Oaxacan Black Mole

Ingredients

• dried chilies (seeded; tear into flat strips and reserve the seeds)
• hot water (for soaking chilies and seeds; additional water is used to adjust consistency)
• lard (used to cook down the chile paste, brown the plantain, and caramelize onion and garlic)
• almonds (toasted)
• sesame seeds (toasted)
• roasted peanuts (toasted)
• 2 tomatoes (broil until blackened)
• 2 tomatillos (broil until blackened; transcript says a couple of tomatoes and tomatillos, but gives no count for tomatillos)
• plantain (use the ripest available; cut into 1/4-inch pieces)
• raisins (toast in the same pan)
• bread (sliced and toasted; type unspecified)
• corn tortilla (toasted with the bread)
• onion (caramelize in lard)
• garlic (caramelize in lard)
• cinnamon (blend with the other spices until powdery)
• cloves (spice)
• oregano (spice)
• marjoram (spice)
• dried thyme (spice)
• black peppercorns (spice)
• homemade chicken stock (added to the toasted mixture for blending and later as needed for consistency; quantity unspecified)
• chocolate (type unspecified)
• avocado leaf
• salt (to season)
• sugar (to season)
• 1 chicken leg (poached; served under the mole)
• Spanish rice (for serving)
• corn tortillas (for serving)

Steps

1. 1

   Remove the seeds from the dried chilies, tear the chilies into flat strips, and reserve the seeds for later.

2. 2

   Toast the chile strips in batches in a cast-iron pan until very dark.

3. 3

   Soak the toasted chilies in hot water for about 45 minutes.

4. 4

   Transfer the soaked chilies to a blender. Taste the soaking liquid; if it is not too bitter, use it to blend the chilies into a paste.

5. 5

   Strain the chile paste.

6. 6

   Cook the strained chile paste in lard, stirring as needed, until very dark and thick like tomato paste.

7. 7

   Burn the reserved chile seeds until their oils are burned off, as described in the source, then soak them in water and reserve.

8. 8

   Toast the almonds, sesame seeds, and roasted peanuts in batches in a pan.

9. 9

   Broil the tomatoes and tomatillos until blackened, then add them to the mixture of toasted nuts and seeds.

10. 10

    Cut the ripe plantain into 1/4-inch pieces. Brown the pieces in lard, then add them to the mixture.

11. 11

    In the same pan, toast the raisins and add them to the mixture.

12. 12

    Slice the bread and toast it together with the corn tortilla.

13. 13

    Caramelize the onion and garlic in lard, then add them to the mixture.

14. 14

    Blend the cinnamon, cloves, oregano, marjoram, dried thyme, and black peppercorns until powdery, then add the spice mixture to the other ingredients.

15. 15

    Add the toasted bread and tortilla, then pour in homemade chicken stock. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, then strain it.

16. 16

    Add the strained fruit, nut, seed, and vegetable mixture to the cooked chile paste.

17. 17

    Cook the combined mixture down until it is as dark as the chile paste was.

18. 18

    Add chicken stock as needed to adjust the mole's consistency. Add the chocolate and avocado leaf.

19. 19

    Simmer the mole for about 5 hours, or as long as possible.

20. 20

    Season with salt and sugar. Adjust the consistency with water.

21. 21

    Serve the mole over a poached chicken leg, with Spanish rice and corn tortillas.

Notes

The source provides no measured quantities for most ingredients and gives only about 45 minutes for soaking the chilies and about 5 hours of simmering. It says the hands-on work took about 3.5 hours. The quantities, exact broiling/toasting settings and times, chicken poaching instructions, and recipe yield are not specified; chicken leg, rice, and tortillas are described as accompaniments.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• sauce
• traditional
• Mexican
• slow-simmered
• labor-intensive
• gluten-containing
• contains nuts