Mole Poblano Recipe

Toast and Soak Chiles

Lightly toast pasilla, ancho and mulato chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat, 20–30 seconds per side, until fragrant but not burnt. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak 20 minutes until softened. Drain, reserve soaking liquid.

Toast Nuts, Seeds & Bread

In the same skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds, peanuts and sesame seeds 2–3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove and set aside. Add torn tortilla pieces and torn bread slice to the skillet and toast until crisp and browned, about 2–3 minutes per side; remove and set aside.

Sauté Aromatics & Plantain

Add 1–2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the skillet. Sear the quartered tomatoes (and roma tomatoes if using) cut side down until charred, 4–6 minutes. Add the roughly chopped onion, garlic cloves and sliced plantain, and sauté until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Toast Whole Spices

In a small dry pan over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, whole cloves, cinnamon stick and allspice berries until aromatic, about 1–2 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove and let cool.

Grind the toasted spices (including oregano) to a fine powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Blend Mole Paste

In a blender or food processor combine soaked drained chiles, toasted nuts and seeds, toasted tortilla and bread, charred tomatoes, sautéed onion, garlic and plantain, raisins, ground toasted spices, vinegar, sugar and about 1 cup of the reserved chile soaking liquid or stock. Blend on high until very smooth, adding additional stock a little at a time to reach a thick, pourable sauce (about 2–3 cups total stock). Strain the blended sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a heavy saucepan, pressing solids to extract as much as possible. Discard solids left in the sieve.

Simmer and Finish with Chocolate

Bring the strained sauce to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Add the remaining chicken stock to reach desired consistency (sauce should coat the back of a spoon). Stir in the Mexican chocolate a little at a time until melted and incorporated. Adjust seasoning with salt and additional sugar or vinegar to balance sweet, savory and acidic notes. Simmer gently, uncovered, 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If sauce thickens too much, thin with more stock.

If serving with chicken: heat 1–2 tablespoons lard or oil in a skillet and brown pre-cooked or roasted chicken pieces until skin is crisp. Pour mole over the chicken and simmer together for 5–10 minutes to meld flavors. Alternatively, serve mole over roasted vegetables, enchiladas or turkey.

Taste and adjust final seasoning. Serve hot garnished with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro if desired. Mole keeps refrigerated up to 4 days and freezes well.