Chiles en Nogada at HOUSE Restaurant in Cuernavaca!

Once we were ready and hungry, we went to meet Doña Raque, a traditional cook famous for her Chiles en Nogada. In the place there was a feeling of excitement in everyone present, suddenly some were walking through the aisles, others were looking at the talavera dishes that delicately congratulated and honored Doña Raque for her participation in the fairs. I was just listening to the sound of everything that was happening, the oil boiling and bubbling, the beater hitting a clay pan, the danzón and in the distance, the greeting of every good Mexican when entering an establishment where the food and the atmosphere feel like home: "Provecho!" (loosely meaning Bon Apetit) no doubt, how beautiful we Mexicans are and how beautiful are our customs.

In the end and after our arduous field research (that's how we like to call our escapes where we can indulge ourselves to our heart's content), we confirmed that the best way to commemorate this patriotic month, was indeed, to dedicate a tribute to Chiles En Nogada; so we decided to create three different proposals inspired by the roots that shape us as Mexicans, that is to say, our indigenous, Spanish and African roots. Respecting of course, the structure of a legitimate chile: the poblano chile, the nogada or walnut sauce, the meat filling with dried and fresh fruits and finally; the acid touch provided by the pomegranate.

Each process is based on ingredients of origin or that are used in their native gastronomy. For example, the Chile En Nogada Mexica, we make it with a Poblano chile stuffed with turkey meat, mamey, papaya, sunflower seed, tomato and an infusion of pixtle and guava. The sauce is made by sautéing squash blossom with pulque, peanut and vanilla bean, and to substitute the pomegranate flavor, we use xoconostle.

The Spanish Chile En Nogada is also a Poblano chile stuffed with pork, crystallized figs, dates, red wine, nutmeg, almonds, cinnamon and raisins. We prepare the sauce with walnuts, sherry, goat cheese, pepper and days-old bread; in this one we leave the pomegranate intact.

The African Chile en Nogada is filled with beef, ripe plantain, yucca, tomato, prunes, and a small touch of guajillo chile. We cooked the Nogada with pumpkin seeds, peanuts and sesame seeds, muscovado sugar and aged cheese; and finally, to replace the acid touch of pomegranate we used fried hibiscus flowers coated in sugar crystals.

As you can read and smell for sure, we strive to celebrate the most Mexican month, delving into our culinary history to offer you a delicious, propositional experience, perfectly paired by Cristhian Bustos, our mixologist. Welcome lovers of this traditional dish, enjoy every ingredient, let yourself be pampered by HOUSE and... Provecho!

Ana Karina Rodríguez
Executive Chef
HOUSE Restaurant | Las Casas B+B Hotel