! Hashcapades

Following my last exotic Indian hashcapde at Chez Clark, it only seemed fitting to stay in the exotic vein, pushing the boundary to explore the art of potato hash. So, I channeled an Oaxacan cooking class from Sur la Table to create a flavorful, spicy and veggie-packed dish.

Pollo, Patata y Chayote en Mole Amarillo Hash

One of Oaxaca’s culinary traditions is mole (pronounced MOH-lay), which simply means sauce. Just as the French have multiple types, so do Oaxacans – black, brown yellow, brick, red, etc. A defining characteristic is the time-consuming preparation – charring ingredients and spices – soaking chiles – blending till silky smooth. And as far as ingredients go, chiles anchor a mole, like these charred guajillo chiles soaking in hot water.

Oaxacan cooking involves charring the ingredients for moles.

Charred Guajillo chiles soaking in water.

Important lessons I’ve learned, having made this dish (not hash style) multiple times are to: 1) use guajillo chiles, 2) use masa or corn flour for the thickener, and 3) allow plenty of time. I once substituted dried New Mexico chiles and created a mole so spicy, it made Secret Aardvark Sauce taste like catsup by comparison!

Chayote in “Little Shop of Horrors”

The new lesson I learned on this hashcapade is that chayote (pronounced chai-YO-tay) is a dangerous man-eating vegetable, almost bit off my arm! Fortunately, I have mad ninja skills and put it in its place, sulking with the potatoes on the cutting board. Actually, you’ll be impressed with the texture and luscious goodness of chayote. In fact, I’m going to follow the Wikipedia reference above and try some julienned in lime juice for a salad sometime – yum!

Pollo, Patata y Chayote en Mole Amarillo Hash – Take 2