Mole Sauce Recipe

Seed and tear

Wipe chiles with a dry towel, cut off stems, slit lengthwise and shake out seeds. Tear into large pieces.

In a dry skillet over medium heat, lightly toast chile pieces in batches 10–20 seconds per side until they puff slightly and become aromatic. Do not burn — charred taste is bitter. Transfer toasted chiles to a bowl.

Place toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl and pour 2 cups of hot vegetable or chicken stock over them. Cover and let soak 20 minutes until pliable. Reserve soaking liquid.

In the same dry skillet, toast sesame seeds, pepitas, and almonds (or peanuts) over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned, about 3–4 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Toast the torn bread pieces in the skillet with a little oil or in a 350°F (180°C) oven until crisp and golden, about 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Toast whole spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, cumin seeds) briefly in the skillet until aromatic, about 30–45 seconds. Remove and set aside with nuts.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add quartered onion, garlic cloves, and sliced ripe plantain. Cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until charred and softened, about 8–10 minutes. Add the quartered tomatoes and roast until skins blacken slightly and tomatoes soften, 6–8 minutes more.

Transfer roasted vegetables and plantain to a blender jar.

Drain chiles, reserving the soaking liquid. Add soaked chiles to the blender with roasted vegetables, toasted nuts and seeds, toasted bread, toasted spices, cinnamon stick (broken into pieces), brown sugar, piloncillo (if using), and 1 cup of the reserved chile soaking liquid or stock.

Blend in batches on high until very smooth, adding additional reserved stock 1/4 cup at a time if the mixture is too thick. Aim for a thick velvety puree — this is the mole paste base.

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil or lard over medium heat. Carefully add the blended paste (it may splatter) and cook, stirring constantly to prevent sticking, about 6–8 minutes. The paste will deepen in color and aromas will develop.

Slowly add remaining 3–4 cups of stock, whisking or stirring to incorporate until smooth. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low, and let the mole simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30–45 minutes to meld flavors and reduce slightly.

Taste and stir in chopped or grated dark chocolate until melted and fully incorporated. Add vinegar, salt, and adjust sweetness with additional brown sugar or piloncillo to taste. If mole is too thick, thin with more stock; if too thin, simmer to reduce.

Remove cinnamon stick and any large whole spice pieces if they remain. For extra smoothness, pass the mole through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much sauce as possible.

Keep warm until ready to serve. Mole can be made 1–3 days ahead — refrigerate and gently reheat, thinning with stock if necessary. Serve over tamales, chicken, or pork. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired.