A rich, complex sauce of over 20 ingredients including dried chiles (ancho, mulato, pasilla), Mexican chocolate, sesame seeds, almonds, raisins, plantains, spices, and stale tortillas, slowly cooked and served over turkey or chicken.
Ingredients
4 dried mulato chiles
3 dried ancho chiles
3 dried pasilla chiles
2 oz Mexican chocolate (like Ibarra)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup raisins
3 ripe plantain slices
1 corn tortilla, torn into pieces
3 Roma tomatoes, roasted
1 medium onion, roasted
4 cloves garlic, roasted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
4 cups chicken broth
Instructions
1Toast the dried chiles in a hot skillet for 30 seconds per side until fragrant. Remove seeds, then soak in hot water for 30 minutes.
2In the same skillet, toast sesame seeds, almonds, and raisins until golden. Toast the torn tortilla pieces until crispy.
3Roast the tomatoes, onion, and garlic under a broiler until charred on all sides, about 10 minutes.
4Blend the soaked chiles with the roasted vegetables, toasted nuts, seeds, raisins, tortilla, cinnamon, cloves, and 1 cup of broth until very smooth.
5Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve into a large pot. Fry the strained sauce in a little oil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 10 minutes.
6Add the remaining broth and the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate melts and the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes on low heat.
7Season with salt and a pinch of sugar if needed. The mole should coat the back of a spoon.
8Serve over turkey or chicken, garnished with sesame seeds. Mole improves after resting overnight.
Did You Know?
Mole Poblano contains over 20 ingredients and can take days to prepare. Legend says it was created by nuns in a Puebla convent who improvised with whatever they had when a bishop visited unexpectedly.