the joy of eating authentic mexican mole
Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 08:05PM 
For my first Christmas away from home, my college exchange host family in Queretaro, Mexico, made a traditional mole dish, which they said had 32 ingredients including bananas and chocolate.
Beatriz, my tall, voluptuous host mother decided to make it for a special Christmas dinner. She worked in the tiny, windowless kitchen all day stirring an enormous pot of silky red sauce while taking long, slow drags on her cigarette. Occasionally, ash from her cigarette would fall in the mole. I was horrified. But it didn't matter. It turned out to be the most exotic dish I had ever tasted.
For years I thought there was no way I could recreate this dish and even felt culturally out of bounds to attempt it. In recent years, however, several recipes have cropped up compelling me to try this sensual feast. Now, the roasting of the tomatillos, the chopping of the chocolate, and the toasting of the anchos and pasillas, are meditative steps to an extraordinary meal.
This recipe is inspired by Rick Bayless' red mole recipe in “Mexico One Plate at a Time.” Rick says this about mole: “Think of it this way: If you want to make mole, you’re in the mood for cooking.”
Traditional Red Mole with Chicken
Five medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 dried cascabel chilies
4 medium to large dried ancho chilies
4 medium to large dried pasilla chiles
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup almonds
2 large chicken breasts (four breasts total)
salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon anise seed, ground
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cloves
1 slice darkly toasted bread
1 ounce Mexican chocolate, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons of sugar
a sprig of chopped parsley for garnish
Mise en place is the French term for prepping all the ingredients in advance of cooking. With long, complex recipes like mole, advanced prep is essential to a smooth cooking process.
I suggest getting organized up front: grab a big tray, then measure out all the ingredients and place them in little 'mise' bowls on the tray.
Stem and seed all the dried chilies (it’s best to do this over a cookie sheet to prevent the seeds from flying all over your kitchen). Make sure to get ALL the seeds removed during this step so they don't get mixed in with the hot oil when you fry them. Those little cascabel seeds can pack some good heat.
Toast the sesame seeds in a heavy-bottomed pan, stirring frequently for about five minutes.
Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil and roast the tomatillos under a hot broiler until darkly roasted, flipping them once mid-way, about 8 minutes total. Pour the tomatillos and juice into a large bowl. Add 2/3 of the toasted sesame seeds to the tomatillos. Set aside the other 1/3 sesame seeds for garnish.
Heat oil in Dutch oven and fry the dried chili peppers, in batches, about 30 seconds each batch.
When finished, place the peppers in a bowl of hot tap water, cover with a plate, and soak for 30 minutes.
With the flame on medium, add the almonds and garlic to the oil and fry until golden brown, about five minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the tomatillo bowl. Now add the raisins and fry them until they are puffed and browned slightly, about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the tomatillo bowl.
Salt the chicken breasts on all sides. Raise the temperature to medium high and brown the chicken breasts five minutes on each side in batches of two. Remove to a clean plate and cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to finish the dish.
Using tongs, transfer hydrated chilies to a blender. Taste the soaking liquid; if it’s not bitter, measure out 2 1/2 cups and add to the blender. If it is bitter, toss it and use 2 1/2 cups water instead. Blend until the mixture is a smooth puree. Using a medium-mesh strainer, strain puree into a large bowl. This should trap the chili skins, leaving a silky puree.
Use the same blender (no need to wash it) and add the tomatillo mixture along with 1 cup water, cinnamon, pepper, anise, cloves, bread, and chocolate. Blend to a smooth puree and strain with the medium mesh strainer into a large bowl.
Pour any excess oil out of the Dutch oven, leaving a thin film. Heat the Dutch oven over a medium high flame. When it’s hot, add the chili puree. Stir constantly for 12 minutes. Then add the tomatillo puree and cook for another ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 5 1/2 cups of water to the Dutch oven and simmer on low for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season with salt (about 1 3/4 teaspoons) and sugar. Add the chicken breasts to the Dutch oven. Insert an instant read thermometer into the largest portion of the chicken breast and cook until it reaches 165.
Remove and place on a cutting board. Slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces and serve. Pour the mole around the meat and garnish with fresh parsley and sesame seeds.
Reader Comments (5)
one day very soon i'm going to tackle a classic mole. this looks like a perfect speciman!
My god,
It looks so good!
Thanks, Michelle and Cindy!
Believe me, it is well worth the effort, but as Rick says, you definitely have to be in the mood to cook! :)
Thank you for spending the time to make such a nice presentation. Each time I read an article like this .. some subject that was missed by someone else is covered. You did just that in several spots.
I am new to chili but I have already figured out one end of the puzzle .. I hate the taste from Chili Powder and will be cooking with fresh or dried chili peppers only .. PoblanoAncho and Gaujillo for starters. My mix of Mexican Oregano and Cumin is getting better every day. I never measure .. thanks to my GA Grandmother .. and seldom cook the same way twice.
Thanks, Beriah! I'm so glad you enjoyed the post. I love ancho and gaujillo and your Mexican oregano and cumin mix sounds great! Cheers, Angela