Mole Poblano
Mole Poblano
Serves 12
Diet VV
Time 1 h
A traditional Mexican sauce with a special combination of flavours (dry chili, chocolate, spices, herbs, nuts and seeds). The richness and depth of the sauce is remarkable.
Produce
Chiles
7 — Ancho chiles
6 — Mulato Chiles
6 — Pasilla Chiles
3 — Chipotle chiles, dried
Vegetables/Fruits
1 — Onion
3 — Roma tomatoes
3 cloves — Garlic
1 — Ripe plantain, peeled sliced
Dry Goods
2/3 cup — Raisins
3/4 cup — Raw peanuts, unsalted
2/3 cup — Almonds
1/3 cup — Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/3 cup — Sesame seeds
Filling
2 — Corn tortillas, cut into fourths
1 — Bolillo/ bread (a couple of days old), sliced
Spices
1 stick — Cinnamon
3 whole — Cloves
1/2 tsp — Anise seed
1/2 tsp — Cumin
1/2 tsp — Fennel seeds
1 tsp — Smoked paprika
1/2 tsp — Ground coriander
1 tsp — Black peppercorns
1/2 tsp — Dried oregano
Packaged Flavour
1/2 cone — Piloncillo
1 tablet — Mexican chocolate (Ibarra)
1 L — Water or vegetable stock
2 — Vegetable bouillon cubes
Oil
Olive oil or avocado oil
Specifications
Remove seeds and stems from dried chiles. Toast the chiles on a pan (be careful not to burn!). Soak them in a pot of boiling water for 20 min.
In the meantime, add tomato, onion and garlic to a medium pot of boiling water. Simmer for around 6 minutes (or until tender). Drain and set aside.
Once the chiles are soft, place them in a blender with 1 cup of water. Blend until completely smooth. Strain and set aside.
Warm up a large pan to medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil. Fry the raisins, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, almonds, tortilla, bolillo, and plantain until deep golden brown.
Add all of the fried ingredients into the blender with the spices and sesame seeds. Add 1 cup of water and blend until you have a smooth and thick sauce. Strain and set aside.
Set a large pot under medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of water, piloncillo, vegetable bouillon and mexican chocolate. Stir consistently until it dissolves.
Add the chile mixture and nut-bread mixture, and mix well to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.
Continue mixing constantly with a wooden spoon and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes and recheck seasoning. Let it cool in the pot. Now it is ready to use or store.
The recipe makes mole paste, which you can freeze or save in the fridge for later use. To use the paste all you need to do is add enough vegetable stock to get it to the right consistency (approximately 1/2 cup of water or vegetable stock per cup of mole paste) and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
Then serve and enjoy!