Every morning around 3am, while her husband and children sleep, Matilda wakes up and grinds the corn kernels she has left soaking in lyme water overnight. She gets on her hands and knees and rolls the mano over the metate as women have for thousands of years. She heats up her comal with reed stems from the river bank. She presses the nixtamal (hominy) into large discs and cooks them to a perfect crispness. She sets a few of the Tlayudas (large tortillas) aside along with a container of cooked black beans for her husband to take to work. Then, she wraps the remaining tlayudas in her rebozo, and walks to the market to sell them for a peso a piece. She is the indigenous Mexican woman, and the backbone of a nation.
Today I am going to share with you, my love for the food from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, particularly their Moles (pronounced Molays). After a brief introduction to Oaxaca, I will talk about preparing Mole Coloradito and Mole de Mancha Menteles.
First, to get in the mood, listen to this Oaxacan Mole Cumbia by Lila Downs
se muele la chocolate, se muele también el pan
After listening, join me below.....
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