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Mole Poblano

A rich and smokey savory sauce made with dried chilies, fruit, nuts and chocolate.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course, Sauces
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 5 cups of chicken stock
  • 4 dried chipotle chilies
  • 4 dried mulato chilies (or ancho chilies)
  • 6 dried pasilla chilies
  • 1/2 cup of prunes, pitted
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 6 large roma tomatoes, halved
  • 8 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup of sesame seeds
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon of whole aniseeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon of whole peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano
  • sea salt
  • 1/2 cup of almonds
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 ounces of Mexican dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of lime juice or white vinegar (optional)

Instructions

  • Bring 5 cups of chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan and then transfer off of the heat
  • Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilies
  • Submerge the dried chilies and prunes in the hot stock and set aside for 30 minutes to rehydrate 
  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees 
  • Place a large quartered yellow onion and 6 halved roma tomatoes on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees until softened and charred, about 20 minutes and then set aside for now
  • Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and add 1/3 cup of sesame seeds, 6 whole cloves, 1 teaspoon of aniseeds and 1/2 teaspoon of whole peppercorns into the hot, dry skillet and toast the spices while stirring consistently until the sesame seeds have become lightly golden brown 
  • Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a teaspoon of cumin and a teaspoon of Mexican oregano and toast for another 60 seconds or so
  • Transfer the spices into a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind until fine 
  • In a large blender, combine the roasted onion and tomatoes, the rehydrated chilies and prunes (including most of the stock), 8 cloves of roughly chopped garlic, the finely ground spices and 1/2 cup of almonds and blend until smooth. Add the remaining stock to thin if necessary. 
  • Optionally, strain the mixture and transfer into a large skillet over medium low heat
  • Bring the sauce to a low simmer and add 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 ounces of roughly chopped Mexican chocolate and a generous pinch of sea salt 
  • Simmer the mole sauce and add additional stock if thinning is desired 
  • If the mole is more spicy than you prefer, add a tablespoon or two of fresh lime juice or white vinegar to reduce the heat