Chilaquiles

Mexico — the name derives from Nahuatl 'chil-atl-quilitl' meaning chilli-water greens; the dish is documented in Mexican cookbooks from the colonial period; it is pan-Mexican but with strong regional salsa variations (red in Central Mexico and the Gulf, green in Puebla and Oaxaca); it is the specific breakfast-of-champions after the previous night's mezcal or tequila

Mexico's quintessential breakfast-of-leftovers — tortilla chips (or day-old tortillas cut and fried) simmered briefly in red (rojo) or green (verde) salsa until just softened but retaining some texture, topped with fried or scrambled eggs, crema, queso fresco, sliced onion, avocado, and fresh coriander — is the canonical Mexican hangover cure and the dish most Mexicans cite when asked what they eat for breakfast on weekends. Chilaquiles exists at the intersection of the fresh and the leftover: tortillas that are one day old fry more crisply than fresh; the salsa can be freshly made or from a jar; the eggs can be any style. The critical technique is the brief simmering of the chips in the salsa — long enough to absorb the sauce and soften slightly, short enough that some crunch remains. Chilaquiles rojo uses red salsa (ancho, guajillo, or tomato-based); chilaquiles verde uses tomatillo-based green salsa; both are equally canonical depending on regional tradition.

Saturday or Sunday morning in Mexico, eaten at the table with family after a late night; with strong Mexican coffee (café de olla — cinnamon-spiced) or fresh-squeezed orange juice; the combination of crispy-yet-yielding chips, tangy-spiced salsa, runny egg yolk, cool crema, salty cheese, and fresh herb is a sensory experience that is simultaneously comfort food and flavour complexity; the 'right' chilaquiles is the one that uses your grandmother's salsa