Pepián de Pollo

Ingredients

• 1.4kg bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed
• 2 litres water
• 1 white onion, halved
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 tsp salt, for the broth
• 4 dried chiles guaque (or guajillo), stemmed and deseeded
• 2 dried chiles pasa (or ancho), stemmed and deseeded
• 80g raw pumpkin seeds
• 50g sesame seeds
• 4 large tomatoes, halved
• 6 tomatillos, husked and halved
• 1 corn tortilla
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 300g potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 250g green beans, trimmed
• 2 chayotes (güisquil), peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 small bunch coriander
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• Salt, to taste
• To serve: white rice and warm corn tortillas

Before you cook

• Remove the skin from the chicken pieces.
• Stem and deseed the dried chiles.
• Halve the tomatoes and tomatillos, and peel and chunk the potatoes and chayotes.
• Trim the green beans.

Steps

1. Put the chicken in a large pot with two litres of water, the halved onion, three of the garlic cloves and two teaspoons of salt.
2. Bring to a boil, skim off any grey foam, then lower the heat and simmer for thirty minutes.
3. Lift the chicken out onto a plate and strain the broth into a jug, discarding the onion and garlic.
4. Set a dry comal or heavy frying pan over medium heat.
5. Toast the pumpkin seeds for three minutes, shaking constantly, until they pop and turn a shade darker.
6. Tip the pumpkin seeds into a bowl and toast the sesame seeds in the same pan for two minutes, until golden.
7. Add the sesame seeds to the pumpkin seeds.
8. Toast the dried chiles for thirty seconds a side, pressing them flat, until they smell fragrant and puff slightly.
9. Pull the chiles off the heat before they blacken, because burnt chile will turn the whole stew bitter.
10. Cover the toasted chiles with hot broth and leave them to soften for fifteen minutes.
11. Char the tomatoes, tomatillos, the remaining three garlic cloves and the corn tortilla on the dry pan for about eight minutes, turning until blistered and blackened in patches.
12. Toast the cinnamon stick, cloves and peppercorns for one minute, then grind them to a powder.
13. Peel the charred garlic and put it in a blender with the tomatoes, tomatillos, torn tortilla, drained chiles, toasted seeds and ground spices.
14. Add 400ml of the reserved broth and blend for a full two minutes, until completely smooth.
15. Push the purée through a sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids, and discard what will not go through.
16. Set the large pot over medium heat with two tablespoons of oil.
17. Pour in the sieved purée, standing back because it will spit, and fry it for eight minutes, stirring, until it darkens and thickens noticeably.
18. Pour in the remaining broth and stir until smooth.
19. Return the chicken to the pot along with the potatoes and chayote.
20. Simmer gently uncovered for twenty-five minutes, stirring now and then so the seed paste does not catch.
21. Add the green beans and cook for a further eight minutes, until everything is tender.
22. Taste the sauce and add salt until the toasted seed flavour comes forward.
23. Scatter over the coriander and serve with white rice and warm tortillas.