Destination
Cuenca
The story
Mote pillo is Cuenca's daily breakfast: cooked mote (large-kernel hominy corn) scrambled in a wide hot pan with butter, red onion, garlic, achiote, a splash of milk and, at the very end, whisked eggs that coat every kernel in a soft, glossy scramble. Finished with fresh coriander and (traditionally) a scatter of crumbled queso fresco. Served with a boiled potato, a piece of grilled sausage or a slice of fried cheese, and always a small cup of strong coffee.
Method
Heat the achiote oil and butter in a wide heavy pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and spring onion. Sweat 4 to 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add the mote, salt and pepper. Toss to coat in the coloured oil. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are hot through and lightly toasted at the edges. This step matters; cold mote gives you a limp scramble.
Pour the beaten egg and milk mixture into the pan. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula for 60 to 90 seconds, moving the egg through the mote as it sets, until the egg is just barely cooked and coats every kernel in a soft, glossy scramble.
Off the heat, stir in the coriander and taste for salt.
Divide between 4 plates. Scatter with crumbled cheese. Serve with a boiled potato or grilled sausage and a strong black coffee.
Tips
- Pre-cooked mote is what you want. Latin grocers sell mote already cooked, drained and ready to use. Uncooked dried mote takes 90 minutes to boil; there's no home advantage to starting from scratch.
- Toast the mote before adding egg. A few minutes in the coloured oil warms the kernels and adds a subtle browned note. Cold mote plus egg gives you a wet scramble.
- Whisk milk into the egg. The milk keeps the scrambled egg soft and stops it turning rubbery in the hot pan. A tablespoon per egg is the ratio.
- Cook the egg fast, off the heat if needed. 60 to 90 seconds max, stirring constantly. Overcooked egg is the most common home-cook failure. Pull the pan off the heat if you see it going too far.
- Cheese scattered on top, not stirred through. Adding the queso fresco off the heat keeps it crumbly and cool against the hot mote. Melted cheese changes the dish.
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