Rachel Khong shares recipes, anecdotes and history of everyone’s favorite ingredient in All About Eggs.
This is a very straightforward breakfast dish from Motul on the Yucatán Peninsula. The contrasts really appeal to me: the sweetness of the plantains with the saltiness of the ham and the spiciness of the sauce. Some people put sour cream on it, but I don’t think it needs any because of the queso fresco. Huevos Motuleños already has all the perfect elements, if you can get a bite of everything together in your mouth at one time. It’s a classic breakfast dish.
—Karen Taylor
2 servings
- Fill a large pan with 1 inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium heat, until a tortilla crumb sizzles gently when it hits the oil. Add 1 tortilla at a time and fry until halfway crisp. Remove and let drain on a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the plantain and sauté until golden, about 6 minutes. Reserve for plating.
- In the same pan, heat another 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the eggs and fry until you have soft yolks.
- Assemble the motuleños: Place 2 tortillas on each plate, layer each tortilla with 1 slice of ham and 1 fried egg. Top each egg with habanero salsa, 4 or 5 slices of plantain, the peas, and queso fresco. Serve with black beans, if you like.
- Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. Blanch the tomato until its skin has shriveled and it is heated through, about 2 minutes. Drain and reserve on a paper towel until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin and core. 2. Roast the habanero under a broiler or in a dry skillet until soft and charred all over, about 3 minutes. Remove the habanero stem and discard.
- In a blender or food processor, blend the tomato and habanero until smooth. Salt to taste.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion and sauté until it’s soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato-habanero mixture and cook for a few minutes, until slightly thickened and fragrant. Thin with water or chicken stock if needed to make a cohesive salsa.
Reprinted from Lucky Peach All About Eggs. Copyright © 2017 by Lucky Peach, LLC. Photographs and illustrations copyright © 2017 by Tamara Shopsin and Jason Fulford. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
