andrejthechef
MexicoSauceDinnerGluten-free

Mole Poblano

Mexico’s great sauce: three dried chiles, nuts, spices and a little chocolate, toasted, blended and fried into something far bigger than its parts.

prep
1 h
cook
1 h 30 min
total
2 h 30 min
serves
8
level
hard
Mole Poblano, a classic from Mexico.

Mole poblano has a reputation for thirty ingredients and three days. This version is honest about what actually builds the flavor: the ancho-mulato-pasilla chile trio, toasted and soaked; nuts, raisins and spices for body; and a little Mexican chocolate to round the edges, not to make it sweet.

The step most recipes abroad skip is frying the blended paste until it darkens and thickens. In Mexico they say you are frying the mole, and it is where the sauce stops tasting like ingredients and starts tasting like mole.

Mole Poblano is one of the world's classic dishes from 67 countries.

method

  1. Toast the chiles in a dry pan a few seconds per side, until fragrant but never darkened. Soak them in hot water for 30 minutes.

  2. Toast the almonds, sesame, spices and tortilla. Roast the tomatoes, onion and garlic until blistered.

  3. Blend everything except the chocolate with the drained chiles and enough stock to move the blades, in batches, until completely smooth. Sieve it.

  4. Heat the lard in a wide pot and fry the paste, stirring constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes as it darkens, thickens and spits.

  5. Add the chocolate and enough stock for a sauce that coats a spoon. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 45 minutes, stirring now and then.

  6. Balance with salt and a little sugar. Serve over poached chicken with rice and a scatter of sesame.

chef's tips

  • Seconds, not minutes, when toasting chiles. Burnt chile makes bitter mole and there is no rescue.
  • Fry the paste properly; pale mole tastes like a smoothie of its ingredients.
  • It is better on day two and freezes beautifully, so the work funds many dinners.