Mexican mole master in Hong Kong to showcase the complexity of cuisine
Chef out to prove there's more to Mexican than tacos and refried beans
Mexican chef Jose Lazcarro is weary of the overexposure of his nation's casual foods to the rest of the world.
"We are not just about tacos, quesadillas and guacamole," he says. "We have so much variety in our cuisine, so when I'm in Asia I try to show all those things rather than tacos."
To toast Mexico's 205th anniversary, the consulate has organised several events this month, including a gastronomic festival for which Lazcarro has been flown in to showcase a number of authentic national dishes. Expect lesser known favourites such as the deeply complex mole poblano. This dish is on the menu at Cafe Too at the Island Shangri-La until September 30.
This mole master - whose award-winning culinary background includes working for Alain Ducasse in Paris six years ago - is a native of Puebla, the birthplace of mole. The food's lineage remains hotly disputed, but many say it originated in the 17th century from a mixture of influences, including colonial era Spanish and the cooking of the Aztecs, who inhabited the land two centuries earlier. The sauce has countless styles, such as the green pipian variety (made with pumpkin seeds), but the most famous is mole poblano, the pride of Lazcarro's hometown.
However, moles are hard to find here, as most Mexican menus are dominated by easy-to-prepare fast-food favourites.
By contrast the thickly sauced mole poblano is labour intensive to create. Back home Lazcarro's family prepares a 52-ingredient version for special occasions. The extensive shopping list for this dish includes onions, garlic, fruits such as bananas, apples and pears, spices such as pepper, cumin, star anise and cloves plus many types of vegetables, including potatoes. Nuts and seeds are necessary too. Absolutely fundamental to the recipe are the chillies - dried anchos, mulato, pasilla and guajillo varieties and more.
