him; don’t put the chocolate in the blender until the oil is floating to the top. Oh ha. This is slick because when the sauce is cold the oil still stickled on the surface of the ingredients the chocolate and sugar will not be able to penetrate or mix well. That is the mole science of the day. sabe?

  I began to appreciate it with a combination of fried plantano, raison and chocolate it was the best combination of sweet in Mexican cuisine which can take your pallet to town.  The burning tortilla somehow didn’t seem significant. It added a bit of tannin and bitterness to the sauce. To me the sauce also had a good mix of a buttery taste and this works well when serving with fresh fruit like apple or pear. Ismael said if this dish is cooked with Pavo (turkey) it will have the best outcome.  Well even though we make from chicken, I ate the whole damn thing in a flash with a help from my good old pal, Cabernet Sauvignon. Well I was cooking the moles, I ate them and then it was time to head back to the big city, the DF. Chill out for a day or two before going back home to reality… work… who said that?

  

• Hasta luego Mexico. Te quiero mucho

  Hasta luego Mexico. Te quiero mucho

  Mission accomplished I offend the mole masters. I would like to leave you with the beautiful sunrise and sunset in the same fabulous Zipolite beach, the number 603 Soledad home kitchen where I learn to cook my moles, El bazaar Sobado in Jan Jacinto, fabulous street vendors, a few new friend that I made on this trip, the cactus garden at Santo Domingo church, and of course the great moles that waiting for you to try. I am heading back to my kitchen to mix up some new tastes for you. If you want to try my version Oaxaqueno-Thai fusion at my location please make reservation through my website or give me a call. I will be glad to serve you one of a kind that can blow your mind. Until then…Siguiente via donde?