♪ ♪
GORDON: Okay, Omar? OMAR: Yeah.
GORDON: Okay. Man, it's soft. It's crumbling like mad.
OMAR: Watch your foot, man.
Just think about how great that food is gonna be.
GORDON: Surely there's an easier way down?
OMAR: Just be careful over there because there's a beehive
right on your left-hand side.
GORDON: (bleep) hell.
Who stuck a beehive on the side of this?
Look at them.
OMAR: Don't bother them please.
GORDON: Don't bother them!
(bleep).
OMAR: Be careful. GORDON: (bleep) hell.
GORDON: I'm in the state of Oaxaca, Southern Mexico.
The spiritual home of that delicious mole.
Located nearly 300 miles southeast of Mexico City,
Oaxaca is a bastion of indigenous culture
and incredible produce.
It's a food destination that's finally getting the attention it deserves.
I'm on my way to meet the extraordinary Gabriela Camara,
one of Mexico's most influential chefs.
Now she's promised to show me a side of Oaxacan cuisine
that very few people ever get to experience.
GABRIELA: Gordon!
GORDON: Gabriela. Wow. This is beautiful.
GABRIELA: Welcome.
GORDON (off-screen): Gabriella Camara is one of Mexico's most respected chefs.
When she was 22,
her passion for farm to table cuisine led her to open Mexico City
favorite, Contramar.
Two decades later,
she continues to put her own twist to time honored traditions
making her the star of modern Mexican cuisine.
Good to see you, my darling.
Oh.
GABRIELA: So good to see you.
GORDON: My first time in Oaxaca.
GABRIELA: Oaxaca is a very complex part of Mexico.
In Mexico, everybody's very proud of Oaxaca.
GORDON: Are you from here?
GABRIELA: I'm not from Oaxaca.
I grew up closer to Mexico City.
GORDON: Right.
GABRIELA: But Oaxaca is the place for food.
GORDON: Yes, everyone's talking about the mole.
GABRIELA: Yes. GORDON: Which, you know,
I've never had a chance to master but are they that good here?
GABRIELA: I mean Oaxaca is mole, mole is Oaxaca.
GORDON (off-screen): Mole is a rich,
multi-layered sauce made from chili peppers,
fruits and multiple nuts and spices.
GABRIELA: It's very complex.
It's very difficult to learn.
I am very intrigued if you're gonna master mole in a week.
We'll see.
GORDON (off-screen): While mole can vary from kitchen to kitchen,
many begin with chocolate.
So Gabriela introduces me to Reina Mendoza,
the queen of cocoa to teach me how to make it from scratch.
(speaking in native language).
REINA: Nice to meet you.
GORDON: Pleasure meeting you.
GABRIELA: This is called a comal.
GORDON: Comal.
GABRIELA: And we, in general,
they use comals to make everything.
To make tortillas, to
roast different, you know, the chilies, the cocoa.
GORDON: Got you. More here?
GABRIELA: How much more, everything?
You want us to put everything in there?
GORDON: This is a tradition. GABRIELA: Yes.
GORDON: But it feels like a ritual.
GABRIELA (off-screen): It's so much of a ritual.
Cocoa is really the beginning of the festive mole preparation.
GORDON: Right.
GABRIELA: It's very important.
GORDON: It smells delicious. GABRIELA: So good.
One of the really wonderful things about mole is you use a lot of ingredients:
there's corn, you use chili.
Chilies are the other really fundamental thing for moles.
GORDON: Garlic.
GABRIELA: Garlic, of course. Garlic, onion, tomatoes.
GORDON: Uh huh. GABRIELA: Different herbs.
GORDON: So chocolate's essential in a mole?
GABRIELA: We have moles without chocolate, but this is more festive.
It's more fancy.
BOTH: Ready.
GORDON: With the skins of the cocoa beans removed,
it's time to grind them using a
50-year-old tool that's been passed down through Reina's family.
GABRIELA: She's mixing the cocoa, the cinnamon.
REINA: Now I start to grind.
GABRIELA: Then she starts.
All the ingredients should be in the center so they don't spread out.
GORDON: Right.
GABRIELA: Just that's part of the technique.
Now we can let him do it.
Or do you not have any confidence in him yet, Reina?
GABRIELA: She doesn't really trust you.
(overlapping chatter)
GORDON: I'm here to work.
Oh my lord.
GABRIELA: I want to see this. I can't wait to see this.
GORDON: Mad. How does she?
Yeah, trying to get a word in here is a nightmare.
It was hard to get a word in edge ways,
so that's not normal for me.
But I sit, I listen, I learn,
I'm getting up to speed.
GABRIELA: Good job.
GORDON: Everyone thinks that Mexican cuisine is a simple,
sort of rustic cuisine and this is...
GABRIELA: Well this is why it's important for you to be in Oaxaca.
GORDON: Yeah.
GABRIELA: Because Oaxaca is so complex culturally, and then,
and the food is as complex as the culture is.
GORDON: Yeah.
(speaking in native language).
GABRIELA: She says you need to relax.
GORDON: (bleep).
GABRIELA: Because, because when we cook...
GORDON: Yes.
GABRIELA: We are transmitting our mood into the food.
GORDON: Yes. Right. So slow down.
REINA: Uh huh.
GABRIELA: Slow down and enjoy it she said.
GORDON: That's the first time in my career I've been told to slow down,
and that's the opposite to how I work so I think I'm in for a tough week.
That smells beautiful.
Can we taste this now please?
GABRIELA: Can we try it now?
REINA: We can try it now.
GABRIELA: So traditionally, in Oaxaca, chocolate.
No!
REINA: It's for drinking.
GABRIELA: But chocolate is prepared with water.
GORDON: Wow.
That's just the start of the process that I need to go through to get a mole.
Thank you.
It smells festive, with the cinnamon.
It tastes so rich, and it tastes like there's milk or cream in there but it's not,
it's just water.
That's down to the chocolate, right?
GABRIELA: Really good.
GORDON: Muches gracias.
(speaking in native language)
GABRIELA: Chocolate is one of the very important ingredients and now you're gonna go off on
adventures to learn about other ingredients.
In a week, you're gonna come back and we're gonna cook and
you're gonna prove to me that you can cook a Oaxacan meal.
GORDON: First stop, where are we going?
GABRIELA: Into the hills. GORDON: Into the hills?
GABRIELA: It's going to be an adventure.
GORDON: Uh huh.
GABRIELA: Maybe you'll suffer a little bit,
but you seem to enjoy suffering a little bit.
You ready?
GORDON: I am.
I've got only one week to learn about one of the world's most complex cuisines
before I go head-to-head with Gabriela.
Fortunately, she's arranged for some of her friends to help.
Local guide, Carlos Goosman, is taking me to meet them.
Now, Carlos, I'm here to meet a man called Omar
to hopefully find some delicious ingredients.
CARLOS (off-screen): Yeah, just keep it straight.
GORDON (off-screen): I can't go anywhere else, can I?
(bleep), sorry.
You are kidding me!
Come on, stop it. No.
CARLOS: Be careful, be careful.
Don't get that close, okay?
GORDON: Omar, Pepe!
OMAR: What's that, Gordon? Are you coming down?
GORDON: Where's the buffet?
OMAR: This way. Come on down.
GORDON: Surely there's a road down?
OMAR: 50 miles that way.
GORDON: Seriously?
OMAR: Yeah. Come on, come on. GORDON: Are you crazy?
CARLOS: No, you have to rappel down, man.
(Gordon sighs).
GORDON: (bleep).
Let's go, Capitan.
I came here determined to unlock the secret of mole.
If I'd known the first step was to scale a cliff,
I may have sent one of my sous chefs.
CARLOS: Gordon is coming down.
Watch out!
Yes, like that man.
One step by one.
GORDON: Okay, Omar?
OMAR: Yeah.
GORDON: Okay. Man, it's soft. It's crumbling like mad.
OMAR: Watch your foot, man.
Just think about how great that food is gonna be.
GORDON: It's hard to get your feet in because it just, it slips away.
Surely there's an easier way down?
OMAR: Just be careful over there because there's a beehive
right on your left hand side.
GORDON: (bleep).
Who stuck a beehive on the side of this?
Look at them.
OMAR: Don't bother them, please.
GORDON: Don't bother them!
(bleep).
OMAR: Be careful.
GORDON: (bleep).
(bleep).
OMAR (off-screen): There you go.
GORDON: (bleep). OMAR: Good job. GORDON: Bloody hell.
Some call Omar Alonzo, the unofficial mayor of Oaxaca.
Man, good to see you guys.
His friend, Pepe Karizoza,
grew up on this land and has foraged it since he was a child.
So these ingredients are somewhat unique, right?
OMAR: This is the only place where you can find them.
GORDON: Right.
OMAR: And it's very unique how you find them,
and where you find them because it's not like
they're laying around somewhere, you know?
GORDON: Got you.
So are these mainstream ingredients, or is this a wild ingredient?
OMAR: This is a wild ingredient, and we are right here.
GORDON: What's the ax for?
Chopping down the cactus, no.
OMAR: What about right there?
GORDON: What the hell! What, the tree trunk?
OMAR: You see that?
GORDON: Oh. Are you serious?
OMAR: Yeah.
GORDON: Inside here?
OMAR: It's like breaking up a piñata, you know?
You break it and you see what's in it.
GORDON: There's ingredients in here.
OMAR: There's food in there, yeah.
We just need to get it out.
One, one.
GORDON: What the hell can be inside this log?
OMAR: Your prize when you're cooking against Gabriela.
GORDON: Pepe said this was like breaking a piñata.
OMAR: There you go.
Uh, no.
GORDON: But I've never been to a birthday party and seen a blindfolded kid
swinging an ax.
OMAR: Oh, you just killed our food I think.
GORDON: (bleep). Pepe.
Can you?
(bleep).
OMAR: Look at the bright side,
we're gonna have plenty of firewood.
PEPE: Ah. OMAR: Okay.
GORDON: Ah. What is that? A grub?
OMAR: That's a gusano yeah. GORDON: There's another one.
(bleep)
PEPE: It's full of protein.
GORDON: Proteina. PEPE: It's full of proteina. GORDON: A bloody worm.
If this is what's inside of a Oaxacan piñata.
OMAR: Whoa, it's biting me.
GORDON (off-screen): Please don't invite me to your kid's next birthday party.
Yes.
Listen, I have a bad, bad, bad history of worms.
We're not eating these things raw, are we?
OMAR: No we're not. We gotta cook 'em now.
You'll see how delicious they're gonna turn out.
GORDON (off-screen): Honestly, I don't think I've ever been so
happy to eat cooked worms.
This is it.
OMAR: This is it.
GORDON: No salt, no pepper, no...
OMAR: Nothing. Nothing.
Okay, pick your worm and then cook it the way you want.
GORDON (off-screen): Pick my worm.
OMAR (off-screen): Over easy.
GORDON (off-screen): So I'll go for this one here. Okay?
Pepe, that's yours.
OMAR: Yeah, let's do it Pepe.
GORDON (off-screen): So when would you eat this?
OMAR: In the winter when it gets cold.
This will be the protein.
GORDON: People survive on these things in the winter?
OMAR: Yeah.
GORDON: Can you see that laid on top of a delicious mole negro?
OMAR: Oh, yes.
Definitely.
GORDON: I'm not too sure.
OMAR: Well, this is what we want.
GORDON: The color.
OMAR: That texture, yeah, and the color.
Ooh, they smell good already.
Alright, go for it.
You first because you're our guest.
GORDON: I'm hoping they taste better than they look.
Come on, because they don't look very appetizing.
OMAR: Any last words you would like to say?
GORDON: So we just take a bite, crunch it.
OMAR: Chew on it.
GORDON: Yeah, okay.
GORDON (off-screen): I'm in the hills outside Oaxaca,
and my guides, Omar and Pepe,
are introducing me to one of their favorite snacks.
Okay. I can't say I share their enthusiasm.
It's very paste-y, it's very mealy, it's...
OMAR: Did it taste like butter to you?
GORDON: Butter? No, it tasted like sawdust, gone warm, creamed up and.
Pepe.
PEPE: Cheers.
GORDON: (bleep).
OMAR: Wow, they're really good.
GORDON: Not for me.
OMAR: I feel kind of bad that you didn't like them,
and I'm gonna give it a second try if you're
up for it.
Something also very, very unique and interesting.
Let's go.
GORDON: It can't be difficult on the back of that liquid worm.
If I'm going to compete on Gabriela's manor,
even though they're not my cup of tea,
I've got to think of a way of using those worms.
OMAR (off-screen): For sure it's going to be sweeter.
GORDON: Sweeter? OMAR: Unique also.
GORDON: Right. What are we looking for?
OMAR: We're looking for honey ants.
GORDON: Honey ants?
OMAR: Yes. GORDON: Here? OMAR: Yeah.
GORDON (off-screen): Omar tells me that these ants come out at night
and collect nectar from the plants and trees around
them to produce their own kind of honey.
OMAR: That's the food for the rest of the colony.
GORDON: But how do you get the honey from it?
OMAR: Oh, you just put it in your mouth and as you put in mouth,
they're gonna pop.
GORDON: Bloody hell.
OMAR: The cool thing is that the ant doesn't die,
so you just, like, pop it,
drink the honey and then you just put the ant back into the hole.
GORDON: Really?
OMAR: Yeah. Oh, there's some ants. So that's a good sign.
GORDON: Okay. OMAR: Go for it.
Just lay down on the floor, Gordon.
GORDON: Okay.
OMAR: Oh my God, look how many we've found.
PEPE: Look, they're already leaving.
GORDON: That's all honey?
OMAR: Yeah.
GORDON: It looks like a ball. OMAR: Yeah, it's their belly.
GORDON: Really? OMAR: Yes.
GORDON: And then more hanging down here?
PEPE: They're hanging right there.
OMAR: In a hole at the top.
GORDON: Oh my God, they're all there.
There's a hole full of sacks.
How beautiful are they?
OMAR: Wow. Wow, that's plenty.
GORDON (off-screen): One, two, three, four, five.
OMAR: They're all different sizes too.
GORDON (off-screen): They're beautiful. Why aren't they biting?
OMAR (off-screen): 'Cause they're Oaxacans, they're friendly.
GORDON (off-screen): The actual sack is connected to the body.
OMAR: Uh huh.
GORDON: Man, they're like little balloons, aren't they?
OMAR: Literally amber, no?
GORDON: So just bite the belly.
OMAR: Uh huh.
GORDON: Just literally suck on its sack?
OMAR: Yeah.
GORDON: (bleep).
That's (bleep) delicious.
OMAR: Yes.
GORDON: It tastes like sort of sweet honey stroke cider, vinegar.
I want a main course, this one's my appetizer.
OMAR: Woo-hoo. You just go for it.
GORDON: It's pretty unique, isn't it?
OMAR: Yes.
GORDON: And he's still alive.
GORDON: Look.
It's sweet, so how come it's so sweet?
OMAR: Because of what they collect at night,
all of the flowers and the nectar from the different
plants around them.
GORDON (off-screen): And would you cook with them or just?
OMAR: I think it will be really hard for you to collect a lot of them.
GORDON (off-screen): Yeah.
The ants were delicious but I can't transport them because you suck that belly
off the ant.
That's a little treasure, a little nugget of magic that Oaxaca has as a secret
ingredient that I can't take.
That was delicious.
OMAR: I'm glad that you like it,
but we're not quite done yet.
We have another surprise for you.
GORDON: One more. OMAR: One more.
GORDON: As tasty as that?
OMAR: Yes. GORDON: Yes.
Aha, that was way better than the worms by the way.
OMAR: Yeah? You see that right there?
GORDON: That's a tree. OMAR: Look deeper. GORDON: What is that?
OMAR: It's a wasp hive.
GORDON: Stop it.
Why are we? Why are we collecting wasps?
OMAR: There's larvae but also honey in it.
GORDON: Wasps don't produce honey.
OMAR: They do. You'll be surprised.
GORDON: Pepe, is he serious? PEPE: Si.
OMAR: You ready? But.
GORDON: Stop it.
OMAR: You got to put that on first.
GORDON: Will they get angry?
OMAR: Let's say they wouldn't enjoy our company.
GORDON (off-screen): Putting on a protective suit is never a good sign.
Apparently, gathering the larva requires a lot of courage and a touch of crazy.
OMAR: You see it? GORDON: Got it, yeah. Wow. OMAR: Alright.
GORDON (off-screen): The plan is to tie a rope to the tree and
shake it until all the wasps have left the nest.
How many wasps are in there roughly?
(speaking in native language).
OMAR: 5,000. GORDON: 5,000 wasps? OMAR: Yes.
GORDON: So right now they're all sleeping?
OMAR (off-screen): Yes, they're cold because of the weather change.
GORDON: (bleep).
Wait, wait. Wait, wait. Pepe, for (bleep).
OMAR: Pepe wait!
OMAR: Don't shake it yet. GORDON: Wait.
Thousands of wasps inside that little nest.
You don't wanna piss off a hive anytime.
They've started coming out.
OMAR: Oh, they're coming out. They're coming.
GORDON: They're gonna start to come out.
OMAR: Watch out. GORDON: Pepe, Pepe, Pepe.
OMAR: Pepe, Pepe.
(speaking in native language).
GORDON: (bleep). Are we ready?
Yeah, Pepe, this is his back garden so, you know,
he was right up there tying the sort of lasso,
and then we were tugging and pulling and
all of a sudden they started coming out.
Isn't this a bit crazy for ingredients?
PEPE: Gently, gently.
OMAR: Okay, stop, stop.
Check if the queen already left.
GORDON: This is crazy.
PEPE: Not yet. Wait for me.
Are they leaving?
OMAR: Yes, hold on.
GORDON: What's he doing? OMAR: He's shaking it. GORDON: What the (bleep).
Can you see any wasps leaving?
OMAR: Yeah, there's a lot of them.
(speaking in native language)
GORDON (bleep). OMAR: He's gonna...
OMAR: He's getting the machete.
GORDON: A machete? OMAR: He's gonna fight them. GORDON: (bleep)!
♪ ♪
GORDON (off-screen): I'm in the hills of Oaxaca,
attempting to harvest wasp larvae for my final cook.
OMAR: He's going to...
OMAR: He's getting the machete.
GORDON: A machete?
OMAR: He's going to fight them.
GORDON: (bleep).
But the two guys I'm with seem hellbent on making sure I don't get there.
GORDON: Five thousand wasps, isn't tat a dangerous thing to do down there?
PEPE: I believe its ready.
OMAR: Ooh, he got it. GORDON: Have they all gone? OMAR: All gone. Looks like it.
This is as soft as paper.
Layer by layer, you have to break it up.
Oh, that's honey.
Look, you see it?
GORDON (off-screen): This bit here's the honeycomb?
OMAR (off-screen): Yes. Wanna get it off the branch?
This is going to be your secret weapon in the cookout at the end.
GORDON: There's the honey there, look.
OMAR: Oh, it looks good.
GORDON: Shall we? OMAR: Shall we try it?
GORDON: So I had no idea that wasps produce honey.
Si, si.
OMAR: You have to eat the whole thing.
Cheers, guys.
GORDON: Wow. Hm. That is so delicious.
That is so sweet.
Cracking this like paper mache, skull open and you've got these incredible little
compartments that are laced with the most amazing honey.
Not as sweet as bee honey, but so delicious.
Oh my God.
OMAR: The honey's great,
but the main ingredient is the larva that you're gonna find in there.
Oh my God, look at that.
GORDON: Ah.
PEPE: And here are the larvae.
GORDON: That's the larvae there.
PEPE: Here.
GORDON: So that's them. So they're wasp eggs.
PEPE: Uh huh.
GORDON: And so what would you do with the larvae?
OMAR (off-screen): So you cook them and then you make sauce with it.
GORDON (off-screen): Wow.
OMAR: There you go. GORDON: And so what's in here?
You've got larvae, what else is in there?
OMAR: Garlic, onion, chili, water, salt.
GORDON: Wow.
Hm.
Wow. That is beautiful.
It's definitely given me some great ideas ahead of the final cook.
OMAR: He already has a lot of ideas for cooking.
GORDON: For me, it's interesting to see what Oaxaca has to offer and these
ingredients are second to none.
OMAR: Yeah, we have it all. GORDON: Delicious. Good job.
OMAR: Ah. GORDON: Seriously, thank you.
PEPE: Perfect.
GORDON: Hm.
I'm starting to get up to speed with the Oaxacan DNA now.
There's more than just chocolate.
This has got incredible layers that are in abundance.
GORDON (off-screen): With only a few days left until the final cook,
I need to go big or go home if I'm gonna have any chance
of beating Gabriela.
And that means I need to get my hands on a world class mole.
So I've asked Oaxacan foodie, Nicky, to introduce me to a local legend.
Now, Nicky, you said you were going to take me to a guy
that produces the best mole in Oaxaca.
NICKY: Yes. So he is right over here, Jorge.
They call him El Mole because his mole is that good.
GORDON: Seriously? NICKY: Yes. GORDON: What, in here?
NICKY: Yeah, it's right here. You see the sign?
GORDON: Really?
NICKY: Alfonsina. GORDON: I can't wait.
Alfonsina. This place looks beautiful.
NICKY: There's Jorge. GORDON: Ah. Jorge.
JORGE: Hey. GORDON: Good morning. JORGE: Good morning.
GORDON: You good? Nice to meet you.
JORGE: Pleased to meet you. GORDON: Absolute pleasure. NICKY: Yeah.
GORDON: So this is the. NICKY: This is a family recipe.
GORDON: A family recipe. All upstairs, right?
Big secret.
(speaking in native language).
NICKY: Now it's not a secret.
GORDON: No. Just between you and I.
Okay, I'll keep it a secret. I promise. Okay.
GORDON (off-screen): The first step,
Jorge hands me blistered tomatoes and tomatillos.
(speaking in native language).
GORDON: Si.
Next, while I clean and remove the seeds from the chilies.
JORGE: Everything I'm toasting here will always be on low heat.
GORDON (off-screen): Jorge toasts different nuts and spices on the comal.
I got up to speed with making chocolate, and what else is going into this?
NICKY: Thyme, oregano.
GORDON: Yeah.
NICKY (off-screen): Sesame seeds, raisins, garlic, almonds and cinnamon.
GORDON: And then the onions are going to roast onto the coals?
NICKY: Exactly.
GORDON: There's nothing measured out.
Jorge is just cooking with the eyes.
NICKY: Uh huh.
GORDON: Is that just confidence?
NICKY: I think it's just practice.
A lot of practice.
Cooking with your heart is going to give a lot of flavor.
GORDON: Yes.
(speaking in native language).
NICKY: So that's the chiles that you just cleaned,
so now you can mix everything together.
GORDON: Mix it all up?
NICKY: Yeah.
GORDON: One of the best spatulas I've ever had in my life and, clearly,
one of the cheapest.
(laughter).
GORDON (off-screen): With the almost dizzying variety of spices and nuts, we add,
of all things...
That is hot. (bleep).
GORDON (off-screen): Roasted plantain.
I mean I just love the smell of this.
That smells incredible.
All in with the plantain, right?
NICKY: Exactly.
GORDON: Tell you what,
I'm going to look at cardboard in a completely different way now.
You know that. Honestly.
Once the tomatoes have cooked,
they're added to the toasted and roasted ingredients.
It's so beautiful.
It smells smoky.
JORGE: The seeds that you already cleaned from the chiles...
...now you're gonna put them in there.
GORDON: The seeds on at the beginning.
NICKY: Yeah.
GORDON (off-screen): Taking the seeds from the clean chili pods,
Jorge has me light them on fire.
(bleep).
NICKY (off-screen): For flavor.
GORDON (off-screen): Perhaps the first time I've ever intentionally burnt my food.
So that smells good.
It smells really good.
NICKY: So this is where the hard work really begins.
GORDON: Hold on a minute. JORGE: Si
GORDON: Jorge has been cooking mole every day since he was 14.
Not a day in a culinary school,
and just that level of knowledge he was is extraordinary.
It smells delicious,
but it does look like something inside of a diaper.
(laughter).
GORDON: Doesn't it?
(speaking in native language)
NICKY: Now that you've learned how to make a proper mole,
you have to learn how to make proper tortillas.
GORDON: Excellent. NICKY: Yeah, you ready? GORDON: Gracias. Man.
While Jorge finishes the grinding and cooking of the mole,
he sends me off to meet his mother, Elvia. Ola.
ELVIA: How are you?
NICKY: I'd like to introduce Gordon.
GORDON: She'll be showing me how she makes her soft tortillas.
Si. Ah.
ELVIA: Easy. Look.
NICKY (off-screen): So now look.
GORDON: Right.
And just a gentle press there, yeah?
ELVIA: Yeah.
GORDON: Ah (bleep). ELVIA: No, no, no. GORDON: No, no, no.
ELVIA: No, no, no.
GORDON: Dammit. What happened there?
NICKY: That's not right.
Just with one hand.
You can't use both of your hands to put down.
GORDON: One hand?
NICKY: Yeah.
GORDON: Okay.
Apparently, two hands aren't always better than one.
Leave it to the Oaxacans and their complicated cuisine to make a Michelin-starred chef
feel like a total donkey.
Oh, bollocks. Okay.
ELVIA: Relax, relax.
GORDON: Tranquilo, tranquilo.
I've got it. I've got it. Watch.
NICKY (off-screen): Okay, okay.
ELVIA: Like that, it works better like that.
GORDON: Si. Okay. Getting there.
ELVIA: Okay.
GORDON: Slowly. We're getting there.
It takes a few tortillas,
but I finally start to get the hang of it.
ELVIA: Si. Okay.
NICKY: This is your last test.
ELVIA: Ready. There it goes.
GORDON: What's she saying? Get out?
NICKY: No.
(laughter).
NICKY (off-screen): No, she says, you know,
you're learning, it's going okay.
GORDON: Okay.
I finally got Elvia's stamp of approval,
but something tells me she's not offering me a job.
You are an amazing artist,
I mean, clearly,
it runs in the family, right?
NICKY (off-screen): Absolutely.
GORDON: Is the mole ready?
ELVIRA: No...
(speaking in native language).
NICKY: Apparently there's one other thing that she wants to show us.
GORDON: After you, please.
Making mole can be an all-day process and, instead of me hovering around,
waiting for a taste, Elvia has found a way to keep me busy.
Ola.
ILYA: Ola.
ELVIA: I'd like you to meet my sister.
GORDON: Pleasure meeting you.
(speaking in native language).
NICKY: This is a traditional healing practice.
GORDON: Oh, you want to heal my body?
NICKY: Yeah. That's right.
GORDON: Where? NICKY: This is. GORDON: Stop it.
NICKY (off-screen): You're going to get into this little oven right here.
GORDON: This is a, well it's like a steam room.
NICKY: Yes. GORDON: On the floor. NICKY: Uh huh.
GORDON (off-screen): Jorge's aunt, Ilya, will be showing me a Temescal.
NICKY: So you're going to have to take your clothes off.
GORDON: Oh, stop it. NICKY: It's the first step.
GORDON: Momma, I love you dearly.
You want me...
NICKY: Yeah.
GORDON: Stark naked in the neighborhood.
Come on!
NICKY: All of your clothes.
GORDON: I wouldn't do that to the ladies.
NICKY: She has a blanket. GORDON: Oh, in a blanket.
NICKY: You know, you can cover yourself with a blanket.
GORDON: Thank you. Okay. Close your eyes, Mama.
(laughter).
(speaking in native language).
GORDON: Mad. Okay. Get the blanket, girl, please.
Just in case the babies are peeping.
I just want some mole.
Ilya begins rubbing me with a herb mix to open my pores,
or maybe she's seasoning me,
at this point it's too early to tell.
Ooh, not too far down there. Not too far down there.
NICKY (off-screen): Is it burning a bit?
GORDON: It is in my crack, yes.
NICKY: So she's going to go in first.
GORDON: Okay, coming in.
The things I do for food.
GORDON: The things I do for food.
I'm in Oaxaca, and my journey to tasting a delicious mole.
NICKY: I've got this.
GORDON (off-screen): Has taken a detour to a full body cleanse
in a tiny sweat lodge.
Now it's very steamy in here.
She's laid down next to me now.
Oh.
She's holding my hand in the air where
the hot steam is.
I, ooh. (bleep).
GORDON: Woo!
NICKY: Ooh, there we go.
(coughs).
NICKY: Okay, Gordon. You're ready.
GORDON: (bleep) Gracias.
I came for an amazing understanding how to make a mole,
I had no idea I'd be getting naked in somebody's garden.
Please may I have some mole now?
NICKY: Of course.
GORDON: But I do have the magic.
I feel cleansed.
JORGE: How are you?
This is how we serve it here.
GORDON: Oh my Lord, thank you. That looks beautiful.
Uh huh. Oh my God.
NICKY: Mmm. GORDON: That is delicious. JORGE: Si.
GORDON: Very delicious.
It's rich, charcoal, spicy.
(speaking in native language).
NICKY: So what you're trying here is Oaxaca.
GORDON: Wow. So rich. Really good indeed.
May I take a jar for the final cook because
there's no way I can make that in one day.
JORGE: Of course.
GORDON: Please. That is magic in a jar.
Mole is the essence of Oaxacan cuisine,
but that stuff doesn't take two, three hours to make.
That takes sometimes days,
so capturing that magic in that jar,
I feel like I've got a bit of a head start.
Where's my clothes?
NICKY: Oh, yeah, they're right over here.
GORDON: Shall we?
NICKY: I think they're baking on top.
GORDON: Gracias. Thank you.
GORDON (off-screen): It's the day before the final cook,
and if there's one true Oaxacan ingredient other than
mole that I need to compete against Gabriela it's mezcal.
Make no mistake,
mezcal is not the same as tequila.
Both come from the agave plant,
but mezcal is produced in small batches and considered
more artisanal than tequila.
Now I know it's still early,
but Gabi said there's a local man called Armando who
produces one of the best mescals anywhere in Mexico.
Armando!
ARMANDO: Hey, Gordon. GORDON: Hello, my friend. ARMANDO: Hey, how are you?
GORDON: What a beautiful place. ARMANDO: How are you doing?
Welcome.
GORDON: Good to see you. ARMANDO: Good to see you.
GORDON: Now this is incredible.
ARMANDO: Agave for mezcal. GORDON: Agave for mezcal.
ARMANDO: Yes.
GORDON: Now Gabi said that you're producing some of
the best mezcal anywhere in Mexico.
What makes it so special here?
ARMANDO: No machines.
GORDON: I got you. ARMANDO: It's all by hand.
GORDON: Your flavor profile is somewhat unique.
ARMANDO: It's smoky.
GORDON: Smoky.
Ola.
ARMANDO: This is how we harvest the agave.
GORDON: Wow.
ARMANDO: Everything's by hand.
GORDON: So they look like giant pineapples.
ARMANDO: Yes, it is, it's about 100 kilos each, each one.
Friends, take a small break. The worker has arrived.
GORDON: What was that?
ARMANDO: I tell them to take a break.
GORDON: Tea time? ARMANDO: It's your turn.
Please.
GORDON: Got ya.
Right, so you're not going to make this easy are you?
(bleep). (bleep).
bloody hell. (bleep).
ARMANDO: Harder, harder.
Come on.
GORDON (off-screen): To get to the piña of the agave,
Armando first has me remove the spiny leaves.
ARMANDO: Oh my God, Gordon. GORDON: I'm getting there.
ARMANDO (off-screen): I will never hire you again.
GORDON: Give me time. ARMANDO: Okay, okay.
GORDON: It is slightly different to the kind of knives I use.
ARMANDO: Come on, Gordon.
Do your first one. You have 40 more agave.
GORDON: 40 more! ARMANDO: Yes.
GORDON: So literally you go through 40 of these a day?
ARMANDO: It's around four tons of these for each day.
Do you have any blisters?
ARMANDO: Oh my God.
GORDON: I know.
ARMANDO: Hey, that's a señorita hand.
That's a señorita hand.
GORDON: Hold on. Hold on, they're chef's hands.
I've got blisters but, come on.
ARMANDO: They're senoritas.
GORDON: How do we get this into mezcal?
ARMANDO: Next stop is cook the agave,
grind the agave and ferment it.
GORDON: Yeah, got you.
ARMANDO: So it's a long process.
Mezcal, it's not tequila.
GORDON: No.
ARMANDO: So you think this is the hard part, it's not.
GORDON: Serious? ARMANDO: No. GORDON: Go on.
ARMANDO: Once we cut this, we have to lift it.
GORDON: We have to what?
ARMANDO: We have to pull it out from there with the hands,
from the ground.
GORDON: Hold on a minute. ARMANDO: Yes.
GORDON: How the hell do you pull that out of the ground?
To remove the agave, Armando uses a koa.
A long-handled blade that cuts the bulb from the root left in the ground.
(bleep). Ah, bastard.
ARMANDO: Okay?
GORDON: Yes. (bleep) on my leg.
ARMANDO: Okay, Gordon. GORDON: (bleep). ARMANDO: Just go ahead and.
GORDON: (bleep).
ARMANDO: What do you think, Gordon?
GORDON: What do I think?
I'm (bleep).
Come on, surely I've earned a drink now.
ARMANDO: Please.
GORDON: Geez.
Man, you're one tough cookie. Now, now for the majestic bit.
The exciting part.
ARMANDO: Yes.
GORDON: Woo!
Oh, that's enough. That's it. Thank you.
It smells slightly smoky.
ARMANDO: It's smoky.
Sweet.
GORDON: Here's to the blisters.
ARMANDO: This is how we...
GORDON: Put back into the land.
ARMANDO: Yes. Just do a little bit.
GORDON: Si. ARMANDO: So. GORDON: Bless the land.
Ooh.
ARMANDO: Salut. GORDON: Salut.
ARMANDO: What do you think?
(coughs).
GORDON: Wow. It's very smoky. Now I understand that process.
ARMANDO: Yes, that's this process.
GORDON: And it's sweet as well.
ARMANDO: That's the difference between mezcal and tequila.
GORDON: It's given me some ideas for the cook.
Maybe marinade, maybe fish.
ARMANDO: Yeah, you can marinade.
GORDON: Yeah.
ARMANDO: Definitely. GORDON: But it's pure class.
That's a labor of love right there.
Salut.
ARMANDO: Salut. GORDON: Gracias.
It's a powerful liquor,
without a doubt and it's unique.
Again, just another layer of what Oaxaca has to offer.
I've just got to put it into practice now and hopefully do it justice.
The day of the final cook has finally arrived,
and I'm meeting Gabi at a local mezcal distillery.
It's time to put all that I've learned to the test in a true Oaxacan showdown.
Gabi.
GABRIELA: What happened to you?
GORDON: I've been busy, girl. So good to see you.
GABRIELA: It's very good to see you too.
GORDON: You good? GABRIELA: I'm good. GORDON: Oh my God.
GABRIELA: How have you been?
GORDON: You started? GABRIELA: Of course I started.
What do you mean, I'm going to let you win?
No way.
GORDON: Extraordinary week by the way.
GABRIELA: Oh, good. GORDON: Seriously.
You said get out there and find something off the beaten track.
GABRIELA: And did you?
Ew.
GORDON (off-screen): It's the day of the final cook,
and Chef Gabriela Camara and I will be duking it out
using some of Oaxaca's most local ingredients.
You said get out there and find something off the beaten track.
GABRIELA: And did you?
Ew.
GORDON: Please tell me you haven't got these incredible worms.
GABRIELA: I don't.
GORDON: I'm hoping I have got up to speed with the DNA of Oaxacan cuisine,
the mole.
GABRIELA: Magical, right?
GORDON: I had no idea how long a sophisticated mole takes to cook,
and we were there all day.
GABRIELA: Yes.
GORDON: You didn't tell me I had to get naked for a steam room after it.
Come on, really?
GABRIELA: Did you get naked in front of the ladies?
GORDON: I had a towel but I was like.
GABRIELA: Because I bet you they were more mortified than you were.
GORDON (off-screen): What happens in the steam room, stays in the steam room.
Right now, there's mole to be made.
So I'm going to do mole three ways.
GABRIELA: Okay.
GORDON: You spoke about the mole negro with the chocolate, right?
GABRIELA: Yes.
GORDON: So I'm going to start off with braising my chicken, okay.
GABRIELA: Oh, so you chose the chicken for the mole negro.
Okay.
GORDON: Yeah.
And then I've got some pork, a loin shoulder.
GABRIELA: Yes, and what's that going to be for?
GORDON: I'm going to shred that and put that inside the chile rellenos.
GABRIELA: Okay. Look at you.
GORDON: You said get up to speed, right?
GABRIELA: Yes, I did.
GORDON: Tell me what you're doing.
GABRIELA: I am making mole negro.
GORDON: Hold on.
You're using the.
GABRIELA: Well who sent you there?
What did you think, I'm not going to use it?
Of course I'm going to use it.
GORDON: Hold on a minute, girl.
GABRIELA: Yes.
Well you think the same base of a mole is mole negro but, you know what,
it never is the same mole because you always add things onto it.
GORDON: That's a big kick in the goolies for me.
GABRIELA: No, and you know what I'm doing?
GORDON: Go on.
GABRIELA: I'm using turkey instead of chicken.
GORDON: I'm not a big fan of turkey.
GABRIELA: Turkey was the bird the people had here before the Europeans got here.
GORDON: Really?
GABRIELA: I'm going to use the brown meat of the turkey, shred it.
GORDON: Right.
GABRIELA: Whenever you let me use the grill because you're very...
GORDON: I'll give you a little bit of space, sorry.
GABRIELA: Please.
GORDON: I get excited with these kinds of stoves.
GABRIELA: Good. GORDON: Everything's smoky here.
GABRIELA: Yes, everything's smoky.
GORDON: Why is that? Is that because of the style of the cooking or?
GABRIELA: We cook with fire here.
GORDON: Right, I've got some space here for you now.
GABRIELA: Okay. I'm coming.
GORDON: Gabi definitely needs room on the grill because,
in addition to her black mole,
she's making a green mole.
GABRIELA: This is my pipian verde.
GORDON: Oh, la, la. GABRIELA: Is that spicy? GORDON: No, it's lovely.
GABRIELA: It's parsley, garlic, also dried shrimp.
GORDON: Right.
And a yellow mole as well.
That's three moles if you're keeping score at home.
Is that too much color on the pipian or are you happy with that?
GABRIELA: I'm happy. GORDON: You sure? GABRIELA: Yeah.
GORDON: I know the mezcal needs to be smoky but do you want to smoke
your pumpkins that's much?
GABRIELA: Yes. I'm loving them.
GORDON: Just asking, that's all.
If I was to deglaze the worms with a touch of mezcal.
GABRIELA: It's very Frenchy of you but go ahead.
GORDON: I'm just hoping they're going to be a bit of a delicacy.
Mezcal on tap.
Come on, girl.
That is beautiful.
GABRIELA: Frenchy, Frenchy.
Ooh, there you go.
GORDON: (bleep).
GABRIELA: Ooh, I really want to see what the Mexicans think of these.
GORDON: Just a little flambé.
Come on.
Hm.
Oh my God. Smell them now.
GABRIELA: Thank goodness for garlic, I tell you.
GORDON: I never thought I'd say that but those worms look delicious.
If I'm going to go down today, I'm going to go down in flames, okay?
GABRIELA: Seriously.
How are you doing with your dishes?
GORDON: Yeah, I'm a little bit behind.
I need to fry my chile rellenos.
GABRIELA: Still fry the chile rellenos.
That takes a long time.
You're late.
GORDON (off-screen): You are on it, aren't you?
GABRIELA: I am. I hope so.
GORDON: Okay, can I get back on the stove now please?
GABRIELA: Ah.
GORDON: You're hogging the stove.
GABRIELA: Well that's, no I'm not!
GORDON: Um.
GABRIELA: I only have this little tiny pot.
Come on.
GORDON (off-screen): With the guests due to arrive any minute,
and three moles in the works,
we're both feeling the heat.
GABRIELA: Hm. GORDON: Come on. GABRIELA: Okay.
GORDON: Give me more than okay.
Please.
GABRIELA: I mean, "El Mole" made it.
Come on! Yes!
GORDON: "El Mole" started it, I'm finishing it.
So yours is darker than mine.
GABRIELA: Because I didn't add tomato.
Did you add tomato?
GORDON: I did, yes. GABRIELA: I didn't. GORDON: Tomatoes.
GABRIELA: Tomatoes. GORDON: The wasp larvae sauce.
Ah, come on.
You like that.
There's no okay to that. You know that's good.
GABRIELA: Really good.
With a little nuttiness like little.
GORDON: Exactly. A little bit at the end.
Right.
Ooh, here's our guests.
Ola, hola.
GABRIELA: Ola.
GORDON: Ola. Hey, Capitan.
GABRIELA: Ola.
Now is the time to taste everything.
GORDON (off-screen): My new Oaxacan friends from the past week have arrived.
While they almost killed me, the hard work was necessary,
and I hope they can taste it in my dishes.
GABRIELA: It's ballsy of both you and me to be cooking Oaxacan food
for Oaxacan experts.
Just saying.
GORDON: I know, I know, I know.
GABRIELA: Are you starting to feel the pressure?
GORDON (off-screen): I am.
GABRIELA: I'm nervous about this meal.
GORDON: Queso fresco, just to finish those the chile rellenos.
GABRIELA: Whoo!
GORDON: Just a touch more chocolate on the chicken.
GABRIELA: You're fancying it up.
GORDON: I'm using every trick in the book just to stay in the same lane.
GABRIELA: Oh, those are your tricks.
GORDON: Madam, madam.
GABRIELA: Are you done?
GORDON: I didn't think I was going to say this but I'm nearly done.
GABRIELA: So am I, my dear.
Okay.
GORDON: Boom.
GABRIELA: Done.
GORDON: Amazing. That looks beautiful.
GABRIELA: But you know what, we didn't make the tortillas.
GORDON: Oh really? Oh my God.
GABRIELA: We didn't make the tortillas.
GORDON: Oh, really?
Oh bollocks.
Our Oaxacan experts are seated and waiting but we're missing a fundamental
element of any Mexican meal.
Freshly made tortillas.
Not too hard.
GABRIELA: You're already squishing it.
Okay. Now the difficult part.
That's too thin.
Elvia.
I don't what good of a teacher Elvia was.
Aye-yi-yi.
(laughter).
GORDON: Shall we? GABRIELA: Yes.
GORDON: Oh my God. GABRIELA: Yes.
GORDON (off-screen): The moles are hot and ready,
so I guess we'll have to live without tortillas.
It's time to find out if I've been able to scratch the surface of what I now know is
one of the world's most complicated cuisines.
So nice to see you all.
GABRIELA: Hey.
GORDON: First of all,
I would like to apologize for the tortillas.
Excuse me, too thin. Yeah. My fault.
My three dishes,
the first one is a chicken done with that mole negro.
I put a little bit more extra chocolate in there, enrichen it.
The second dish is the beautiful chile rellenos with some braised pork,
and that's with almost like a tomato base mole, a bit sweeter.
And the third dish is the tostadas with the special worms,
the protein.
Caramelized, glazed with a little bit of mezcal.
Madam.
GABRIELA: I made, with your black mole,
I put turkey in it and I made it into tostadas
with plantains, and then a pipian mole,
verde, with shrimp, a little bit of nopales,
and then the mole Amarillo with the grilled squash and
the shoots and the blossoms of the squash.
That's our squashy dish.
Salut.
GUESTS: Salut.
OMAR: Thank you for the food.
GORDON: Enjoy. Please.
Hm.
GABRIELA: Gracias.
(coughs).
(speaking in native language).
GORDON: So they're digging in.
GABRIELA: I mean I'm nervous just because these are the experts, you know?
GORDON: Sure.
Look at the talent on that table.
OMAR: Which one was your favorite, Nicky?
NICKY (off-screen): Chile rellenos are usually really juicy.
And this was a bit dry.
But you know we were really missing the tortillas.
GORDON: I'm more nervous about Mister Mole in terms of what he thinks of my mole,
El Mole.
GABRIELA: Yeah, I know, I agree.
I hope we didn't mess it up because I'm in the same boat as you.
JORGE: Yes, clearly. It's obvious when you taste it.
It reminds you of a celebration, a big reunion.
OMAR: Okay, we have a winner.
GORDON: It's judgment time. Are you ready, girl?
GABRIELA: Let's go. GORDON: Good luck. GABRIELA: Good luck.
GORDON: Ah. Okay. Now. GABRIELA: Aye-yi-yi.
GORDON: This week's been all about the mole, right?
So whatever the result is, trust me,
I've had an extraordinary week,
let me tell you,
but shall we start off with the green mole?
OMAR (off-screen): Well green mole was amazing.
It was definitely very original, the way we ate it in a tostada.
We all felt like the worm was kind of lost in it because
we didn't even feel it.
It got lost with all the textures and the one with
the shrimp got a little bit extra salt that we all liked.
However, we decided that the winner for the green mole had to be the tostada.
GABRIELA: Aah!
GORDON: Wow.
GABRIELA: Good for you. GORDON: That's a strong start. GABRIELA: I'm impressed.
GORDON: Well, that rappel was worth it after all.
OMAR: Told you.
GABRIELA: Okay, and then what did we think of the coloradito and amarillito?
OMAR: A few of us said that the amarillito was very original and we had never had
it like that, with the squash.
And for the chile rellenos we thought that the filling was a bit boring and
that made the chile a little bit dry.
So for the second course we decided that the winner is
the amarillito with the squash.
GORDON: Beautiful dish. GABRIELA: Thank you, thank you.
GORDON: So it all comes down to the mole negro.
Gabi and I have each scored with one dish.
The tie breaker will be our versions of that complex black mole based of El Mole's mole,
which can only mean one thing.
OMAR: I think that whoever is going to decide who takes
a win for the black mole has to be Jorge.
GABRIELA: Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.
GORDON: So is it the turkey or is it the chicken?
JORGE: Chicken.
(Gabriela gasps).
OMAR: The chicken. GORDON: The chicken. GABRIELA: Gordon! (bleep).
OMAR: Sorry Gabi!
GABRIELA: It's fine. It's fine.
GORDON: The foundation was set from you,
let me tell you, for both these dishes so.
You've been an amazing teacher,
and you guys have just helped me understand what Oaxaca
has to offer from the heart so I've had an amazing week.
GABRIELA: I'm so happy that you came.
GORDON: Muchas gracias. GUESTS: Gracias. GORDON: You've been amazing.
GABRIELA: Thank you very much to you! Truthfully!
GORDON: Thank you. GABRIELA: Thank you so much for coming.
I loved having you in our country.
GORDON: I kicked your ass.
GABRIELA: Yes, you did.
GORDON: Take care. Girl, you're strong.
Amazing. Muchas gracias. God bless all. Thanks.
(overlapping chatter).
GORDON: Thank you.
I've learned so much this week and now I truly understand
why Oaxaca is the culinary capital of Mexico.
I've scoured the countryside for delicious insects,
prepared a complicated world-class mole with a certified master,
and harvested spiny agave for that smoky mezcal.
The complex flavors,
the rich history is why this has to be one of my favorite destinations yet.
And now onto my next adventure.
Captioned by Cotter Media Group.