Huevos Motuleños, hailing from the town of Motul in Yucatán, offer a colorful and hearty start to the day. This breakfast dish layers fried eggs on tortillas, smothered in a rich tomato sauce, and served with peas, ham, plantains, and cheese. It’s full of flavors and textures, reflecting the Yucatán’s culinary diversity and the fusion of Mayan and Spanish influences.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 4 corn tortillas a day old* (Day-old tortillas absorb less oil and take less time to fry.)
• ⅓ Cup vegetable oil
• 1 Habanero pepper
• ½ medium red onion, minced (you can also use white)
• ½ cup refried black beans
• 2 Medium-sized tomatoes, diced (about 3 cups)
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup cooked green peas
• ⅓ cup of queso añejo or fresh crumbled cheese
• 4 slices of cooked ham. diced
• 1 plantain, cut into diagonal slices and fried

Instructions

• In a skillet at medium-high heat, warm one teaspoon of oil and add onion and habanero pepper (whole). Fry until the onion is transparent. Make sure that you don’t allow the Habanero pepper to burst.
• Add the diced tomatoes and cook for about 7 minutes until the tomatoes have released all their juices and formed a sauce. Season with salt and set aside.
• Heat the rest of the oil in the frying pan and fry the tortillas one by one. Fry until they are a little crispy, this way they will hold the egg and sauce without breaking into pieces. Place each tortilla over a paper towel to drain excess oil.
• Once all your tortillas have been fried, arrange 2 on each plate and spread the refried beans over them.
• In the same skillet where you fried the tortillas, start frying the eggs. Cook to your liking. Place an egg over each tortilla. When all the eggs are cooked, cover them with the tomato sauce. Garnish with the ham, peas, cheese, and fried plantains.
• Serve warm.