Chiles en nogada: Mexico's patriotic dish

When you live in Mexico, September is an exciting month. It starts out the exciting series of end of the year celebrations - El Grito, Mexican Independence Day/Día de la Independencia, Day of the Dead/Día de Muertos, Revolution Day/Día de la Revolución, Christmas/Navidad and New Year's Eve/Año Nuevo. 

Known as El Mes Patrio or Fiestas Patrias, September is full of patriotism and you'll see Mexican flags and red, green, and white colored accents everywhere. Food is no exception! Only during September a dish called chiles en nogada is served all across the country. Why is it seasonal? Pomegranate season? I think it has more to do with the fact that the dish is served in such a way that it resembles the Mexican flag, with green, white and red colors. Let me explain what I mean.

You see, chiles en nogada are poblano peppers (the chile part of the dish) that are roasted and the seeds should be removed before stuffing them with ground meat, fruits, and finely chopped veggies. They are topped with a delicious creamy walnut sauce (the nogada part of the dish) and garnished with pomegranate seeds and parsley. It sounds like quite the eclectic mix of ingredients, but I assure you, it is lovely.  For those who enjoy dishes with a mix of sweet and savory as well as the textural differences that the pomegranate seeds provide - you'll be in heaven! The best part? It resembles the Mexican flag when it is done - green from the parsley and peppers, white from the walnut sauce, and red from the pomegranate seeds. If you're interested in a traditional recipe, try this one from Mexico Food Journal.

Here in Puerto Morelos, there are a surprising number of restaurants who are serving chiles en nogada this year. Each one has done their own take on the traditional recipe, so I encourage you to try several and then choose your favorite. I tried a couple of places last year, but this year I've done my research and tried 5 more places! I'll be rating these options in the order I tried them, so I'm not declaring one my favorite - they were all unique and delicious! 

My first tasting this year was from Karla Escutia (reachable via WhatsApp at +52-555-008-0215; Instagram @dolcepasticcere), who seems to be one of the Puerto Morelos fan favorites! Karla regularly posts her bakery creations on Facebook and those who are paying attention can snap up an order. She is well known for her chiles en nogada as well and she is the only one that I tried last year and HAD to order again this year as well. Since she does not have a restaurant, she offers home delivery, which is lovely during the heat of the summer! Last year I ordered 2 and had one as soon as it arrived which was excellent, and waited until the next day for the second one - it was even better a day later once the flavors had a chance to marinate together a little longer.

Next, I tried a new-to-me location, Al Chilx Si (reachable via WhatsApp at +52-998-197-9554), which was also via delivery. Their order came with two smaller chiles en nogada and their option was spicy, unlike the rest of the options I tried. If you enjoy a little heat, this might be your favorite!

After that, I went with some girlfriends to El Campanario for their chiles since I'd seen others raving about their chiles in the PM Facebook groups. Their portion size was definitely the largest of those I tried, and it was also the sweetest flavor for the walnut sauce. It was a great value for the price and was one of my top picks!

A couple weekends ago I stopped at El Pirata for their chile. They are part of the chile en nogada fundraiser for the PM firefighters, so eating here not only supports a great restaurant, but also a great cause! Chef Karla Romo's recipe had a slightly thicker walnut sauce, which also had a hint of wine flavor. It was delicious!

Then I went out with a couple of neighbors who were in town to El Charro for their chiles. El Charro is also part of the firefighter fundraiser. All 3 of us who went, loved El Charro's version of the chiles and enjoyed their fabulous maracuya (passion fruit) and tamarindo (tamarind) margaritas too. The guys had never tried a chile en nogada before, but were so glad they did!

Last, but not least, I headed to a new-to-me restaurant, El Refugio, with a girlfriend who hadn't tried chiles en nogada before either. We both really enjoyed the chiles here, as well as the fun decor and innocent pranks that the waiters were playing on customers. I'll definitely be back there for chiles and to try some of their other menu options! 

Here's my full list of restaurants I've found in Puerto Morelos that serve chiles en nogada:

Al Chilx Si

🌶 Boquinete

🌶 Dulce Secreto

El Campanario

🌶 El Charro

🌶 El Contenedor

🌶 El Inicio

🌶 El Pirata 

El Refugio 

🌶 Eneida Cafe

🌶 I Wanna Pizza - chile en nogada inspired pizza 

Karla Escutia

La Casa del Pulpo "El Chila" - +52-998-154-3880

🇲🇽 La Choza 

La Poblanita

Lola y Moya

🌶 Mangata

🌶 Mar Bella

Matea

Sazón de Mi Corazón

If you haven't tried a chile en nogada yet, get moving! Today and tomorrow are probably the last days for a while, and some restaurants stop serving chiles en nogada after September 15th or so. The most likely places to still have chiles en nogada or chiles en nogada inspired dishes are the ones participating in the fundraiser for the firefighters - they're the ones in the list above with the chiles 🌶.

What do you think? Were you inspired to try? I'd love to hear how you like them and where is your favorite place to eat chiles en nogada in the comments below.