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A clay plate of dark mole sauce with rice, beans and sesame seeds

Mole Sauce

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 160
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 5 each dried ancho chile stemmed and seeded
  • 4 each dried pasilla chile stemmed and seeded
  • 4 each dried guajillo chile stemmed and seeded
  • 0.33 cup almonds
  • 3 tbsp sesame seeds plus more to finish
  • 0.33 cup raisins
  • 2 each roma tomato
  • 1 each onion quartered
  • 5 each garlic clove
  • 1 each corn tortillas torn, as the traditional thickener
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ground cloves
  • 5 cup chicken broth
  • 3 tbsp lard or oil
  • 2 tsp salt

Method
 

  1. Toast the stemmed, seeded chiles in a dry pan over medium heat, 20 to 30 seconds a side, pressing them flat. Stop the moment they smell sweet and turn pliable. A chile that darkens or smokes has gone bitter and must be discarded.
  2. Cover the toasted chiles with hot water and soak 20 to 30 minutes, until completely soft.
  3. In the same dry pan, toast the almonds and sesame seeds separately until golden, about 3 minutes each, then set aside. Toast the torn tortilla until dry and lightly browned.
  4. Char the tomatoes, onion and unpeeled garlic in the pan until blackened in patches, about 8 minutes. Peel the garlic.
  5. Blend the drained chiles with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, almonds, sesame seeds, raisins, tortilla, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves and 2 cups of the broth until completely smooth. Work in batches and blend longer than feels necessary.
  6. Press the puree through a sieve, pushing with a ladle and discarding the solids left behind. This is what makes mole velvety rather than gritty.
  7. Heat the lard in a heavy pot until shimmering, then pour in the strained puree all at once. It will spit. Fry it, stirring, for 10 minutes, until it darkens and thickens.
  8. Add the remaining broth and the salt, and simmer gently, partly covered, 40 minutes, stirring often, until it coats a spoon.
  9. Taste and adjust salt. Serve over poached chicken or turkey, scattered with sesame seeds.