From the Yucatan in the South of Mexico, soft eggs sit on top of refried beans and slightly-crisp corn tortillas. Sprinkled with ham and peas and covered in salsa, this dish is incredibly satisfying.
Chef's notes
Huevos Motulenos is a great way to use leftover re-fried beans. If you make the beans the day before, this recipe can be made in under 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can use canned, re-fried beans - just heat them through before using.
Steps
1
Making the Refried Beans
Ingredients
1 cup dried, black beans (soaked)
1 clove fresh garlic
1/4 white onion
1 tsp epazote
1 tbsp kosher salt
3/4 cup canola oil (for frying)
First sort through the beans and remove any stones. Rinse them well and cover with cold water. Soak the beans for up to 8 hours (or overnight).
If you have forgotten to soak the beans in advance, bring them to a boil over high heat for about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and continue with the recipe.
To cook the beans, first drain the soaking liquid. Rinse and place into a medium-sized pot. Mince the garlic and onion. Add these to the pot, along with the epazote. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for about an hour, or until the beans are almost cooked through.
Once the beans are almost done, add the salt. When tender, drain and reserve about one cup of the cooking liquid.
Place the beans into a food processor. Add the reserved liquid, a few tablespoons at a time. Add just enough liquid to help blend the beans. They should still be a bit chunky.
To fry the beans, heat a small, non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the beans and stir to heat through. You can break up the beans even more with a potato masher, if you like. Let the beans fry for a few minutes until the excess moisture evaporates.
Set aside and keep warm while you prepare the rest of your mise en place.
2
Preparing your Mise en Place
Ingredients
3 oz honey ham, sliced
2 tsp canola oil (approx.)
1 cup Salsa de Molcajete (on Rouxbe)
2 corn tortillas
1/2 cup refried beans
kosher salt (to taste)
To prepare the rest of the ingredients, dice the ham into approximately 1/2" -inch pieces and set aside.
Heat a small fry pan over medium heat. Add about 1 teaspoon of the canola oil and cook the salsa until most of the excess liquid has evaporated.
While the salsa cooks, bring a small pot of cold, salted water to a simmer (to later cook the peas).
Next, heat another fry pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the tortillas with a bit of canola oil. Once the pan is hot, gently fry the tortillas until lightly golden and crispy, but still pliable, about one minute per side. Place onto a plate lined with paper towel.
Spoon a few tablespoons of the refried beans onto each plate and then top with a tortilla and a bit of diced ham. Once the salsa has cooked, check for seasoning and set aside.
3
Cooking the Eggs and Assembling
Ingredients
1 tsp canola oil
1/3 cup frozen peas
2 large eggs
2 tbsp feta cheese
kosher salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
To finish the dish, heat a fry pan over medium-low heat and add the oil. Crack the eggs into the pan and sprinkle with a bit of salt. While the eggs are cooking, make sure the salsa is nice and hot. Cook the peas in the salted, simmering water for a couple of minutes.
Fry the eggs just until the whites are set (sunny-side up) or however you prefer. Once the peas are done, drain and set aside.
To finish assembling, top each tortilla with an egg and some of the peas. Finally, spoon some salsa over top and garnish with a bit of crumbled feta and a pinch of freshly cracked pepper. Serve.
The First 3 Are On Us
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The cheese we use back in México is called "Queso Fresco" and I just realized it can be found in Vancouver, there are two places, The first place is a little market on Commercial and 1st, the second one is called "Cilantro & Jalapeño" 736 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5Z.
I must give it to you, Feta cheese is a great substitute, great recipe.
I can't find dried epazote but I can find fresh. Is it ok to substitute 3x the amount of fresh epazote? Would I just add it to the final 10 mins or so of cooking the beans?
Great to use fresh epazote if you can get it! I tend to add it at the beginning of the process so it mellows and melds with the flavor of the beans. I also like epazote "less cooked" as well - as I think it brings forth a different (more herbal) flavor than long, slow cooking offers (which is earthier).
3-4x is a good starting point... I usually throw a few small sprigs in as I rather like the flavor. ~Ken
What color; green or purple? Green has a lighter cinnamon-like flavor, common in japan and is used in many Japanese dishes to include sushi. Purple/red epazote has a stronger, spicer anise flavor and is common in Mexican/Spanish preparations.
Hope this helps.
Absolutely Chef. Ken; my response is incorrect, for that I apologize too all that were mislead by my post. In my neck of the woods purple epazote grows like wild fire, on the side of the streets, cracks of side walks etc...I use it everyday. While describing the two, I apparently confused the use of Perilla (Asian) which I have been growing for 4-5 years for green epazote. Both Shiso and Perilla are of the mint family; Shiso being more potent with cinnamon notes as does green Epazote. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
I grow my own herbs generally and since making the beans myself with fresh epazote from a nearby mexican market, decided it was a good herb to add to my garden. So I'm now growing it with the goal of making beans each week.
Tried this one yesterday. I used pinto beans as my store had no black beans available. I also left out the epazote as I couldn't find any. The beans were delicious even before the fry...SO much better than anything canned. I only fried the beans in 1/2 the amount of oil this recipe calls for though - as the full amount just seemed like a lot. I understand the reason for frying the beans in lard or other animal fats (as it likely adds lots of extra flavor), but it didn't seem like the fry did too much to enhance the flavor of beans (unless that additional fat I left out would have made a huge difference) - I used canola oil. I felt like the ham needed something extra, so I crisped it up in my cast iron skillet - which ultimately I preferred much more than without the crispiness. I used tomatillos for the salsa. Even though I got them pretty charred in the cast iron skillet, I'm not sure I cooked them enough as I still had trouble getting the skins off (even after the steam), so I went ahead and put them in the food processor (skins and all). Obviously, I got a much smoother salsa, but it was still delicious! I fried the corn tortillas as directed and they were extremely tasty, with some bite to them (not crispy), but I did find they were difficult to cut through when eating. I may fry them to a more crisp texture next time. Once assembled, I was so impressed with this dish! I love mexican food and this was the first time I have ever made my own refried beans and salsa. It was absolutely worth the time and effort! Can't wait to make this one again!
Hi Sunnie! I love hearing your recipe recaps. You always have so much insight. Paying attention and modifying as you go is the best way to perfect your cooking and make recipes your own. Way to go. Lauren
Ivan C •The cheese we use back in México is called "Queso Fresco" and I just realized it can be found in Vancouver, there are two places, The first place is a little market on Commercial and 1st, the second one is called "Cilantro & Jalapeño" 736 W Broadway Vancouver, BC V5Z. I must give it to you, Feta cheese is a great substitute, great recipe.
Mika L •I can't find dried epazote but I can find fresh. Is it ok to substitute 3x the amount of fresh epazote? Would I just add it to the final 10 mins or so of cooking the beans?
Ken R • Rouxbe Staff •Great to use fresh epazote if you can get it! I tend to add it at the beginning of the process so it mellows and melds with the flavor of the beans. I also like epazote "less cooked" as well - as I think it brings forth a different (more herbal) flavor than long, slow cooking offers (which is earthier). 3-4x is a good starting point... I usually throw a few small sprigs in as I rather like the flavor. ~Ken
Myles S •What color; green or purple? Green has a lighter cinnamon-like flavor, common in japan and is used in many Japanese dishes to include sushi. Purple/red epazote has a stronger, spicer anise flavor and is common in Mexican/Spanish preparations. Hope this helps.
Sunnie S •Tried this one yesterday. I used pinto beans as my store had no black beans available. I also left out the epazote as I couldn't find any. The beans were delicious even before the fry...SO much better than anything canned. I only fried the beans in 1/2 the amount of oil this recipe calls for though - as the full amount just seemed like a lot. I understand the reason for frying the beans in lard or other animal fats (as it likely adds lots of extra flavor), but it didn't seem like the fry did too much to enhance the flavor of beans (unless that additional fat I left out would have made a huge difference) - I used canola oil. I felt like the ham needed something extra, so I crisped it up in my cast iron skillet - which ultimately I preferred much more than without the crispiness. I used tomatillos for the salsa. Even though I got them pretty charred in the cast iron skillet, I'm not sure I cooked them enough as I still had trouble getting the skins off (even after the steam), so I went ahead and put them in the food processor (skins and all). Obviously, I got a much smoother salsa, but it was still delicious! I fried the corn tortillas as directed and they were extremely tasty, with some bite to them (not crispy), but I did find they were difficult to cut through when eating. I may fry them to a more crisp texture next time. Once assembled, I was so impressed with this dish! I love mexican food and this was the first time I have ever made my own refried beans and salsa. It was absolutely worth the time and effort! Can't wait to make this one again!
Lauren L •Hi Sunnie! I love hearing your recipe recaps. You always have so much insight. Paying attention and modifying as you go is the best way to perfect your cooking and make recipes your own. Way to go. Lauren