Mole Poblano

Mole is a broad term describing sauces in Latin cuisine. There are many unique varieties of mole and all sorts of variations from region to region. The most popular mole and the national dish of Mexico is mole poblano. This rich, deeply flavorful mole comes from the Puebla region in Mexico and is made with a combination of dried chilies, fruit and chocolate… yes, chocolate…

I will admit that when reading through the ingredients list of mole poblano, one may become slightly concerned about how all of it will come together, but trust me it works.

The chilies, onion, garlic and spices create a spicy, smokey base that is beautifully complimented by the fruit and chocolate. Do not worry, this mole does not taste like a sweet sauce. It is a savory sauce with many layers of warm, inviting flavors that will make it very clear why this dish was crowned the national dish of Mexico.

Let’s get started…

Let’s start by breaking down some of the ingredients…

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Dried Chilies: different moles require different combinations of dried chilies, but the 3 most popular chilies in mole poblano are chipotle, mulato and pasilla. Each chili brings its own unique flavor.

Chipotle chilies are simply smoked and dried jalapeños, so they bring medium heat and lots of smokiness to this sauce. Mulato chilies are related to poblano peppers and bring a smokey sweetness that should not be skipped. Pasilla chilies are named after raisins due to the fruity heat that they bring to this delicious sauce.

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Some grocery stores carry dried chilies, but if you have trouble finding them, I would suggest visiting your local Latin market or looking on Amazon.

Now let’s talk about the spices…

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Spices: we will be using a combination of whole and ground spices in this recipe. Try not to be overwhelmed by the thought of cooking with whole spices. I will describe exactly how to get the best out of them in a simple way.

We will be combining whole sesame seeds, cloves, aniseeds and peppercorns. The only one that I did not have in my pantry were the aniseeds. Aniseed is not the same as star anise and although they have similar flavors, they come from different plants and greatly different in the intensity of flavor, so be sure to find some aniseed for this recipe.

In addition to the whole spices, we will be adding ground cinnamon, cumin and Mexican oregano.

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This recipe includes sesame seeds and almonds, which offer both flavor and texture to this sauce. They are the thickeners in mole and they are added prior to blending the sauce, so just use whole ones and don’t worry, you will not need to whip out your fanciest chopping skills for this sauce.

Actually, there are very little knife skills required at all on this one.

Now that we have covered some of the most important ingredients, it is time to get started.

Begin by bringing 5 cups of chicken or turkey stock to a boil in a large saucepan. As soon as it begins to boil, transfer the saucepan off of the heat and submerge 4 dried chipotle chilies, 4 dried mulato chilies, 6 dried pasilla chilies and 1/2 cup of pitted prunes in the stock. Set aside for about 30 minutes or until everything is fully rehydrated and softened.

Note: If you want to reduce the heat in this sauce, cut the stems off of the chilies and remove as much of the seeds as possible before submerging them in the hot stock. 

While the chilies and prunes are rehydrating, spread a large yellow onion and 6 halved roma tomatoes over a baking sheet and roast them in a 400 degree oven until they are softened and charred. This should take about 20 minutes.

Once they are charred, transfer them into a blender and set it aside for now.

Now that the onions and tomatoes are roasting and the chilies are rehydrating, it is time to toast our spices.

Place a large skillet over medium heat and let it get nice and warm. I like to use the same skillet I plan on simmering the mole in later on to avoid extra dishes.

Start by putting 1/3 cup of sesame seeds, 6 whole cloves, 1 teaspoon of aniseeds and 1/2 teaspoon of whole peppercorns into the skillet and cook them while stirring consistently until the sesame seeds smell quick fragrant and turn lightly golden brown.

Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano and toast for another 60 seconds.

Transfer the spices into a mortar or spice grinder and grind until you have a nice fine texture.

At this point, we just need to combine everything in a blender. I use a 72 ounce Ninja Blender and everything fit, but if you have a smaller blender, you’ll need to blend in batches.

The roasted tomatoes and onions should already be in the blender from earlier. Add the rehydrated chilies and prunes and most of the liquid. If you did not remove the stems and seeds before rehydrating, pull the stems off before adding them into the blender.

Next add 8 cloves of garlic, the finely ground spices, 1/2 cup of almonds and a generous pinch of sea salt.

Blend until everything is broken down and fully combined. Now you have to decide… to strain or not to strain?

There are plenty of people out there that do not strain mole, but there are several reasons that I do…

Not only do I prefer the texture, consistency and look of a smoothly strained sauce, but straining also helps to remove any chili seeds, bits of stem or unground spices from the finished product.

Once your sauce is strained (or not), transfer it into your big skillet and place it over medium heat.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 ounces of Mexican dark chocolate.

Once the sauce is simmering, reduce the heat to medium low and let the sauce simmer until it thickens a bit.

Note: As the sauce is simmering, do a few taste tests and add additional sea salt if necessary. If your mole is too spicy for you, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of white vinegar or lime juice to help neutralize the chilies.

This mole poblano sauce is truly spectacular. It should not be surprising that there are so many layers of flavor when you consider the fact that there are 20 ingredients in this sauce, but it is kind of surprising just how beautifully they all work together.

This mole poblano is rich and smokey, subtly sweet and perfectly spicy. It hits all of the notes you’d want from a comforting Mexican chili based sauce.

Mole is traditionally served with turkey, but this sauce can be used in so many ways! Of course, the turkey can be swapped out for chicken, pork or beef, but this is just the beginning of the list of ways that you can use mole.

You can spoon mole poblano over rice or roasted vegetables. Crack eggs into a thin layer of mole for a Latin inspired breakfast or ladle some over burritos or taquitos. Swap your enchilada sauce for mole or add it to your chili or tortilla soup.

There are so many versions of mole poblano. Some use different dried chilies, some call for raisins instead of prunes and others use peanuts instead of almonds.

If you have always wanted to make your own mole sauce or have made it many times before, I would love for you to give my version of mole poblano a try!