← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 200 g hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 600 ml vegetable stock or water, hot
• 3 sprigs epazote (or coriander) sprigs
• 1 tsp Salt
• 500 g ripe tomatoes
• ¼ Onion, chopped
• 1 habanero chilli, left whole
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
• 12 corn tortillas

Method

1. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 4–5 min, stirring all the time, until they pop and smell nutty but are still green. Cool, then grind finely in a spice grinder.
2. Simmer the stock with the epazote for 5 min, then remove the herb. Blend the ground seeds with the hot stock and salt into a smooth, pourable sauce. Keep it warm in a bowl set over hot water; boiling makes it split.
3. Blend the tomatoes and onion. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the purée and the whole habanero and simmer for 10–12 min, until thickened. Remove the chilli and season with salt.
4. Warm the tortillas on a dry comal for 20 seconds per side so they are soft and pliable.
5. Dip a tortilla in the pumpkin-seed sauce, fill with chopped egg and roll up. Lay in a dish and repeat.
6. Pour the rest of the pumpkin-seed sauce over the rolls, spoon the tomato salsa down the middle and serve straight away.

Tips

• If a little green oil separates from the seed sauce, drizzle it on top; it is the traditional garnish.
• Keeping the habanero whole gives gentle fruity heat; split it open if you want real fire.
• If using stock, check it is gluten-free (some stock cubes contain wheat).

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Rick Bayless 196 flavors