Nogada: the most innovative dishes with this sauce

When we talk about chiles en nogada, we become very serious and traditionalist: we always want to know which ones are the best, where they are prepared with the original ingredients, we debate whether they should be battered or not, but like everything, the recipe for chile en nogada has not remained still even since its origin and currently we not only have chiles, but many other dishes in nogada, like a hamburger!So this season of chiles en nogada not only brings the classic poblanos, but now comes in cemita, lasagna, or enchilada presentations. It has been Fonda Santa Clara, a restaurant with great tradition in Puebla, that has innovated with a couple of dishes that are not traditional chiles en nogada this 2020.In just 2019, this fonda prepared around 19,000 chiles en nogada, as it is a reference place in the state of origin of this dish, but they have not wanted to stop preparing new creations and for the start of the 2020 chiles en nogada season, which is atypical due to being framed in a global pandemic, they presented a cemita and a chile en nogada hamburger.Image taken from Instagram @fondastaclaraAccording to Rubén Araujo from Fonda Santa Clara, the Licha hamburger is a reinterpretation of the chile en nogada, just like the cemita. The hamburger is made with rye bread, its meat is marinated in sweet poblano chili sauce, it has battered poblano chili rings with nogada and of course, pomegranate and cilantro.But they are not the only ones wanting to try different ways to present this typical dish of national holidays, as here at Kiwilimón you will also find versions for all tastes, such as lasagna, a chicken roll, or some enchiladas.For Yamilette González, coordinator of chefs at Kiwilimón, innovating with chiles en nogada is a way to “have a broader vision of Mexican gastronomy and how versatile it can be,” to the extent of being able to “merge with other cuisines.”Lasagna de NogadaFor example, “in the case of lasagna, although it is a dish of Italian origin, the versatility of a lasagna is like that of tacos, meaning you can add countless ingredients to the pasta and give it a unique style to make it a very versatile dish; something very similar happens with crepes, as they have a neutral flavor that allows for playing with different fillings.”There is not even any sense in questioning the regency of chiles en nogada this season, but if you have the opportunity to prepare or try one of the incredible alternative forms that exist for this dish, whether it be a nogada hamburger or a chicken roll, remember that this dish has actually changed a lot since its ‘origin,’ since this dish existed even before Iturbide and was not eaten as a main course, but as a dessert.This season of chiles en nogada, try these other nogada dishes that are not chiles, but will undoubtedly leave you with a great taste in your mouth.