Destination
Puerto Vallarta
The story
Machacado de elote is a specific southern-Mexican preparation of young corn — the fresh, sweet, waxy kernels of just-harvested elote — coarsely mashed with the back of a spoon or a metate and slow-cooked with butter, cream, epazote and a mild chile into a rich savoury porridge halfway between polenta and street corn. Most common in Guerrero and Michoacán and increasingly seen at Puerto Vallarta and Cancún restaurants offering regional Mexican tasting menus, it's a rustic side dish that also functions as breakfast (with an egg on top) or as a light dinner (with tortillas and salsa on the side). The word "machacado" means "pounded" or "mashed" — the technique of rough-crushing rather than blending is the defining feature.
Method
Slice the kernels off the cobs with a sharp knife over a wide bowl. You should have about 800g of kernels. Reserve a handful for garnish.
Working in batches: pulse the corn kernels briefly in a food processor 5 to 6 times, until roughly broken up — you want 60% mashed and 40% still whole. Alternatively, put in a heavy bowl and pound with the base of a jar. Do not overprocess; this is a rustic mash, not a purée.
Melt the butter in a wide heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and chopped poblano; cook 2 minutes.
Tip the mashed corn into the pan. Add the salt, pepper and sugar. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the corn starts to catch on the base of the pan and turn faintly golden — the natural sugars caramelise. If it sticks too hard, add a splash of water.
Pour in the crema and add the chopped epazote. Stir to combine. Cook 3 more minutes until the mixture is bubbling and glossy.
Off the heat, fold in half the queso fresco and half the cotija. The heat will melt them slightly into the corn. Taste and adjust salt.
In a separate pan, fry an egg per person in a little butter or oil, keeping the yolks runny.
Spoon the machacado into shallow bowls. Top with the fried egg (if using), the remaining crumbled cheeses, extra crema, sliced radish and coriander. Dust with chile piquín. Serve with warm tortillas, salsa on the side and lime wedges. Eaters break the yolk and stir it through the corn.
Tips
- Do not blend. This is the whole point of machacado. Mashed corn has texture — a mix of whole kernels, broken bits and starchy liquid — that a blender destroys. Pulse briefly or pound by hand.
- Catch the corn on the base of the pan. Letting the corn stick briefly, then scraping up, is what gives the dish its golden colour and slightly-caramelised flavour. Don't stir too often.
- Fresh corn is best. Frozen works but the flavour is a step down. If using frozen, thaw and drain thoroughly first.
- Poblano gives it Guerrero identity. Mild, herbal, faintly bitter — the charred poblano is the marker of a Guerrero-style machacado. Skip it and you have a plain corn porridge.
- Egg on top makes it breakfast. Without the egg, machacado is a side. With a runny yolk on top and a stack of hot tortillas, it's a full breakfast.
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