My first introduction to mole was at a market in Oaxaca…
A banana leaf wrapped chicken tamal with mole negro and I was hooked…what was this smokey, cinnamon, spicy sauce?
At another stall in the market, a Oaxacan Grandma shared a pinch of her ground paste and walked me through the simple steps of reconstituting this magical paste into a luxurious sauce.
Now it has become a frequently requested birthday or special occasion meal.
If you find the paste at a specialty or Mexican market, the recipe is quite simple:
Add chicken parts to a covered pot and cover completely with water.
Bring to a boil and cook chicken through.
Remove chicken parts and allow to cool and pull/shred.
Add paste to Chicken broth/water in pan and stir until you reach a smooth sauce consistency.
Add shredded chicken to sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds
Serve with warm tortillas, rice, avocado.
Below is the non-cheater version should you have a crew and feel motivated to make it the old-fashioned way!
Oaxacan Molé Negro
Ingredients
The Chiles & Aromatics
- 8-10 Mulato Chiles (5 ounces) stemmed and seeded
- 3-4 Pasilla negro chiles stemmed and seeded
- 3-4 Ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
- 3 Guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 white onion halved
- 2 Roma tomatoes quartered
- 3-5 tomatillos husks removed and halved
- 1 ripe plantain peeled and halved
The Spices & Thickeners
- 1/4 cup raw almonds
- 1/4 cup raw pecans
- 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 corn tortilla quartered and lightly toasted
- 3 slices white bread toasted
- 1/3 cup dark raisins
The Finishers
- 1 cup pork lard or vegetable oil
- 3-4 ounces Mexican chocolate e.g. Abuelita
- 8 cups chicken stock ideally homemade
- 1 dried avocado leaf optional
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Char the Vegetables: In a large dry skillet over medium-high heat, char the onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomatillos, and plantain until blackened in spots. Set aside.
- Toast the Spices and Nuts: Heat 2 tablespoons of lard/oil in a pan. Fry the almonds, peanuts, pecans, and sesame seeds until fragrant and golden. Remove. In the same pan, lightly fry the bread, tortilla, raisins, and spices (cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, thyme, oregano). Do not let them burn.
- Fry the Chiles: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the remaining lard until shimmering. Fry the torn, seeded chiles in batches for just a few seconds per side until they change color and become fragrant. Do not burn them, or the sauce will be bitter.
- Blend the Base: Add the fried chiles, charred vegetables, fried nuts, spices, and toasted bread into a blender with 2 cups of chicken stock. Blend on high until completely smooth (you may need to do this in batches).
- Cook and Fry the Paste: Heat 2 tablespoons of lard in a large pot. Carefully pour in the blended mole paste (it will splatter). Cook, stirring continuously for 10-15 minutes, allowing the paste to darken and the flavors to concentrate.
- Simmer and Finish: Stir in the remaining chicken stock one cup at a time. Add the Mexican chocolate and stir until melted. Add the avocado leaf. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Season generously with salt to taste.