Don't miss the 31-ingredient family-inspired sauce at this Mexican spot in Newtown

Sydney Morning Herald

3 hours ago

If the degree of difficulty wasn't already high, Perera has expanded her grandmother's creation into a 31-ingredient recipe: adding macadamias to the many nuts (pecans, almonds, pine) that are roasted and blended for the sauce, while staying true to the mole's source code. Anise seeds, cinnamon, chillies and sultanas offer extra character, and toasted tortillas are blitzed through to give the sauce more consistency. As it reduces for eight hours, the liquid requires constant stirring to prevent it becoming a pot-ruining disaster. The sauce typically flavours a chicken taco, but like many Olotl dishes, it's also available in vegetarian form.
I've tasted it in a tortilla with shreds of shiitake mushrooms: it's earthy, rustic and the most understated dish on Olotl's menu, which plays with the nuances of Mexican cuisine. Yes, you'll find chipotle and jalapenos on the ingredients list, but Olotl isn't here to capsize you with chilli. It uses peppers in a thoughtful way, rather than a weaponised dare that requires warning systems.
Salsa verde in the mushroom taco, for instance, achieves brilliant lift-off from the zingy vibrancy of jalapenos, lime and coriander, while beef birria has a five-chilli buzz that coexists happily with spices, garlic and onion – all deserve equal billing when delivering the brisket-stuffed taco's savoury punch.
The bestselling birria has undergone identity changes since Olotl first served it at Tramsheds. There's slow-cooked beef instead of pungent goat, and the melted cheese and dipping broth that typically accessorise this Insta-famous taco are gone. They found health-conscious locals preferred it with black beans (even though her teenage son Alexander campaigned for the cheesy version that ruled social media).