Motuleño eggs (huevos Motuleños)

This beloved Yucatán dish takes its name from the town of Motul.

Motuleño eggs. Credit: Paul H. Christian / Pati's Mexican Table

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• ¼ cup vegetable oil, divided, plus 1 teaspoon for the eggs, more if needed
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 900 g (2 lb) ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste, plus more for the eggs
• 115 g (4 oz) diced deli ham
• 1-2 fresh habaneros or to taste
• ¾ cup fresh peas or thawed frozen peas
• 1-2 very ripe large plantains, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 5-6 mm (¼ inch) slices
• 8 toasted or fried corn tortillas (see Instructions)
• 8 eggs
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup Colado Black Beans or refried beans, warmed up
• ½ cup crumbled queso fresco (see Note)

Instructions

1. To make the sauce, heat 1½ tablespoons of the oil (30 ml) in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Once it shimmers, add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it starts to soften, then add the tomatoes and salt. Cook for 15 minutes, with the lid on, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes start to break down and change colour.
2. Add the ham and habaneros, cover, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, until the sauce has a more cooked aroma and looks darkened. Add the peas, cover, and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes, turn off the heat.
3. To cook the plantains, heat the remaining 1½ tablespoons of the oil (30 ml) of oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the plantain slices and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, until softened, cooked through, and beautifully browned and caramelised. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
4. You can crisp the tortillas by shallow frying in a couple of tablespoons of oil, or you may heat them for a few minutes on a dry skillet or comal over medium heat, until completely toasted and crunchy.
5. To cook the eggs, I like to use a small nonstick pan with a lid. Set over medium-low heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Once hot, add a couple of cracked eggs at a time, season with salt and pepper and cover with the lid. Cook until egg whites are completely cooked and egg yolks are cooked but still runny if cut with a fork, about 3 to 4 minutes. You can also cook the eggs easy over if you prefer.
6. To serve, place two toasted or fried corn tortillas on each plate. Cover them with ¼ cup warm refried beans. Top one of them with two fried eggs, a generous amount of the tomato sauce, add a chile if you’d like, and sprinkle with queso fresco. Cover with the second tortilla spread with beans, as if it were a crunchy tortilla sandwich. Arrange the plantains on the side and serve at once.

Note

Queso fresco is available from some specialist retailers. If you can’t get it, you could substitute feta.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.