All the flavors of Yucatán are found in this dish. The cilantro, habanero chiles, and epazote all come together here and the diner has a choice of green or red sauce or both over the poached eggs. Cook the sauces first, so that they are ready when the eggs are done.

This recipe appeared in the article Chile-Spiced Brunch Ideas for Mother’s Day on the Burn! Blog.

Ingredients

Green Sauce:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

4 epazote leaves, chopped

10 tomatillos or 8 green tomatoes, coarsely chopped

3/4 to 1 cup water

1 habanero chile, seeds and stems removed, halved

4 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 green bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeds and stem removed, quartered

2 teaspoons coarsely chopped epazote

Red Sauce:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

8 tomatoes, roasted and peeled and quartered

1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 habanero chile, seeds and stem removed and cut in half

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

The Eggs:

12 fresh eggs, poached in molds, or in a large skillet with 2 tablespoons vinegar added to the water

Instructions

To make the green sauce, heat the oil in a small skillet and saute the epazote and the tomatillos for 1 minute, or until the tomatillos are softened. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes, and then place it in a blender with the water, habanero chile, cilantro, salt, bell pepper, and the epazote and puree the mixture. Return this mixture to the skillet and keep it warm.

To make the red sauce, heat the oil in a small skillet and add the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, salt, and the chile and saute for 1 minute. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then pour it into a blender and puree. Return this mixture to a small saucepan, add the 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, and keep the sauce warm.

Place 2 poached eggs on a warm plate and serve with the red and or green sauce (or both) over them.

The city of Motul near Mérida is where this recipe originated. This is Yucatan’s version of huevos rancheros. The chiltomate is a very traditional Yucatecan tomato sauce; some cooks say that the tomatoes should just be grilled and never fried, and still others maintain that frying brings out additional flavor. In addition to breakfast, serve this as an accompaniment with some spicy grilled fish for a big, luscious Yucatán-style dinner.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons corn oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tomatoes, grilled, peeled, chopped

1 habanero chile, seeds and stem removed, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chicken stock or water

10 corn tortillas, cut into eighths, fried, drained, and coarsely crushed by hand or substitute 3 cups coarsely crushed packaged corn tortilla chips

3 cups refried black beans, thinned with 3 tablespoons water

10 fried eggs

1 cup chopped boiled ham

1 1/2 cups cooked peas

1 1/2 cups crumbled queso blanco or substitute goat cheese or feta

Optional garnish: sliced bananas

Instructions

Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet and saute the onion for 1 minute, and then add the garlic, tomatoes, habanero chile, salt, and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes, adding chicken stock if the mixture gets too thick.

While this mixture is simmering, arrange the tortilla chips on a warm platter and cover them with the hot refried beans.

Top the beans with the fried eggs, ham, peas, and cover with the simmering tomato sauce. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and serve.