>> Pati narrates: Is there anything more beautiful than a thriving Mexican market?

The smells.

The sounds.

The history.

In Oaxaca, the markets are like a culinary time capsule where you can taste the roots of the cuisine everywhere.

Tejate.

Tamales.

Tlayudas.

Today, I'm exploring that history with some of the best cooks and chefs in Oaxaca.

>> Oh, this is so beautiful!

>> Pati: In my kitchen, my good friend Joe Yonan joins me for a vegetarian meal inspired by those delicious Oaxacan dishes.

Avocado and pecan salad with a mind-blowing vinaigrette.

And a sweet potato and black bean tamale so good it might just be my new favorite.

>> It's like really good.

>> That is ah-mazing!

>> I didn't oversell it?

>> No.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> Pati's Mexican Table is made possible by: >> Some things are always there for you.

Like your alarm clock, right on time.

Your parking space.

Seriously?

Girl's night, always there.

And avocados from Mexico.

They're always there because they're fresh all year round.

>> ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ >> La Costeña, por sabor!

Taste that transcends.

More information at mexicorico.com Over 40 years, bringing authentic Latin American flavors to your table.

Tropical Cheese.

>> The Ministry Of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries And Food.

Mexbest, and The National Agricultural Council.

♪ epic music plays ♪ >> Pati: Oaxacan food has a history as rich and diverse as the state itself.

With recipes from all the different native traditions, mixing with new ingredients brought by the Spanish, Oaxacan food is one of the most complex cuisines that I know.

>> It's just full of flavors, and then you start opening one, and then the other, and then the other, but each layer is more delicious than the other.

It's very hard to put your finger on what defines the food from Oaxaca, but if you're a Mexican, and you're eating something from Oaxaca, you know.

The flavors are much more intense.

You start from foods that are eaten now in the exact same way as they were eaten 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 years ago.

♪ ♪ >> Pati: To begin my search for the origins of Oaxacan cuisine, I'm going to the Mercado Benito Juarez.

♪ ♪ >> When you get to a new city, you must do as I do, hit the market the first morning you're there.

♪ ♪ >> Going to the market is a great way to start.

You can see and taste the different historical periods, and the same dishes that have been preserved.

>> (Gasps) That's a surprise!

It has chocolate and raisins.

Mmm.

So fluffy, and it's so fragrant from the cinnamon.

>> Pati: Okay, sorry, I can never turn down fresh bread.

Back on the hunt for history!

♪ ♪ >> Tamales are so important, not only for Mexican gastronomy, but for Oaxacans.

This is an Oaxacan tamale, it's very unique to the region.

The chepil or chipilin, which is that herb, grows wild everywhere in Oaxaca.

People will have it from the front door of their homes and just pick it, bring it to their kitchen, and makes tons of things with it.

My first bite of tamale in Oaxaca.

Mmm.

The masa is so soft and it has so many different feelings and this is actually very simple 'cause it has the chipilin.

One of the things that fascinates me the most is you eat tamales at so many food stands in a pre-hispanic market, and you're here standing in 2000-whatever eating those same tamales.

>> Pati: (Gasps) We just got some more deliveries of yummy empanadas.

Here in Oaxaca the empanadas are filled with an amarillo mole, or chicken.

♪ ♪ >> Mmm.

This is nothing like I've tasted before.

You have the corn tortilla, but it's deeply flavored like in some sort of tomato or chile mixture, and then inside it has a thickened mole sauce.

>> Here you learn by watching so she learned from her mother who in turn learned from her grandmother, and they continue the traditions with the same ingredients, the same techniques.

We actually have two items that are very representative of pre-hispanic foods.

We're already tasting history.

♪ ♪ >> Oaxaca is known as the "Land of 7 Moles", and at the root of all those moles are these chiles.

>> Oh, I love these!

So every ingredient has a name that relates to the exact town and place where it comes from.

Not from any bag or box but straight from the producers.

You won't find commercial brands.

>> Pati: A little further into the market, I've stumbled upon one of the oldest, most basic recipes from Oaxaca: tejate.

Tejate is a drink that has been made for thousands of years.

>> When workers were going to go out on the field, this was what they had practically for lunch.

It's a drink that not only refreshes, but that gives you the energy to continue working.

Just like tamales, the tejate is a basic staple in the diet of the people from the region.

>> Pati narrates: Tejate is made with corn and cacao flower, which smells like chocolate.

>> I've never smelt a flower that smelt like cacao, it smells so incredibly delicious.

>> Pati: They also use the seed of a fruit called mamey.

All of those ingredients are toasted and ground.

>> Many people have tried to make tejate, and they just can't make the foam.

When you get it where it needs to be, there's a lot of sense of pride.

♪ ♪ >> It's just a very light drink, and very light cacao flavor.

The foam is really, like, thick and hard.

Mmm, mmm!

It tastes like fresh rendered cream.

It's delightful.

If you wanna taste the story of Oaxaca, you have to try tejate.

>> I love going to markets.

It's like you have the opportunity to really see the life of the town, and you have the opportunity to really taste the history of a place.

Of course one of the oldest foods in all of Mexico is tamales, so we're gonna make some sweet potato and refried bean tamales.

Some tamales have been passed on through generations, and they taste just the same, like those tamales I ate at the market, but some tamales are new and innovative.

I think there are as many tamales as you can have dreams.

The possibilities are just infinite.

So to make some really fluffy, puffy tamales, you need some kind of fat.

We're gonna beat one cup of vegetable shortening, and you could use lard or coconut oil.

I'm adding half a teaspoon of salt, and I'm gonna start beating it at medium speed.

While it's beating, I'm gonna add one teaspoon of baking powder.

A tablespoon of brown sugar.

Then I'm going to alternate adding 1 and 2/3 cup of corn masa flour and vegetable broth, and I'm gonna lower the speed because it's gonna start jumping all over me.

♪ ♪ >> You're making food that has been eaten for such a long time.

You're really bringing history into your home, and tamales are like little gifts, and you can make them ahead of time, you can play with the fillings, but it's just really relaxing, it's kind of therapeutic, you'll see.

So these are two pounds of sweet potatoes, and I just wrapped the sweet potato in aluminum foil, and baked them at 450 degrees for 45 minutes, or until they're just completely smushy-ooshy and soft.

Now I'm using sweet potatoes because my friend Joe Yonan is coming over, and he is a vegetarian.

Some Saturdays Joe will come while I have the kitchen all for myself, and we just spend hours just cooking and eating and those are great Saturdays.

♪ ♪ >> So I have all the meat from the sweet potato, and the sweet potato is actually fabulous for making masa I realized, and for making filling because it's tasty, it's the most beautiful masa ever.

I'm just gonna beat these for a little bit longer.

Now, the secret to making really good tamales is nothing but giving it time.

So these are corn husks and to make them very pliable we just soak them in hot or warm water for 10 minutes or so.

Okay.

So when you go to the store to look for corn husks, because you are gonna make these tamales, look for corn husks that look big like this.

You don't want to come home with a corn husk this size 'cause nobody can make a tamale in here.

I'm gonna put it over the board with the tapered end looking towards me, and then I'm gonna add 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of masa, and making sort of a dent down in the middle, and then I'm gonna add refried beans.

This combination of flavors is so incredible because the sweet potato is mildly sweet, and then you have the earthy taste of the corn masa.

Now I'm gonna close it like that, and as I close it, the masa is enclosing the refried beans.

I go around to one side, and then in a container or whatever you have handy.

So we have all the tamales assembled, and I have my steamer that's already super steamed up.

Now, a few things I need to tell you.

One is if you have any remaining corn husks, or little corn husks, or broken corn husks, you can put them in the bottom of the steamer because that's gonna help the tamales not get soaked.

So you make sure you're putting the tamales, or course standing up so the filling won't come out.

So now I'm gonna cover it, and the tamales are gonna cook for an hour over medium heat.

♪ ♪ >> Pati: To get a better understanding of the history of Oaxacan cuisine, I'm going to meet up with an expert.

>> Hello Pati!

It's so nice to see you!

>> Chela is this lovely woman who is passionate about Oaxaca, its culture, its art, its gastronomy.

She knows pretty much everything about Oaxaca.

>> Pati narrates: Chela wanted to take me to lunch here because it's a modern restaurant that preserves the traditions of the local cuisine.

Luis is the head chef of Criollo, and he's going to make me one of his original dishes, a tlayuda that mixes the old, the new, and the best of Oaxacan food.

>> Corn tortillas are everywhere in Mexico, but tlayudas are only Oaxaca.

>> Yes.

>> Pati: To keep them soft and chewy, tlayudas are cooked on a small grill on top of a stovetop unlike tortillas which are placed directly on the stovetop.

After it's cooked, Luis begins to add unrefined lard and refried beans to the tlayuda.

>> He's stringing the string cheese which is the Oaxaca cheese.

>> Pati narrates: Luis then places it back on the grill to continue cooking while he adds chicharron and chorizo.

A handful of fresh greens with lime juice and a salsa verde and the tlayuda is complete.

>> Mmm!

Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm!

The rendered lard just gives it, like, a deep sort of nutty, smoky undertone, then you have the earthy layer of the refried beans.

The quesillo or Oaxaca cheese is tangy and salty, a little bit acidic, and the chorizo here is just insane.

♪ ♪ >> Cheers!

>> A long time ago, everybody thought the gastronomy of Oaxaca was just mole.

Since about 15 years ago, Oaxaca has started to bring all the dishes from the different regions to show to the world Oaxaca is not just mole.

>> If you look at Oaxaca from above, it's so rugged and mountainous and it breaks the state into natural pockets, so that has made the communities be a little bit isolated.

>> The distance has made different language, different music, even the dances are so different.

If you walk to the coast, you will see more or less the same dishes, but cooked in different way.

>> What ties all of these different communities together?

>> Pati narrates: As we talked, Luis was creating one of the most exquisite tamales I've ever tasted, the inspiration for the tamale I'm making in my kitchen.

Luis uses corn masa and mashed pumpkin, filled with beans that were sweetened with unrefined sugar.

>> Thank you - oh, this is so beautiful!

Mmm.

Mmm!

This is incredible!

>> Delicious.

>> So the masa is so soft and creamy, and it's sweet, but barely, and then you soak it in that piloncillo syrup, this is just insane.

You are a master, I mean, this is really incredible.

Thank you for sharing your time and your food.

>> Joe, we don't do this enough!

>> I know, it's my favourite thing.

>> I want to show you so many things.

>> Okay, what do you got?

>> So I want to show you some tamales that I made that are cooking that are sweet potato and refried bean with a watercress and avocado salad with a dressing that is gonna blow your mind.

>> (Joe laughs) Okay.

>> So we're gonna toast some pecans first.

>> Okay.

>> Look at this little thing.

>> Is that a broom?

>> They call it an escoba, it means like a little broom.

This helps especially like with little things.

Instead of flipping it with your fingers.

>> I feel like I'm brushing them off or something, or brushing them around.

>> (Pati laughs) >> Interesting.

>> But you see, with this system, it works better because they're small.

So the pecans we're just gonna use for garnish.

>> Okay.

>> So, I mean, I think that's enough, just a little toast.

So what we do is we're gonna toast one guajillo chile, and we're going to remove all of the seeds.

We're also going to add one garlic clove, and three chiles de arbol.

>> They're a little chocolate-y?

>> Yes!

>> - the chiles de arbol, and they're spicier, aren't they?

>> The chiles de arbol is very spicy.

See, it's cute!

>> Ah, I see.

♪ ♪ >> Remember the first time we met?

It was at a dinner - >> Oh yes!

>> Remember?

And I told you I was from Mexico.

You had brought a cheese that was flavored with coffee.

>> You have a really, really good memory (laughs) >> I only have a good memory when it comes to food.

>> True, you remember everything food.

>> Now we're gonna break these and turn these into dust.

>> Okay.

>> Because if we mix it with everything, it's gonna turn sauce.

♪ ♪ >> That looks good.

>> It looks kind of like, um, chile flakes that you would get.

>> Yeah.

Okay, I'm gonna take off the garlic clove, so we're gonna add that in there, and then I'm gonna add two tablespoons of sesame seeds.

>> Okay.

And this is where we're gonna see the magic of your broom over there.

>> Yeah!

Joe, do you find that you have many options in Mexican cooking?

>> As a vegetarian?

Yes.

>> Because you weren't vegetarian before.

>> My absolute favourite food in the world, my obsession, is beans.

>> I know!

We can live by beans.

>> We can live by beans.

>> Yeah.

>> I think people misunderstand Mexican food when it comes to vegetarian.

>> If you go to the provinces, most of the diet is vegetarian.

>> Right.

>> Like, meat is reserved for the wedding or for a big ceremony - so it's beans and rice and vegetables and moles.

>> Which - all of which I love.

>> Yeah, like, it's bases like this, you know, with the chiles and the nuts and the seeds.

Now we're gonna add a teaspoon of honey, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.

>> Okay.

You got that sweet and sour thing going on.

I guess I just have to get rid of the honey.

>> (Pati laughs) Yeah.

Now I'm adding three tablespoons of olive oil, two tablespoons of vegetable oil, a teaspoon of salt, and three generous tablespoons of lime juice.

>> It reminds me a bit of a mole verde, did I get that from you?

>> Yeah!

>> I think I got that from you maybe.

>> (Pati laughs) I know.

>> Wow, that's great.

>> Yeah.

>> It's like brick red.

>> Done!

>> That smells really good.

>> Okay, so let's try it.

>> Woah.

That is amazing.

>> I didn't oversell it?

>> No.

So I like the tanginess and the spiciness and I know what you mean when you say "meaty" it's because I think we associate meat with those smoky flavors.

>> Yeah.

>> So if you're missing that kind of thing, I think it is really smart to do that kind of thing on vegetables.

>> So we have the watercress.

I'm adding the little stems.

>> Great.

I like watercress.

>> Do you like the stems?

>> Sure!

Peppery.

>> Oh, super peppery.

Now I'm gonna add 3 avocados, and thinly sliced scallions.

♪ ♪ >> It's like you're playing tick, tack, toe.

>> (Pati laughs) right.

Okay, so now we're gonna just add all the dressing.

>> That's so pretty!

>> Okay, I think the tamales are ready.

>> I'm so excited.

Oh, they smell incredible.

>> The smell of home cooked tamales is, like, it's such a privilege, you know?

>> I love tamales, and thank you for doing them with the vegetable shortening!

>> Oh, of course!

>> Because that's the one thing, you know, I love tamales, but it's hard to find them that aren't made with lard.

I bet they're all good.

>> This looks promising.

>> Okay.

Alright.

>> Okay.

>> Oh, well that's perfection.

>> I didn't do anything, but thank you.

[Pati and Joe laugh] >> It's because it was for you!

>> Oh, it's so soft.

>> It's because I beat it for a long time.

>> Oh my gosh.

Fluffy, creamy, the sweetness, the savouriness.

>> So it's Mexican crema, so it should be, like tangy.

And then salted queso fresco.

>> Perfect.

Pati, the sweet potato is amazing.

>> It is?

>> It's sweet like the corn, it's starchy, so it makes perfect sense.

>> I think the sweet potato made it even fluffier.

>> Mhmm.

I love it with the crema and the cheese, but you don't really need anything either.

But I have to taste the salad, Pati, I've been ignoring the salad because of the tamale.

>> Yes.

>> Oh my gosh.

Spicy and smoky, and with the watercress, it really works.

Creaminess from the avocados and that crunch from the pecans and the scallions.

>> And the dressing has a texture.

And you know, with the tamales, it just makes you think how there's always the room for updating and for innovation.

>> You have to know the rules before you can break them.

>> Exactly.

You have no idea how much I enjoy spending some Saturdays with you - >> It's my favorite time.

>> It's a treat for me!

>> We have to do it more.

>> More often.

>> Next week.

>> Oh yes!

Every Saturday, bye Danny, bye boys!

>> (Joe laughs) bye!

>> (Pati laughs) ♪ ♪ >> Pati Narrates: For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit patijinich.com, and connect!

Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest @PatiJinich.

>> Pati's Mexican Table is made possible by: ♪ epic music plays ♪ >> The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food.

Mexbest.

And The National Agricultural Council.

A tradition of authentic Latin flavors and family recipes.

Tropical Cheese.

>> La Costeña, por sabor!

Taste that transcends.

More information at: mexicorico.com >> Some things are always there for you.

Like your alarm clock, right on time.

Your parking space.

Seriously?

Girl's night, always there.

And avocados from Mexico.

They're always there because they're fresh all year round.

>> ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ >> Proud to support Pati's Mexican Table on public television.