The seasonings used to make mole, a rich, dark, reddish-brown, silky sauce, are usually dried chiles, onion, garlic, and ground sesame or pumpkin seeds. Mole is powerful, spicy, and produced with a creative combination of these ingredients. The least-used but most well-known component is Mexican chocolate. The cinnamon, almond, and vanilla-infused chocolate gives the sauce richness without leaving a sickeningly sweet aftertaste. In Mexico, there are countless ways to make mole, which is frequently served with fowl. There may be as little as four components on the list or as many as four dozen.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 55 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 15 mins |
| Servings: | 10 |
| Yield: | 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 4 New Mexico dried red chile pods, stemmed and seeded
- 2 medium tomatoes – peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- ½ (6 inch) corn tortilla, torn
- ¼ cup raisins
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 ounce Mexican chocolate
Instructions
- Combine dried chiles, tomatoes, onion, tortilla pieces, raisins, garlic, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, cloves, and coriander in a bowl. Puree small amounts of this mixture in a blender until smooth.
- Melt shortening in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the puree and saute, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add broth and chocolate, and cook over very low heat until sauce is very thick, about 45 minutes. Garnish with remaining sesame seeds.
- Can be customized using cloves, nutmeg, epazote, coconut, peppercorns, peanut butter, raisins, tomatillos, bananas, and tortillas.
- Make Ahead: The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat the sauce gently.
- Mexican chocolate can be found in Latin markets and specialty food stores. You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup almonds and 1 ounce semisweet chocolate for 1 ounce Mexican chocolate.